Sydney remembers late Ghazal King Jagjit Singh

 


Manju Mittal - J singh 1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Hontho se chu lo tum mera geet amar kar do”

By Manju Mittal

Ghazal is a soothing poetic form consisting of rhythmic verses where the heart touches the soul. A legend by the name of Jagjit Singh was crowned “King of Ghazal” by millions of his ghazal lover fans.

Manju Mittal - Jagjit singh

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sadi Rehmani, Arun Nanda with Avijit Sarkar

 

Pioneering Jagjit Singh was a favourite artist of Sydney who came here often. He was quite an emotional singer whose voice made us all sing and hum ghazals for days. Notable writer Gulzar once said “When Jagjit sings he adds new meaning to lyrics enhancing their depth”.

It has been my good fortune that I was able to share a few moments with the legendary Jagjit Singh as I have been his ardent fan since I was sixteen year old girl and when I finally met him in 1991 which is still so viivid. It was in the same flight from Bhopal to Mumbai. It really amazed me he waited patiently in the baggage collection area and then he himself picked up his luggage. We exchanged few words and those rare moments have become an integrant part of my life. Jagjit Singh was truly an extraordinary human being.

”˜Mera Geet Amar Kar do’ was solo organised by Arun Nanda and supported by Natraj Academy. Avijit Sarkar captivated the house full audience at Hurstville Civic Theatre September 26, 2015. The evening was organised especially to give a befitting tribute to late Ghazal maestro Jagjit Singh. The auditorium was jam packed and it was indeed a successful sold out show. Listening to music depends a lot on the environment in which you experience it. The warmth of an intimate live concert with musicians sitting close as we listeners sit near them in an intimate cosy hall on a cold rainy drenching weather outside, was a unique experience of its kind. Music lovers were drawn into the subtle soulful sounds of the music with no sense of separation.

The show started bang on time. Well known Charming Shallu Kundra was the emcee for the evening as she welcomed the audience and introduced each and every artist and their special talent. Avijit Sarkar is a talented singer who knows the art of mesmerizing. Apart from being a noted singer musician and director of Natraj Academy he is a painter, writer, poet, actor and editor of e-magazine ”˜The Mind Creative’. Avijit has devoted many of his concerts to charity and fund raising for many worthwhile causes in Australia.

Avijit kicked off the musical eveninge with a very soothing rendition of ”˜Chitthi na koi sandesh’ followed by a very mellow version of ”˜Baat niklegi to phir’. Avijit also included ”˜Apni ankho ke samundar’ and ”˜Aah ko chahiye’ in his versatile voice. He warmed up the audience with humorous tid bits on Jagjit Singh. Avijit’s voice is highly intoxicating his style of singing and his mastery of nuances were shockingly similar to that of Jagjit Singh.

The first passionate duet of the evening followed by Avijit and Srijani ”˜Safar mein dhoop to hogi’ and ”˜Aaye hain samjhane log’. The moment Srijani stepped on the stage she captivated audience with her heart warming smile and delighted the audience with her soothing fresh voice.

It was an emotional moment when Avijit sang ”˜Hum to hai pardes mein’. He ensured that he catered to the entire audience with a balanced mix of ghazals, Bollywood film songs, Punjabi songs and soft numbers. Avijit & Srijani delivered Nida Fazli’s nazam ”˜Yeh daulat bhi le lo’ and ”˜Duniya jise kehte hai’ the pathos in their voice was startling. The audience melted and eventually joined them in singing. The duo also sang famous ghazal ”˜Allah janta hai’ in remembrance of Jagjit Singh which was was a visual as well as aural treat as Srijani’s voice reverberated powerfully throughout the hall.

Avijit sang numerous songs from Jagjit Singh’s collection such as ”˜Tera chehra’, ”˜Aap ko dekhkar’, ”˜Hosh walo ko Khabar’, ”˜Kisi ranjish ko’, ”˜Pyar ka pehla khat’, ”˜Kal Chaudvi ki raat’, ”˜Hontho se chu lo tum’ and ”˜Tumko dekha to yeh khayal’ and many more. Avijit’s performance of Jagjit Singh’s most famous ghazal ”˜Tum itna kyu muskura rahe ho’ from the movie ”˜Arth’ was utterly incomparable. The evening ended with Punjabi song ”˜Dhai din na jawani’ which got audience to get up and dance and some even whistled along.

Paying tribute to a Legend is easier when you have the protégé of the legend himself in Avijit Sarkar. The magic of Avijit Sarkar and Srijani Dan’s musical brilliance kept not only the audience, but also the tabla master Abhijit Dan engaged everyone as well. The magic of Live ”˜Jazba’ band was brilliant. Avijit recognized their skills and he praised each performer Sadiq Rehmani played the guitar brilliantly and a fantastic singer to boot, Vishal Lakhia played Piano skilfully. Talented Singer Ajoy Ghosh played the hand sonic and Sanjeev Raja other instruments.

Presenter of the event Arun Nanda was pleased with  all proceeds going to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, Australia. He thanked sponsors, audience, Media and Natraj Academy students for continued support in making the evening memorable one. Arun also added that he plans to host similar events in the future.

Audience applauded each and every ghazal  and enjoyed the evening thoroughly. The concert proved to be perhaps one of the most elegant in Sydney’s history.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Short URL: https://indiandownunder.com.au/?p=5620