A personal tribute to Jagjit Singh ji

It was heart shattering to hear about the demise of Shri Jagjit Singh ji, the Ghazal king and a maestro by all means. For whole of yesterday I did not have a clue that something like this has happened. Till few days back I was checking Internet frequently to have an update on his health which seemed to be improving going by all the reports. As I reached home and we sat down for dinner, my wife broke the news to me and I just went numb on hearing it.

My mind went back to his concert which I was lucky to attend last year in Vadodara. Seeing him in flesh and blood had alway been a dream and I now feel fortunate that I was able to fulfill it in this lifetime. Listening to him was like witnessing pure magic.

His ghazals had always meant a world to me and they still do. It was amazing to notice how his voice could do magic with the shayaris and ghazals and could bring alive various emotions of sadness, longing, love and parting, which humans have known. Words are inadequate to describe the sense of personal loss I feel on his death. It is as if someone close I knew has passed away never to be seen again in person. His compositions and ghazal renditions have been immortalised and shall stay with generations to come.

I am sure I will introduce this genre of Ghazals to my children at an opportune time and all the future generations can keep his legacy alive.

Long live Jagjit ji in our hearts.