THE END OF DAZZLING EVENINGS - CURTAIN CALL FOR PANKAJ UDHAS

 

 

                          

 

THE END OF DAZZLING EVENINGS  -   CURTAIN CALL FOR PANKAJ UDHAS

Pankaj Udhas, the Ghazal maestro and Hindi playback singer passed away due to prolonged illness a couple of days ago.   His voice was the brightening colors of the uptown gatherings that sought pleasure and high social revelry.   

 

Like any mortal being the end of spirits was imminent for him too.  There was a time when the craze for Ghazals caught up with the young and old alike.   The high society party could never avoid the velvety voice of the Ghazal singers.  Pankaj Udhas was the most sought-after ghazal singer of his time.

 

His astounding singing included "Chitti Aayi Hai.....".  Yes, this was the last time the letter or call from 'Yama' for him.

 

While the wine flowed and gulped, the sound of ghazal mesmerized the dazzling evening party revelers.  The ghazals attracted the well-educated, rich, and cultured lot and they lapped it up with great pleasure.

 

Udhas's collection of ghazals went down well with the tipplers.  He was active in the ghazal world for more than four decades.  He enriched our music industry with some of the most memorable and melodious renditions of ghazals.

 

He was at his peak in the 1980s.  The1980s saw two divergent trends in popular music.  One was led by the breathless beats of disco, the other by the more reflective ghazal. 

He was a beacon of Indian music, whose melodies transcended generations.

                                 

 

Pankaj Udhas the legendary singer (Born: 17 May 1951 - Died: 26 February 2024).   Udhas is survived by his wife and two daughters.

 

Pankaj Udhas was an alumnus of renowned St. Xavier's College, Mumbai.

 

Udhas was born in Jetpur, Gujarat.  He was the youngest of three brothers.  His brothers are also singers.

Udhas's  family hails from Navagadh near Rajkot in Gujarat and were Zamindars (traditional landlords).  His father enrolled him in a Sangeet Academy in Rajkot to learn vocal classical music.  He learned Hindustani vocals from Ghulam Qadir Khan Sahab in Rajkot.  Subsequently, he enriched his music learning under the tutelage of Navrang Nagpurkar, a singer from Gwalior Gharana.   Later, his family moved to Mumbai and settled in Mumbai, Maharashtra.

 

 

"Kisi Nazar ko tera intezar aaj bhi hai" .... 

(yes....., phir ek janam dejiye unko yeh duniya ka mehfil rangeen karne ke liye..... yeh mera guzaarish hai Bahagwan se). 

 

The above song is from the Hindi film 'Aitbaar' (1985) sung by Bhupinder Singh and Asha Bhosale featured on Suresh Oberoi and Dimple Kapadia.  The film also stars Raj Babbar.

The film fraternity of his times included Ghazals in movies.  Jeeye to jeeye kaise...was a hit song sung by Pankaj Udhas from the Hindi film "Saajan".

He went on to record a string of successful albums - Muqarrar (1981), Tarrannum (1982), Mehfil (1983), Nayaab (1985), and Aafreen (1986).

One of the most popular ghazal "Deewaron se milkar rona acha laga hai" from the Album "Muqarrar" was a super hit.

 

The legendary singer with his invaluable treasure of ghazals entertained all of us all these years.  I pray to God almighty to give him another birth to cheer our spirit.

The obituary note is coming from the Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, and other celebrities.

The famous Hindi film actor and producer John Abraham shared a 25-year-old photo of him with Pankaj Udhas in X and said Udhas was instrumental in introducing him to Hindi films during his struggling days.  John Abraham was featured in Udhas's Album 'Mehek' in 1999.

                             

                                                         John Abram with Pankaj Udhas

 

Albums and Live concerts around the globe brought him fame as a singer.  He was very popular with NRI's.  With lines like "Panchi pinjara tod ke aaja, desh paraya chhod ke aaja," the ghazal encapsulated that longing for home - a sentiment felt by the Indian diaspora settled abroad.  

 

Anand Bakshi's lyrics captured a myriad of emotions with gems like -

"Saat samundar paar gaya tu, hum ko zinda maar gaya.  Khoon ke rishte tod gaya tu.....bhool gaya tu hum nahi bhule...  Tere bin jab aayi Diwali, deep nahi dil jale...".  

 

"Chitthi Aayi Hai ...Song - 

I remember when a chitthi (letter) was more than just a means of  keeping in touch.  Staying connected was not just difficult, it was an expensive affair in the 1980s.  The STD calls and ISD trunk calls were costly affairs. International calls necessitated advance booking. Whether they had moved abroad, had family members who did, or were simply living in another city within the country, Chitthi .. was a song that resonated with people during its time.  It moved the most stoic listeners to tears.  

The "Chitthi Aayi Hai" song is from famous filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt's movie "NAAM".  Talking about the song in a recent interview, Bhatt said, "This song triggers that yearning, it echoed the yearning of the times because there were people going away from homes overseas, to Dubai, or Bangkok, to make a living, and even people who left their villages and came to the city, they all felt they were uprooted from their near and dear one's, so the song touched that pulse.  The song gave voice to that palpable feeling that was crossing the hearts of millions of Indians, who longed to return home."

 

The song "Chitthi Aayi Hai" makes every Indian emotional.

 

According to an Indian celebrity, Pankaj Udhas was the sweetest and nicest person in the music industry.  He had a very beautiful voice.  I will miss his smiling face and courteous ways.  She recalls that success didn't change him, especially when he was a superstar in the Ghazal world.

 

In 2006, Pankaj Udhas was awarded Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award by the Government of India.

His contemporary Ghazal singers were Talat Aziz, Anup Jalota, Jagjit and Chitra Singh, and Peenaz Masani to name a few. 

 

Pankaj Udhas bidding goodbye to us with "Kisi nazar ko tera intezaar aaj bhi hai."