Jeeye to jeeye kaise... Udhas no more, ghazal loses a chart-topper

Avijit Ghosh (THE TIMES OF INDIA; February 27, 2024)

He completed evenings. In the 1980s and ’90s, ghazals sung by him were mandatory at parties and gatherings. They were like companions helping listeners unwind, enlivening many a ‘spirited’ sunset. Pankaj Udhas, whose audience-friendly renditions and easy on the ear compositions sold millions of cassettes, packed hundreds of concerts and took ghazals to new followers, passed away after “prolonged illness” at a Mumbai hospital on Monday. He was 72. 
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Ghazal chart-topper Pankaj Udhas, the voice behind ‘Chitthi Aayee Hai’ and ‘Jeeye Toh Jeeye Kaise’ passed away at a Mumbai hospital on Monday. His daughter, Nayaab, made the announcement on Instagram.

Primarily a singer of non-film ghazals and geets, Pankaj delivered Bollywood’s biggest 1987 chartbuster: ‘Chitthi Aayee Hai’ (lyrics, Anand Bakshi; music, Laxmikant-Pyarelal; film, Naam). The song, which topped Binaca Geetmala’s annual countdown show, touched an emotional chord, especially among NRIs and PIOs.

Some of Udhas’ finest numbers are in the 1981 album, Muqarrar. ‘Tum na maano magar haqeekat hai’ (poet Qabil Ajmeri) and ‘Deewaron se milkar rona achcha lagta hai’ (poet Qaiser-ul-Jafferi). Another popular track from the same album, Sabko maloom hai main sharabi nahi (poet Anwar Farook Habadi) spurred him to do a reprise with Paimana (1983), a collection of ghazals that went down well with tipplers; it had Thodi thodi piya karo (poet S Rakesh) and La pila de saakiya (traditional).

A science graduate from Mumbai’s St Xavier’s College, Pankaj spent his early years in Gujarat. In an interview to the Sunday Guardian in 2018, the singer recalled his father playing the musical instrument ‘dilruba’, and him liking the sound.

Pankaj also remembered being fascinated by the tabla and enrolling for a course but later switching to learning Hindustani vocal from Ghulam Qadir Khan Sahab in Rajkot. “Then I came to Mumbai to learn from my guru, Master Navrang Nagpurkar. He was a very famous singer from the Gwalior Gharana,” he said in the interview.

The 1980s saw two divergent trends in popular music. One was led by the breathless beats of disco, the other by the more reflective ghazal. The peerless pair of Jagjit and Chitra Singh had already initiated a new gene ration of the middle class to the non-film ghazals. A Padma Shri recipient who also worked to eradicate thalassemia, Pankaj was among the young bunch of ghazals singers - Talat Aziz and Anoop Jalota were the other two – who were part of that wave.
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RWITC mourns a horse racing enthusiast
Ghazal singer Pankaj Udhas was a keen racing enthusiast too. A member of the Royal Western India Turf Club (RWITC), Udhas owned a few horses and would visit Mahalaxmi Racecourse. “He would call and ask if his horse has a chance to win,” RWITC-based trainer H J Antia told TOI on Monday. 

Antia trained his horses. “And when I would tell him yes, he would specially make time to come to the Mahalaxmi racecourse,” added Antia. The late singer would also visit the stables at the racecourse to check on the horses, he said.

“We lost a very genuine member of the club,” said RWITC chairman Surendra Sanas. “It is also a personal loss for me. He would make it a point to visit the club on Classics race days and almost certainly on Indian Derby Day,” recalled Sanas.

Surgeon Dr Mehli Nazir, who jointly-owned horses with Udhas, said, “We bought our first horse called Aliyana sometime around 2010. And then we owned a couple of more horses together. When Aliyana won in Pune the first time, he was thrilled to lead the winner. It was his first ever win,” said Dr Nazir. 

“He found it difficult to devote time to racing after 2018 because he had a busy schedule,” said Adhirajsingh Jodha, who trained a horse called Speed Of Sound owned by Udhas in partnership.— Shailendra Awasthi
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Ghazal maestro, Padma Shri Pankaj Udhas dies after battling prolonged illness; industry peers shocked and devastated
HINDUSTAN TIMES (February 27, 2024)

Inarguably one of the most renowned ghazal voices, Pankaj Udhas has died at the age of 72. His daughter, Nayaab, issued a statement on Instagram on Monday to announce the news: “With a very heavy heart, we are saddened to inform you of the sad demise of Padma Shri Pankaj Udhas on 26th February 2024 due to a prolonged illness.” 

Born in Gujarat, Udhas was keen about music from a young age. It was in 1986 that his playback career took off with the cult classic Chitthi Aayi Hai for the film Naam, and there was no looking back after that. Chandi Jaisa Rang Hai Tera (Ek Hi Maqsad, 1988) Jeeye Toh Jeeye Kaise (Saajan, 1991) and more cemented his legendary status. He remained active in films until 2016, when his song Raat Bhar Tanha Raha was featured in Dil Toh Deewana Hai.

He is survived by wife Farida and daughters Nayaab and Reva.
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A symphony of memories

In a 2016 chat with Soumya Vajpayee, Pankaj Udhas spoke about his journey as a ghazal singer and the future of the genre

ON HIS JOURNEY
It’s been interesting, challenging and satisfying. When I started out, the ghazal had just started gaining popularity. Even then, Bollywood music dominated the scene.

ON WHAT MADE HIM POPULAR AMONG THE MASSES
When I started singing, I was influenced by Begum Akhtar and Mehdi Hassan’s styles. But as I grew up, I realized that I shouldn’t keep singing like them. I wanted to create my own space. That’s when I started creating a style of my own. I wanted to reach out to the masses, as the ghazal was always limited to a very small audience. I wanted to make it more accessible. So, I composed the ghazal, Aap jinke kareeb hote hain. Anyone who could speak Hindi could understand it. That clicked, and I realized that I had found the success formula.

ON NOT SINGING FOR BOLLYWOOD ANYMORE
To be honest, I would love to sing for movies, as that’s a very exciting medium. I cannot deny that some of the Hindi film songs that I sang have had a huge impact on my career. They helped me gain popularity. Songs like Chitthi Aayi Hai and Jeeye Toh Jeeye Kaise helped me reach out to audiences across the world. It’s a different story that the style of songs and the approach to music in Bollywood has changed drastically now. Perhaps that’s why we (ghazal singers) are not called in to sing anymore.

ON LATE MEHDI HASSAN AND JAGJIT SINGH’S ROLE
After they arrived on the scene, people started talking about ghazals. There was a curiosity about this kind of music. By the time I started out, which was around 1978-79, Bollywood music was struggling to impress the masses. The audience was looking for an alternative. That’s when the ghazal started to rise. After the ’80s, it became a craze. I am glad to have been around when the ghazal ruled the roost.”

Farewell, ghazal king

SONU NIGAM, SINGER
Pankaj ji was one of the most important parts of my childhood. I will miss him forever. My heart cries.

KAVITA KRISHNAMURTI, SINGER
He was my friend since college and the nicest man I’ve known. He would always smile and talk to everyone; he’d never discriminate. The world has lost not just a singing icon but also one of the sweetest and simplest human beings.

SUKHWINDER SINGH, SINGER
During the video shoot of one of my songs from the album Nasha Hi Nasha Hai, he invited us all for dinner and lunch. He even extended our stay for the next night, just because he wanted to talk to us. The world has lost a great icon and I still can’t process that he is gone.

SALIM ARIF, THEATRE PERSONALITY-DIRECTOR
I was working on a musical show, based on (poet) Mirza Ghalib’s letters, with Pankaj ji. We couldn’t meet the last four months as he was not keeping well. It’s a personal loss.

I look at sir (Pankaj Udhas) as a mentor because when I came into this industry as a model, he was the first person who graciously accepted me in his music video, Chupke Chupke. He is the one man who is more than responsible for my success. I just told him that your voice still sounds so beautiful, it’s amazing.

TALAT AZIZ, SINGER
I can’t believe I have lost my dearest and oldest friend. Pankaj, Anup (Jalota) and I go way back. This is really shocking. I spoke to Nayaab (Udhas’s daughter), too. Rest in peace, my friend.

ANUP JALOTA, SINGER
Mera yaar chala gaya. I am heartbroken. Hum logon ne kitni shaamein saath bitaai, kitni yaadein hain... yakeen nahin ho raha. We started Khazana (annual ghazal festival) together. Now, I would like to take it forward with his daughter Nayaab.

THE GOLDEN VOICE GONE