Jagmohan Singh Dhiman, popularly known as Jagjit Singh deserves all the credit for making ghazal popular among the masses at a time when Bollywood music was at its peak. With songs like Chithi Na Koi Sadesh, Tum Itna Jo Muskura Rahe Ho, Tumko Dekha To, Hothon Se Chuu Lo Tum, Koi Yeh Kaisey Bataye, Hoshwalo ko Khabar Kya, Who Kagaz Ki Kashti, and many more, Jagjit Singh made people fall in love with ghazal.
Even to this very day, Jagjit Singh's melodious songs often trend on Instagram reels, proving that a new generation is falling in love with ghazals due to his soulful tracks. During his illustrious career, Jagjit Singh received a series of awards for his incredible contribution to the Indian music industry.
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In 2003, the government of India bestowed the singer with the prestigious Padma Bhushan award for his notable contribution. Unfortunately, it was on October 10, 2011, when Jagjit Singh passed away at the age of 70 after he suffered a brain haemorrhage in September 2011. Tributes from across the world dominated the headlines of newspapers and television channels as his demise left a big void in the Indian music industry.
For the unversed, Jagjit Singh and Chitra Shome got married in 1969. After some years of their marriage, the couple welcomed a baby boy, whom they named Vivek Singh. While it was Jagjit's first marriage, Chitra was previously married to a man named Debo Prasad Dutta with whom she had a daughter named Monica.
Unfortunately, Jagjit Singh and Chitra Singh's only child, Vivek Singh passed away at the age of 20 in a road accident. 19 years after Vivek Singh's painful demise, Chitra's daughter, Monica committed suicide, and it once again broke the spirits of her mother, Chitra Singh and step-father, Jagjit Singh. While the demise of their son had shaken Jagjit and Chitra to the core, it was Monica's heartbreaking death due to suicide that shattered them to an unrepairable extent.
It was back in July 1990 when Jagjit Singh and Chitra Singh's son, Vivek Singh passed away in a horrific car accident in London. The youngster was just 20 years old when he lost his life after being injured heavily in a life-threatening car accident. On February 7, 2024, critically-acclaimed filmmaker, Mahesh Bhatt talked about his iconic film, Saaransh, after it completed 40 years since its release back in 1984. In his heart-to-heart conversation with The Indian Express, Mahesh Bhatt admitted that the personal tragedy of his close friend, Jagjit Singh deeply resonated with the cinematic storytelling of his film Saaransh.
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Speaking about the same, Mahesh Bhatt shared a heartbreaking incident related to Jagjit Singh and his son, Vivek Singh's demise. The filmmaker revealed that the iconic singer told him that he had to pay a bribe to some junior officers in order to get the dead body of his own son. Mahesh Bhatt added that the way Jagjit Singh suffered to collect the body of his dead son is the true ground reality of a common person's life. Sharing how these hard-hitting realities were shown in his film, Saaransh, Mahesh Bhatt said:
"When the son of Jagjit Singh passed away in a tragic accident, he told me that he had to pay a bribe to junior officers to get his son's body and that's when he understood the importance of Saaransh. That is how much a common man struggles, to get the dead body of their own. All these are living reference points for the film."
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Jagjit Singh always treated his wife, Chitra Singh's daughter, Monica from her first marriage with so much love. The doting father never differentiated between his son, Vivek Singh and Monica. After the tragic demise of Vivek, Jagjit came a bit closer to Monica, as a result when she committed suicide on May 29, 2009, he was completely heartbroken.
Once, in an interview with Filmfare after Jagjit Singh's demise, Chitra Singh talked about the impact of her daughter, Monica's death on the ghazal maestro. The doting wife revealed that Jagjit cancelled his US tour after knowing about Monica's death and travelled continuously for two days to reach India. Not only this, but Chitra also added that Monica's death shook Jagjit, and he never expressed his pain as he became too quiet and reserved. She said:
"Papa (Jagjit Singh) was shaken after Monica's death. He had seen her as a five-year-old. She was like his daughter. He was touring America then. He cancelled his shows, kept flying for two days catching connecting flights to reach home. He was distraught though he never expressed much. But his quiet presence and support was enough."
Almost two years after Monica Dutta's unfortunate demise, Jagjit Singh passed away in 2011. For the unversed, Chitra Singh is currently living with her grandsons, Armaan and Umair. Although she stopped singing after her son, Vivek Singh's death, back in 1990, her duet songs with Jagjit Singh often trend on social media even to this day. There's no denying the fact that their respective songs will continue to make future generations fall in love with ghazal.
What are your thoughts on Jagjit Singh paying a bribe to get his son's dead body? Let us know.
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