Coordinates	12°2′36″N77°1′42″N
name	Honshu
image name	Japan_honshu_map_small.png
image caption	Honshu
locator map
native name
native name link	Japanese language
location	East Asia
archipelago	Japanese Archipelago
area km2	227,962.59
length km	1300
width min km	50
width max km	230
coastline km	5450
rank	7th
highest mount	Mount Fuji
elevation m	3776
country	Japan
country admin divisions title	Prefectures
country admin divisions	Hiroshima, Okayama, Shimane, Tottori, Yamaguchi, Hyōgo, Kyoto, Mie, Nara, Osaka, Shiga, Wakayama, Chiba, Gunma, Ibaraki, Kanagawa, Saitama, Tochigi, Tokyo, Akita, Aomori, Fukushima, Iwate, Miyagi, Yamagata, Aichi
country largest city	Tokyo
country largest city population	12,570,000
population	103,000,000
population as of	2005 Census
ethnic groups	Japanese }}

() is the largest island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyushu across the Kanmon Strait. It is the seventh largest island in the world, and the second most populous after Java in Indonesia.

It has a population of 103 million in 2005, (98,352,000 as of 1990; in 1975 it was 89,101,702), mostly concentrated in the available lowlands, notably in the Kantō plain where 25% of the total population reside in the Greater Tokyo Area, which includes Tokyo and Yokohama, Kawasaki, Saitama and Chiba cities. Most of the nation's industry is located along the belt running from Tokyo along Honshu's southern coastal cities, including Kyoto, Osaka, Nagoya, Kobe, and Hiroshima, part of the Taiheiyo Belt.

The economy along the northwestern coast by the Sea of Japan is largely fishing and agriculture; Niigata is noted as an important producer of rice. The Kantō and Nōbi plains produce rice and vegetables. Yamanashi is a major fruit-growing area, and Aomori is famous for its apples.

Eminent historical centers include Kyoto, Nara, and Kamakura.

Geography

The island is roughly long and ranges from wide, and its total area is , 60% of the total area of Japan. It is larger than Great Britain, and slightly larger than the state of Minnesota. Its area has been expanding with land reclamation and coastal uplift in the north, but global sea level rise has diminished these effects. Honshu has of coastline.

Mountainous and volcanic, Honshu has frequent earthquakes (the Great Kantō earthquake heavily damaged Tokyo in September 1923, and the earthquake of March 2011 moved the whole island by while causing devastating tsunamis); the highest peak is the active volcano Mount Fuji at , which makes it the world's 7th highest island. There are many rivers, including the Shinano River, Japan's longest. The climate is temperate, but has marked difference between the eastern or southern (Pacific or Inland Sea coast) side, and the western or northern (Sea of Japan coast) side. A mountain range runs along the length of Honshu from end to end. In addition to Mt. Fuji, the Japanese Alps are a feature of Honshu.

Honshu is connected to the islands of Hokkaido, Kyushu and Shikoku by tunnels or bridges. Three new bridge systems have been built across the islands of the Inland Sea between Honshu and Shikoku (Akashi Kaikyō Bridge and the Ōnaruto Bridge; Shin-Onomichi Bridge, Innoshima Bridge, Ikuchi Bridge, Tatara Bridge, Ōmishima Bridge, Hakata-Ōshima Bridges, and the Kurushima-Kaikyo Bridge; Shimotsui-Seto Bridge, Hitsuishijima Bridge, Iwakurojima Bridge, Yoshima Bridge, Kita Bisan-Seto Bridge, and the Minami Bisan-Seto Bridge), and the Seikan Tunnel connects Honshu with Hokkaido.

Regions and prefectures

The island is nominally divided into five regions and contains 34 prefectures, including metropolitan Tokyo. The regions are Chūgoku (western), Kansai (southern, east of Chūgoku), Chūbu (central), Kantō (eastern), and Tōhoku (northern). Some smaller islands are included within these prefectures, most prominently Ogasawara Islands, Sado Island, Izu Oshima, and Awaji Island.

The prefectures are:

Chūgoku region — Hiroshima Prefecture, Okayama Prefecture, Shimane Prefecture, Tottori Prefecture, Yamaguchi Prefecture.

Kansai — Hyōgo Prefecture, Kyoto Prefecture, Mie Prefecture, Nara Prefecture, Osaka Prefecture, Shiga Prefecture, Wakayama Prefecture.

Chūbu — Aichi Prefecture, Fukui Prefecture, Gifu Prefecture, Ishikawa Prefecture, Nagano Prefecture, Niigata Prefecture, Toyama Prefecture, Shizuoka Prefecture, Yamanashi Prefecture.

Kantō — Chiba Prefecture, Gunma Prefecture, Ibaraki Prefecture, Kanagawa Prefecture, Saitama Prefecture, Tochigi Prefecture, Tokyo.

Tōhoku — Akita Prefecture, Aomori Prefecture, Fukushima Prefecture, Iwate Prefecture, Miyagi Prefecture, Yamagata Prefecture.

Extreme points

The northernmost point on Honshu is the tip of the Shimokita Peninsula in Ōma, Aomori. At the southern extreme lies Cape Kure in Kushimoto, Wakayama. The island is bounded on the east by Todogasaki in Miyako, Iwate and on the west by Bishanohana in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi. It spans more than eight degrees of latitude and 11 degrees of longitude.

References

Category:Islands of Japan

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Coordinates	12°2′36″N77°1′42″N
name	Nancy Ajram
birth name	Nancy Nabil Ajram
background	solo_singer
birth date	May 16, 1983
origin	Achrafieh, Beirut, Lebanon
genre	Arabic Pop, World, pop
occupation	singer, dancer, model, actress
years active	1998–present
label	EMI Arabia (1998) Megastar (2001–2005) In2Musica (2008–present)
website	Official website }}

Nancy Nabil Ajram (}}) (born May 16, 1983) is a multi-platinum Lebanese singer and Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF. With the support of her father, Nancy began performing as a child and released her first studio album by the age of 15. Her breakthrough occurred with the start of her collaboration with well-known producer Jiji Lamara, when she released her smash-hit "Akhasmak Ah" and 3rd studio album, Ya Salam. In 2004, she released her second international best-seller "Ah w Noss", which spawned several smash-hits, "Ah w Noss", "Lawn Ouyounak", and "Inta Eih" at which point Nancy had established pop icon status in the Middle East.

By 2007, Ajram had sold over 30 million records ranking 3rd best selling female artist in Lebanese history. Her 2008 album "Bitfakkar Fi Eih" spawned seven singles and won Nancy's first World Music Award as Best-selling Middle Eastern Artist, the youngest Arab WMA winner to date. She has released seven studio albums to date and numerous other chart-topping singles such as "Sehr Ouyouno", "Atabtab", "Moegaba", "Ehsas Jdeed", "El Donya Helwa", "Mashi Haddi", and "Fi Hagat".

Nancy Ajram is the first and only female sponsor and spokesperson of Coca-Cola in the Middle East and Arab world. Considered by many as an Arabic music icon of the decade, Nancy was described on the Oprah Winfrey Show as one of the most influential personalities of the Middle East. Nancy has made the list of Most Powerful Arabs on Arabian Business several times, and was similarly listed by Newsweek as one of the most influential Arabs. Nancy's official Facebook page is the most subscribed Arabic artist page on the social-networking site and the first to reach 1 million subscribers, and her music video for "Fi Hagat" was an Internet phenomenon and is currently the most viewed Arabic music video on the Internet, with more than 20 million views on Youtube.

Early life and beginnings

Ajram was born to father Nabil Ajram and mother Raymonda Aoun, on May 16, 1983 in Achrafieh, a district in Beirut, Lebanon.

In 1995, at the age of twelve, Nancy Ajram took part in a variety show, ''Noujoum Al-Moustakbal'', ("Stars of the Future"), a Lebanese reality television competition, which finds new solo musical talent. Ajram won a gold medal in the Tarab category after singing a song by Umm Kulthum.

Ajram studied music with renowned Lebanese musicians and despite being less than 18 years old at the time, the syndicate of professional artists in Lebanon accepted her as a member. Her first singles were titled "Hobbak Allam Albi elGheere" by Abdo Mounzer, and "Oulha Kelma Ala Shani". At the age of 15, she released her first album, ''Mihtagalak'' ("I Need You') in 1998. It was followed by ''Sheel Oyoonak Anni'' ("Stop Staring") in 2000, which achieved more success.

Music career

2002-2004: ''Akhasmak Ah''

Ajram's breakthrough was when she began working with Jiji Lamara, an experienced producer and manager. In early 2003, Ajram rose to instant fame with the success of the lead single "Akhasmak Ah" and the release of her third studio album, ''Ya Salam'' ("Oh Wow") which was a best-seller. The music video of "Akhasmak Ah" caused a controversy; reminiscent of older Arabic films, Nancy appeared as a cafe manager who dances and flirts with its customers. The release of the next music videos, "Ya Salam" and "Sehr Ouyouno" quietened down criticism as they better introduced Nancy's vocal abilities and style to the public.

2004-2006:''Ah w Noss'', Coca-Cola

Her fourth album, ''Ah w Noss'' ("Yes, and a half"), was released on April 12, 2004, and it was also an important marking point in Nancy's career. The tremendous success that "Ah w Noss" achieved, stabilized Nancy's position as an A-List star in the Arab music industry. Nancy then filmed "Lawn Ouyounak" (Color of Your Eyes), which portrayed Nancy as a bride in a traditional Lebanese wedding. After the release of the album, Nancy Ajram signed-up with Coca-Cola to be their official celebrity spokesperson for the Levant, Arabia and North Africa regions. Her first Coke commercial featured her hit, "Oul Tany Kida?" (Say That Again?), which was filmed with the international Italian director Luca Tomassini. The commercial's success lead to it being filmed as a music video behind the scenes of the commercial. The 4th hit single from the album, "Inta Eih?" (What Are You?), was a slow directed by Samir Sfeir. Nadine Labaki directed another clip that featured Nancy as a wife who sees her husband cheating on her yet she hides it in torment to save their relationship. The music video received tremendous positive reviews and Nancy was greatly praised. Leading Egyptian actors and directors, like Faten Hamama praised Nancy's acting abilities and movie offers doubled for Nancy. Nancy also opened for Enrique Iglesias's first concert in Egypt in 2004.

2006-2008:''Ya Tabtab Wa Dalla'', ''Shakhbat'', ''El Donya Helwa''

Her fifth album, ''Ya Tabtab Wa Dallaa'' was released on February 15, 2006. ''Atabtab'' was considered Nancy's best album to date, with six music videos released, eight radio hits, and five songs used for commercials.

The title song's video was Nancy's last video directed by Nadine Labaki, as she then started working on her movie Caramel. Nancy then released the video of her Coca-Cola hit "Moegaba" (Admirer), as well as a video and commercial for her newly signed ''Damas Jewelry'' contract advertising their "Farfasha" set. The song used was ''Ana Yalli'' which was promoted before the album's release. Nancy then cooperated for the first time with prominent Lebanese director Said el Marouk, filming ''"Ehsas Jdeed"'' (A New Feeling) which is widely considered to be the most successful song of the album. The video, which was a salute from Said to his deaf and mute parents, depicted the story of a rich woman who falls in love with a deaf and mute man. Later in 2007, Nancy released all together the video of "Elli Kan" (All That Was) for Damas's second campaign, her Coca-Cola Side of Life commercial featuring a new single "''El Donya Helwa''" (Life is Beautiful), and a video and album directed towards children, titled ''Shakhbat Shakhabit'' (Scribbled Scribbles). "El Donya Helwa", Nancy's 7th commercial, is considered one of her most successful commercials representing her style and Coca-Cola's with colors, happiness, and music, and it led her to release a Live album featuring the single.

Ajram's sixth album was fully dedicated to children with a variety of songs aimed towards teaching children good values and morals, something she has wanted to do for a long time. The music video was her second cooperation with Said El Marouk and featured four songs from her album, the most successful of which were "Shakhbat Shakhabit" & "Shater Shater". Nancy performed these songs at several fund-raising events for children and other children's events, such as the children's TV channel MBC3, and the children's entertainment TV Show "Star Zghar". She then filmed with Fadi Haddad, the director of photography of her previous works with ElMarouk, a video for the song "''Resala Ilal Aalam''" (A Message to the World) which talks about world peace. The video was released on May 25, 2008, the day the Lebanese president General Michel Suleiman was elected ending a deadlock that lasted since November. It was the first video for Nancy that had an entirely graphical world that implied the suffering of children worldwide and the need to bring out a more colorful and happy world for them. Old rumors claimed that the video was presented to the UNICEF. In 2007, Nancy performed alongside Lionel Richie in Egypt at a launching event.

2008–2010: ''Betfakkar Fi Eih'', WMA, Oprah, UNICEF & motherhood

In February and March 2008, Nancy released three Coca-Cola commercials that featured a brand new hit from her long awaited album. The song, "''Meen Gheyri Ana'' (Noss elKawn)" (Who Else?) was made by the successful ''Yey'' and ''Ana Yalli'' trio (Nizar Francis, Samir Sfeir, and Tarek Madkour). The single was an instant hit and served as a highly successful promotion 5 months before the release of the album. Nancy released her seventh studio album after several delays on July 30, 2008, which has been highly anticipated by fans for almost three years. This long awaited comeback album held lots of surprises for her fans with a huge change in her style that presented her matured vocal abilities like never before. Nancy's 7th album, Betfakkar Fi Eih?!, is considered to be one of her most successful albums so far as it won her first World Music Award in her career. The album included her first "Tarab" song called "Biteegy Sirtak" since 1998's Mihtagalak album, and in general had a wide mix of several different styles ranging from dance, beat, pop, to drama, romance, Tarab and oldies. Even though the hit video had mixed opinions, the second video of "Min Dally Nseek" was much more accepted, peaking at #1 for seven consecutive weeks in Melody Hits. The same musical trio who created "Ehsas Jdeed" did one of the instant radio-hits of the album, "''Lamset Eed''" (Touch of a Hand), which was filmed with Leila Kenaan with a high budget, and the song and music video peaked charts for months. With this album Nancy signed a celebrity endorsement deal with Sony Ericsson, as a special w595 phone was released holding Nancy's signature, and ''Wana Ben Idek'' was chosen as the commercial song.

On November 9, 2008, about a month after her marriage, Nancy Ajram won her first World Music Award for her best-selling album Betfakkar Fi Eih. In her short speech, Nancy thanked her parents, Jiji Lamara, her fans and album makers, and husband, saying "2008 has been a fantastic year - a successful album, my wedding, and now a World Music Award, what can I ask for more?"

On September 28, 2009, the Oprah Winfrey Show aired an episode titled "Fame Around the World" that talked about the most famous celebrities around the globe in brief reports. Representing the Middle East region and Arab world, Nancy Ajram appeared in a report featured on the show and was described by Oprah as "the Britney Spears of the Middle East". Nancy Ajram is the first and only Middle-Eastern artist ever mentioned on the show.

2010–present: World Cup, ''N°7''

In the summer of 2010, Nancy was nominated by Coca-Cola Middle East to sing, along with K'naan, his international hit and song for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, "Wavin' Flag". The Arabic version, titled "Shaggaa Be Alamak" and directed to the Middle East region, had its Arabic parts written by Ayman Bahgat Amar (who previously wrote Ah w Noss, Atabtab, Eftah Albak for Nancy) and the music remastered by Tarek Madkour. The original music video was used for K'naan's parts while Nancy's parts were filmed separately in Lebanon on the same protocol under Leila Kenaan's co-direction. Both the video and song were aired heavily during the FIFA season and part of the song was particularly played during commercial breaks on Al-Jazeera channel, which exclusively aired the games to the Arab world.

On August 30, 2010, Nancy's official Facebook page posted a 16-second preview of the music video for Nancy's next single, "Fi Hagat". The preview shows Nancy wearing her makeup and getting in the car on a rainy day. Later, it was announced that Nadine Labaki directed the video, thus making her comeback to music video direction after her 4-year break. The video is also the first collaboration between Ajram and Labaki since 2006's "Atabtab." The full music video premiered on September 6, 2010 at 8:00PM on Arabica TV and MTV Lebanon. As of January 2011, within four months, the video hit more than 10 million views and thus became the first and most viewed Arabic music video on the Internet.

The album became a massive critical and commercial success, selling over a million units a month after its release and gathering many positive reviews from critics, who favored Nancy's classy style and the variety of musical genres she offers on the album.

In November, 2010, Nancy's Facebook page hit one million fans, becoming the most subscribed Arabic Facebook page on the site. Nancy expressed how thankful she was and promised her followers to add news and updates to the page. Later, the page announced "Sheikh El Shabab" and "Ya Kether" as the second and third singles from ''7'', respectively. The video for the second single premiered on December 23, and received favorable reviews from Arabic media, however, it did not achieve the same explosive rate of Internet views as did the first single "Fi Hagat", with only 750,000 views in a month.

The album marks a shift in Ajram's career and launches her to a more international image, and is, to date, her second fastest selling album.

Personal life

In September 2008, Nancy wed Dr. Fadi El Hachem in Cyprus after a three-year relationship; the wedding ceremony, in Lebanon, was attended mainly by close friends and family and was only made based on their request. Nancy continued her work during pregnancy, during which she filmed "Min Dally Nseek", "Lamset Eed" and her first Sony Ericsson commercial. She also participated in several concerts, such as Layali Febrayer and received her World Music Award.

On May 16, 2009, Nancy gave birth to her first child, a daughter she named "Mila." Short for ''Milagrosa'' (''miraculous'' in Spanish), Mila is also a traditional, Levantine name popular in rural Lebanon and meaning a "blooming tree". However, Nancy revealed that the name was Fadi's choice inspired by the Ukraine-born US actress, Milla Jovovich. Nancy released a song for her daughter, "Ya Rab Tekbar Mila" (I Pray that Mila Grows Up) on the same day. In a survey done by ''Rotana Magazine'', Nancy was voted as the "Most Beautiful Mom" of 2009. Nancy chose not to reveal photos of her daughter Mila until they both appeared on the cover of "Prestige" magazine in an exclusive photoshoot. Mila later appeared in the set of Nancy's music video "Ya Kether" in the presence of the media who publicized her pictures.

In October 2010, a month after the release of her seventh studio album, Nancy announced that she was four months pregnant with her second child, a girl. During that period she had filmed "Sheikh El Shabab" and "Ya Kether" consecutively to be released during her pregnancy period. Nancy Ajram revealed on Mothers day special on MTV that she decided to name her daughter Ella. Ella was born on 23 April 2011.

Awards and titles

1995 Nojoom Al Mustaqbal Golden Award - (Ajram's most significant pre-stardom award)

2003, 2005, 2007 Murex D'or Award - Best Female Lebanese Singer of the year, Beirut

2003, 2006 Murex D'or Award - Best Video of the Year, Beirut.

2003: Ya Salam - Nadine Labaki, 2006: Ehsas Jdeed - Said elMarouk)

2003 The Golden Lion Award, Egypt

2003, 2007 LG Music Award

2003, 2005 Zahrat elKhaleej Magazine - Best Female Arab Singer, Dubai

2004, 2010 Zahrat elKhaleej - Best Music Video of the Year, Dubai (Lawn Ouyounak, Fi hagat - respectively)

2004 Arabian Music Awards - Best Female Arab Singer of the year, Dubai

2005 Newsweek - Most Influential Arab Personalities, Kuwait

2005 - Honor from the Opera House of Egypt

2007 - Certificate from the Pope of Rome

2007 Middle East Music Awards (''Mobinil'') - Best Female Arab Singer of the year, Cairo 2007, 2009 Arabian Business - World's Most Influential Arabs, Most Influential Contemporary Female Singer in 2007, Most Powerful Arab Singers 2007 Kol elArab Survey - Best Arabic Star of the year 2007

2008 9th Annual Doha Festival - Honor Award, Doha

2008 World Music Award - World's Best-Selling Middle-Eastern Artist, 20th Annual WMA, Monaco 2008 Student Choice Award - [College Student Survey]: Best Album of the Year 2008, Beirut 2008 ''AlJumhuriya'' newspaper, ''Freedom Magazine'' - Best Female Arab Star of 2008, Egypt.. only?

2009 Regional Ambassador for the UNICEF in the Middle East & North Africa

2009 Al-Jazirah Newspaper survey : Best Female Arab singer of the Year. ''Saudi Arabia''

2010 Stars Cafe Magazine - Best selling female artist of the decade.

2010 World Travel Award - Best Female world singer of the Year .

2010 Sama Al Noujoum-Best Female Singer 2010/Fi hagat Best Music Video 2010 Panet Survey-Best Female singer 2010 Arab Sound Awards -Best Arabic Female Singer

2010 Music My Life- Fi Hagat Best Song Of 2010

2010 Best Of Lbc 2010- N 7 Best Album/Fi Hagat- Best Music Video 2010 Panorama Fm (MBC)-N 7 Best Arabic Album. 2010-2011 Jaras Scoop Awards-Best Female Singer

2010-2011 Melody Fm Awards-Best Female Singer

Stars Cafe Awards 2010:

* Best Female Artist

* Best Album : 7

* Best Song: Fi Hagat

* Best Lyrics: Fi Hagat

* Best Arrangement: Fi Hagat

* Best Music Video: Sheikh El Shabab

2011 Won two awards from "Murex D'or 2010" ceremony in Lebanon. First award as the Star of Lebanese song, and the second award for the category of best music video for the song "Sheikh El Shabab."

2011 Best Female Singer- "Woujouh Men Lebnan" awards.

2011 Arabian Business- Most Famous Celebrity in the Middle East

Philanthropy and humanitarian work

Ajram has participated in numerous charity events and concerts that she considers a priority in her music career. In the year 2006, Ajram opened an organization under the name "Jam'iyet Nancy Ajram Al-Khayria" (Nancy Ajram's Charity Organization) in Beirut, Lebanon, that works on collecting and distributing money for the poor. Nancy also released a song about peace, "Resala Ilal Aalam" (A Message to the World), in her children's album as a music video, which was rumored to be presented to the Unicef. Ajram also participated amongst over 100 other prominent Arab artists in a huge production called "ElDhameer elArabi", a 10-year sequel to "AlHelm Al Arabi" that outlines the major political events in the Arab world in the past ten years.

In June 2008, Nancy participated in The Big Ball, a charity event in Dubai which raised over Dhs 940,000 for helping underprivileged children by auctioning one of her favourite dresses and encouraging children's fund-raising events; she announced, "The Big Ball is doing a wonderful thing and I'm happy to support it. I'm coming for my love of children and because I want to help underprivileged children find a happy place in this world. Children inspired my latest album ''Shakhbat Shakhabit'' and especially the song "Resala lel3alam" (A Message to the World)." Ajram, however, continues to refuse announcing her other charitable projects to the public.

On October 22, 2009, the UNICEF chose Ajram to be the first female regional ambassador for the Middle East and North Africa, as was announced in a press conference held in Beirut. Nancy announced that she will be starting her charity projects in 2010. In late 2009 she appeared in the UNICEF's commercial marking the 20th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, joining other influential Middle Eastern celebrities such as Kazem el-Saher, Saber el-Rebai and Karess Bashar.

Criticism and controversy

Many rumors of boycotts against Ajram's concerts filled the internet, although none appeared to be true.

In October 2003, a riot broke out outside a concert by Ajram in Bahrain. Islamists from the country's main opposition parties, including Al Wefaq, attacked concert goers. Al Wefaq's leaders defended the action, as it was the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. In May 2006, Ajram returned to perform in Bahrain without any incidents.

On her official website, Nancy Ajram has apologized for anti-Iranian remarks falsely attributed to her on a website posing as her homepage.

Nancy Ajram has expressed extreme anger towards recent circulating rumors in Egypt regarding the spread of nude photos of her on mobile phones. A large number of youths around Egypt and around the Arab world have been spreading nude photos of the singer supposedly taken at a women's spa for a full body wax. Nancy, however, denies the spa visit and claims such photos are fake.

Discography

Studio albums

1998: ''Mihtagalak''

2001: ''Sheel Oyounak Anni''

2003: ''Ya Salam''

2004: ''Ah W Noss''

2006: ''Ya Tabtab...Wa Dallaa''

2008: ''Betfakkar Fi Eih?!''

2010: ''7''

Other albums

2007: ''Shakhbat Shakhabit''

DVDs and live albums

2004: ''Live at the Jarash Festival'' [DVD] - MegaStar

2005: ''Ma La Ta'arifunahu 3an Nancy Ajram'' [DVD] - MBC

2006: ''Ah w Noss: Collector's Edition'' [CD and DVD] - MegaStar

2006: ''Ya Salam: Collector's Edition'' [CD and DVD] - MegaStar

2007: ''Shakhbat Shakhabit'' [DVD]

2007: ''ElDonya Helwa - Live'' [Live CD]

2008: ''The Best of Nancy Clips'' [DVD]

2008: ''Greatest Hits'' [Compilation CD] - EMI

2009: ''Awwel Marra'' [Old Live Songs CD] - Artline Music

Non-album singles

Nancy released several songs dedicated to special countries in the Arab world, starting with "Kuwait alShahama" in 2005. In early 2006, she released a single, "Ana Masry" ("I am Egyptian"), timed to coincide with Egypt's hosting and winning of the African Cup of Nations football tournament, taking it by storm. Its video showed Egyptians representing the diversity of the country lip-sync the patriotic lyrics of the song. Nancy also released a song for the rival Egyptian soccer teams "Ahly and Zamalek", being the first to do so after Sabah. Nancy released a sensual song for Lebanon called "Habib elOmr" composed by Ziad Boutrous, which preceded the 2006 Lebanese war. After the 2007 "Nahr el Bared" war, Nancy dedicated a song composed by Samir Sfeir to the Lebanese Army, called "Khalleek Bwejj elGhadab".

2005 "Kuwait Al Shahama"

2005 "Ana Masry"

2005 "Agbal" - (released in "Afdal Ma Endana" UAE compilation album)

2006 "Ahli w Zamalek"

2006 "Habib el Omr"

2007 "Bwejj el Ghadab"

2007 "El Dunya Helwa" [Coke Single] - (featured in Live performances album)

2009 "Ya Rab Tikbar Mila"

2009 "Efta7 Albak Tefra7" [Coke Single] - (released on Coke official website)

2010 "Masr el Ma7rousa"

2010 "Salemoli 3alaih"

2011 "Wahshani Ya Masr Moot"

2011 "7adri La3bek"

2011 "papa Porto"

Group works

2003 ''Il7a2ni'' (Follow Me) for the Lebanese Marathon, featuring Haifa Wehbe, Dina Hayek, Joe Ashkar, and Yuri Mrakadi.

2005 ''La Ma Khelset El Hekaya'' (It's Not Over) after the assassination of late president Rafiq elHariri, featuring Nawal elZoghbi, Haifa Wehbe, Wael Kfoury, Sabah, Maya Nasri, and many others.

2008 ''ElDhameer el 3arabi'' (The Arab Conscience) the sequel to the well-known "elHelm al3arabi" along with more than 100 artists including Wadih elSafi, Assala, Latifa, and Cheb Khaled.

Soundtracks

Ramadan 2009: ''Ibn elArandaly''

Intro: "Ya Ibn el Arandaly"

Outro: "Kol elHekaya"

Global Coke slogans

Coca-Cola Middle East have always incorporated International Coke slogans into pan-Arab campaigns with Nancy. In 2007, Coca-Cola released their international trademark campaign of their popular slogan "The Coke Side of Life", which focused on themes such as fun, happiness, colors, and life. A collaboration with Nancy Ajram lead to the making of the song "El Donya Helwa" (The World is Beautiful) for which a commercial was filmed with an American director on international standards and hi-tech effects. Nancy insisted on filming in Lebanon which had been hit by war a while back. "El Donya Helwa" is considered Coca-Cola Middle East's and Nancy Ajram's most successful commercial to date; the single became one of Ajram's most successful songs, leading to its release as a single track in a "Live" album with live performances from her last studio album Atabtab.

In 2009, as the campaign was sequeled internationally with "Open Happiness", Coke Middle East and Nancy released "Eftah Albak Tefrah". However, due to Nancy's pregnancy and giving birth, she was unable to participate in the print or TV campaigns that year and the song was used on the International commercial instead. A website was launched for that campaign entitled "Eftah Tefrah".

In 2010, Coca Cola released an Arabic version of Wavin' Flag originally by K'naan. The Arabic version "Wavin' Flag / Shagga' Bi Alamak Da" (In Arabic شجّع بعلمك ده) has Nancy Ajram featuring K'naan and meant for pan-Arab promotion of 2010 FIFA World Cup to be held in South Africa.

Videography

Official music videos

"Sheel Ouyounak Anni" "Akhasmak Ah" "Ah w Noss" "Ya Tabtab Wa Dalla" rowspan="5" rowspan="3"

+ Official Music Videos
Year	Title	Album	Director
1998	"Mihtagalak"	''Mihtagalak''
2001	|	Sheel Oyoonak Anni>Sheel Ouyounak Anni''	Guy Zahlan
2002	|rowspan="3"	Ya Salam...'' ||rowspan="5"> Nadine Labaki
rowspan="2"	2003	"Ya Salam"
"Sehr Oyouno" (Yey)
	|rowspan="4"| "Ah w Noss"
"Lawn Ouyounak"
	"Oul Tany Kida"
"Inta Eih"	Nadine Labaki
rowspan="4"		2006		''Ya Tabtab..Wa Dallaa''
"Moegaba"	Harry Rankin, Mike Lipscombe
"Ana Yalli"	Pascale D'Ash
"Ehsas Jdeed"	Said elMarouk
rowspan="3"	2007	"Elli Kan"
"Mishtaga Leik"
"Shakhbat Shakhabit" (ft. Katkouta, Shater, Eid Milad)				[Children's Album]	Said elMarouk
	"Risala Ilal Aalam"
"Betfakkar Fi Eih"	''Betfakkar Fi Eih?!'' || rowspan="2"|Said elMarouk
"Min Dally Nseek"
	"Lamset Eed"
"Ibn elGiran"	Mike Harris
"Mashi Haddi"	Leila Kanaan
rowspan="3"	2010	"Shaggaa' Be Alamak" (Wavin' Flag)(with K'Naan) ||	Single	Codirector: Leila Kanaan
"Fi Hagat"	7||Nadine Labaki
"Sheikh El Shabab"	Leila Kanaan
2011	"Ya Kether"

Commercials

Ajram's success as a singer led to high-profile advertising deals with Coca-Cola and Sony Ericsson and Damas Jewelry. Nancy remained the only Arab star promoting Coke until late 2007 when Egyptian sensations Mohammed Hamaki and Tamer Hosni joined in as well, as she still remains the only female. Coca-Cola and Nancy formed a great team since five years making commercials and music videos that stood out in the Arab world, synchronising local campaigns with worldwide slogans.

Concert Tickle, Munroe, WinkMoegaba Coke BottleElDonya Helwa Have a CokeMeen Ghayri Ana? ''Noss elKawn''Eftah Albak TefrahShaggaa' Be Alamak (Wavin' Flag)

+ Middle East Coke Campaigns
width =	Year	Coke Hit	Theme	# of Ads	Campaign
	Oul Tany Kida	|	3	TV,MV,print
Instrumental:'' Lawn Ouyounak''	|	3	TV,print
rowspan=2	2006	|	Circus	1	TV,MV,print
Ashtiki Minno	|	1	TV
rowspan=2	2007	|	The Coke Side of Life	1	TV,print
-
2008	|	Live on the Coke Side of Life	3	TV,MV,print
2009	|Open Happiness|
2010	|2010 FIFA World Cup|

DAMAS's youth-inspired set called "Farfasha", which are gold collections from the World Gold Council said to be chosen by Nancy herself, was promoted by her in three different campaigns. Each campaign had a new collection for the set and a song, commercial, and music video, starting with "Ana Yalli", then "Elli Kan" from Atabtab, and last with "Ibn elGiran" from Betfakkar fi eih?!.

A survey by Sony Ericsson where Nancy was named the most popular Arab star led them into signing a deal with her as their celebrity spokesperson. The company co-sponsored the release of her best-selling album Bitfakkar Fi Eih. In Febrauary 2009 the W595i phone was officially released with a Nancy special edition kit that held her signature on the back of the phone, a free copy of her album and ringtones of her songs. This was accompanied by print advertising, a press conference in Dubai, as well as a commercial set in March 2009 that featured Nancy and the song "Wana Ben Idek" from her best-selling album Bitfakkar Fi Eih.

See also

Nancy Ajram videography

References

External links

Nancy Ajram Official Website

Fiascos affect Arab music awards, 17 May 2004 BBC (Ajram voted best newcomer)

Arab youth revel in pop revolution by Sebastian Usher, 21 May 2007, BBC

Category:1983 births Category:Living people Category:Lebanese Christians Category:Lebanese Maronites Category:Lebanese female singers Category:Lebanese musicians Category:Arabic-language singers Category:UNICEF people Category:World Music Awards winners Category:Lebanese artists Category:Arab people

ar:نانسي عجرم az:Nensi Acram bs:Nancy Ajram bg:Нанси Ажрам ca:Nancy Ajram cs:Nancy Ajramová cy:Nancy Ajram da:Nancy Ajram de:Nancy Ajram es:Nancy Ajram fa:نانسی عجرم fr:Nancy Ajram ko:낸시 아즈람 hy:Նենսի Աջրամ id:Nancy Ajram os:Нэнси Набиль Аджрам it:Nancy Ajram he:נאנסי עג'רם jv:Nancy Ajram ku:Nancy Ajram hu:Nenszi Azsram arz:نانسى عجرم ms:Nancy Ajram mn:Нэнси Ажрам nl:Nancy Ajram ja:ナンシー・アジュラム pl:Nancy Ajram pt:Nancy Ajram ru:Аджрам, Нэнси simple:Nancy Ajram so:Nansi Ajram sr:Ненси Ажрам fi:Nancy Ajram sv:Nancy Ajram ta:நான்சி அஜ்ரம் tr:Nancy Ajram wa:Nancy Ajram zh:南希·阿吉莱姆

Coordinates	12°2′36″N77°1′42″N
name	Ashok
birth date	October 13, 1911
birth place	Bhagalpur, Bengal Presidency, British India
death date	December 10, 2001
death place	Mumbai, Maharastra, India
occupation	Actor, Painter
religion	Hindu
birth name	Kumudlal Kunjilal Ganguly
other names	Sanjay Ashok Kumar
years active	1936–1997 }}

Ashok Kumar (; 13 October 1911 – 10 December 2001) was an Indian film actor. Born Kumudlal Ganguly (Bengali: কুমুদলাল গাঙ্গুলী) in Bhagalpur, Bengal Presidency he attained iconic status in Indian cinema. He broke from the theatrical style then common in Indian film towards a more naturalistic method. Given his versatility and proven brilliance over five decades, he is considered by many to be one of the finest ever Indian actors. The Government of India honoured him with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1988 and the Padma Bhushan in 1998 for his contributions towards Indian cinema.

Family

His father Kunjalal Ganguly was a lawyer and his mother Gouri Devi came from a wealthy Bengali family. His family was based in Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh. His brothers Anoop Kumar and Kishore Kumar also acted in films. Three brothers worked together in the comedies ''Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi'', ''Badhti Ka Naam Dadhi'' and ''Chalti Ka Naam Zindagi''. Ashok, though the eldest of the three by quite a margin, survived them both. In fact, he stopped celebrating his birthday after the youngest brother, Kishore, died on that day in 1987. His sister, Sati Devi, was married to Sashadhar Mukherjee of the Mukherjee-Samarth family.

Ashok Kumar married Shobha. They had a troubled marriage due to his wife being an alcoholic.

Early career

Reverently called ''Dadamoni'' (affectionate term for elder brother), he was born in Bhagalpur and educated at Presidency College of the University of Calcutta (now Presidency University, Kolkata). He started his career in Bombay (Mumbai), albeit accidentally, with the Bombay Talkies production ''Jeevan Naiya'' in 1936. The male lead, Najam-ul-Hussain, went absconding with the heroine Devika Rani, the director's wife who returned later on. The director and studio head, Himanshu Rai, in retaliation dismissed the hero and called upon his laboratory assistant Ashok Kumar to take the part and thus began a six-decade-long acting career. However, it was his subsequent venture with Devika Rani in Achhut Kanya in the same year that set him up for the big league. The movie itself stands out as one of the heralding social dramas of pre-independence Indian film. It was the story of a Brahmin boy falling in love with a girl from the so-called untouchables in Indian society. It was a big hit and started the trend of socially committed films.

Devika Rani and Ashok Kumar did a string of films after this including ''Izzat'' (1937), ''Savitri'' (1937) and ''Nirmala'' (1938). But she was the bigger star and Ashok Kumar was definitely in her shadow. He came into his own with three films opposite Leela Chitnis: ''KanGan'' (1939), ''Bandhan'' (1940), ''Jhoola'' (1941), singing his own songs as was the custom then. He acquitted himself creditably and came away with several hits including most famously ''Main Ban ka Panchhi''.

Traditional theatrical acting style had developed his own more natural style. He was also not afraid to take risks and was one of the first anti-heroes of Indian Cinema with his role in ''Kismet'' in 1943. This movie went on to create a record for the highest grossing film in India at the time of its release.

He produced several films for Bombay Talkies during the final years of the company including the famous ''Mahal'' in 1949 in which he co-starred with Madhubala. In the 1950s, he played the suave cigarette-smoking criminal or police officer in several films of what was the Indian film-noir movement. In the late 1960s he switched to character roles playing the parent, grandparent, dirty old man and suave criminal, being careful never to be typecast. He paired up 20 times with the popularly known as 'queen of tragedy' ''Meena Kumari'', in films such as ''Parineeta'', ''Bahu Begum'', ''Pakeezah'', ''Ek Hi Raasta'', ''Bandish'', ''Aarti'' and more.

Later career and death

He acted in fewer films in the 1980s and 1990s and occasionally appeared on television, most famously anchoring the first Indian soap opera ''Hum Log'' and appearing as the title character in the unforgettable Bahadur Shah Zafar. His last film role was in ''Aankhon Mein Tum Ho'' in 1997. Besides acting, he was an avid painter and a practitioner of homeopathy. Altogether, he starred in over 275 films. He has done more than 30 Bengali dramas in Dhakuria.

Ashok Kumar died at the age of 90 in Mumbai on 10 December 2001 of heart failure at his residence in central Mumbai suburbs of Chembur. The then Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee described him as "an inspiration... for many generations of aspiring actors." .

Awards and recognition

1959 - Sangeet Natak Akademi Award

1962 - Filmfare Best Actor Award, ''Rakhi''

1963 - Bengal Film Journalists' Association - Best Actor Award (Hindi), ''Gumrah''

1966 - Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award, ''Afsana''

1969 - Filmfare Best Actor Award, ''Aashirwaad''

1969 - National Film Awards for Best Actor, ''Aashirwaad''

1969 - Bengal Film Journalists' Association - Best Actor Award (Hindi), ''Aashirwaad''

1988 - Dadasaheb Phalke Award, India's highest award for cinematic excellence

1994 - Star Screen Lifetime Achievement Award

1995 - Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award

1998 - Padma Bhushan

2001 - Awadh Samman by the Government of Uttar Pradesh

2007 - "Special Award" by Star Screen Awards

Filmography

Some of his most remembered films include:

''Achhut Kanya'' (1936)

''Kismet'' (1943)

''Parineeta'' (1953)

''Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi'' (1958)

''Aashirwad'' (1968)

''Khoobsurat'' (1980)

''Khatta Meetha'' (1981)

''Mr. India'' (1987)

References

External links

A Good article by Anuradha Choudhary

Complete list of Ashok Kumar Movies (over 250)

Category:1911 births Category:2001 deaths Category:Indian film actors Category:Hindi film actors Kumar, Ashok Kumar, Ashok Kumar, Ashok Category:People from Bhagalpur Category:People from Khandwa Kumar, Ashok Category:Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award Category:National Film Award winners Category:Dadasaheb Phalke Award recipients Category:Recipients of the Padma Bhushan Category:People from Mumbai Category:Indian actors

de:Ashok Kumar (Schauspieler) hi:अशोक कुमार (अभिनेता) ml:അശോക് കുമാർ (ചലച്ചിത്രനടൻ) mr:अशोक कुमार gu:અશોક કુમાર

Coordinates	12°2′36″N77°1′42″N
name	Jagjit Singh
background	solo_singer
born	February 08, 1941Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan, India
genre	Ghazal, Classical, Devotional, Folk
occupation	Composer, Singer, Music Director, Activist, Entrepreneur
instrument	Vocals, Harmonium, Tanpura, Piano
years active	1966–present
label	EMI, HMV, Saregama, Universal Music, Sony BMG Music Entertainment, Polydor, TIPS, Venus, T-Series
spouse	Chitra Singh
website	www.jagjitsingh.co.uk }}

Jagjit Singh (, , ) (born February 8, 1941) is a prominent Indian Ghazal singer, composer, music director, activist and entrepreneur. Popularly known as "The Ghazal King" he gained acclaim together with his wife, another renowned Indian Ghazal singer Chitra Singh, in the 1970s and 1980s, as the first ever successful duo act (husband-wife) in the history of recorded Indian music. Together, they are considered to be the pioneers of modern Ghazal singing and regarded as most successful recording artistes outside the realm of Indian film music. He has sung in Punjabi, Hindi, Urdu, Bengali, Gujarati, Sindhi and Nepali languages. He was awarded India's third highest civilian honour, the Padma Bhushan, in 2003.

Widely credited for the revival and popularity of Ghazal, an Indian classical art form, through his music in landmark films such as ''Prem Geet'' (1981), Arth and ''Saath Saath'' (1982), and TV serials Mirza Ghalib (1988) and Kahkashan (1991), Jagjit Singh is considered to be the most successful ghazal singer and composer of all time, in terms of both critical acclaim and commercial success. With a career spanning over five decades and a repertoire comprising 80 albums the range and breadth of his work has been regarded as genre-defining. He is the only composer and singer to have composed and recorded songs written by Prime Minister - Atal Behari Vajpayee, also a critically acclaimed poet - in two albums, ''Nayi Disha'' (1999) and ''Samvedna'' (2002). India's current Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his wife Gursharan Kaur are known to be his avid admirers.

On May 10, 2007, in a milestone joint session held in the historic Central Hall of India's Parliament (Sansad Bhawan), Jagjit Singh rendered the last Moghul Emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar's famous ghazal ''"Lagta nahin hai dil mera"'' to commemorate the 150th anniversary of India's First War of Independence (1857). President A P J Abdul Kalam, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee, Congress President Sonia Gandhi and dignitaries including former Prime Ministers, Members of Parliament, Foreign Ambassadors and High Commissioners were in attendance.

Jagjit Singh is the first Indian composer, and together with his wife Chitra Singh the first recording artist in the history of Indian music to use digital multi-track recording for their (India's first digitally recorded) album, ''Beyond Time'' (1987). He is regarded as one of India's most influential artistes. Together with sitar legend Ravi Shankar and other leading figures of Indian classical music and literature, Singh has voiced his concerns over politicisation of arts and culture in India and lack of support experienced by the practitioners of India's traditional art forms, particularly folk artists and musicians. He has lent active support to several philanthropic endeavors such as the library at St. Mary's School, Mumbai, Bombay Hospital, CRY, Save the Children and ALMA.

Early years and background

Jagjit Singh was born in Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan to Amar Singh Dhiman, a government employee, a native of Dalla village in Punjab (India) and his mother, Bachan Kaur from Ottallan village, Samrala. He had four sisters and two brothers and he is known as Jeet by his family. He was raised as a Sikh by religion.

He went to Khalsa High School in Sri Ganganagar and then studied science after matriculation at Government College, Sri Ganganagar and went onto graduate in Arts at DAV College, Jalandhar. He is a post-graduate in history from Kurukshetra University in Haryana.

His association with music goes back to his childhood. He learnt music under Pandit Chaganlal Sharma for two years in Ganganagar, and later devoted six years to learning Khayal, Thumri and Dhrupad forms of Indian Classical Music from Ustad Jamaal Khan of the Sainia Gharana school.

Career

Early career

The Vice-Chancellor of Punjab University and Kurukshetra University, Late Professor Suraj Bhan encouraged his interest in music. He arrived in Mumbai in 1965 in search of better opportunities for being a musician and singer. His early struggle in the music industry, though not too harsh by his own account, still had its share of trials and tribulations. He lived as a paying guest and his earlier assignments were singing advertisement jingles or performing at weddings and parties.

First Entry Into Movies

Jagjit Singh was first offered to sing in a Gujarati Film. "Dharati Na Chhoru" produced by Mr. Suresh Amin, famously known by Jagjit Singh as "Jholi Vaaley Baba" : known so, because he carried a Red Shoulder Bag wherever he went. Mr Suresh Amin was from Baroda-Gujarat and was associated with Scad Consultants Pvt Ltd. When, Mr Suresh Amin died in 1998 and Scad Consultants, Baroda, Organized a Live Concert by Jagjit singh in December 1998 - Jagjit Singh [Famously Called by friends as Maharaj] paid a special Tribute to Mr Suresh Amin and dedicated the Scad Consultants Concert to Mr Suresh Amin by Singing the song " Chitthi Na Koi Sandesh ", the perfect song to match his unawareness of Suresh Amin's Death.

Rise to fame

During 1970s, the art of ghazal singing was dominated by well-established names like Noor Jehan, Malika Pukhraj, Begum Akhtar, Talat Mahmood and Mehdi Hassan. However, he was able to make his mark and carve out a niche for himself. In 1976, his album ''The Unforgetables'' (On HMV LP Records) hit music stores. Essentially a ghazal album, its emphasis on melody and Jagjit's fresh voice was a departure from the prevalent style of ghazal rendition, which was heavily based on classical and semi-classical Indian music. Skeptics had their own reservations, purists scorned it but it was widely successful among listeners and the album set new sales records.

In 1967, Jagjit met Chitra, also a singer. After a two year courtship they got married (1969). They epitomize the first successful husband-wife singing team. Jagjit and Chitra Singh have made immense contributions to 'Ghazal' music and the Indian music industry in general.

Successful releases of the duo include ''Ecstasies'', ''A Sound Affair'' and ''Passions''. While these albums were breezy, ''Beyond Time'' released in the opening years of 1990s was an experimentation with sounds and conveyed a feeling that was beyond space and time.

Around this time the duo was struck by grief, when their only son, Vivek (21), met an untimely death in a road accident on 28 July 1990. Their subsequent album 'Someone Somewhere' was the last album with ghazals sung by both. The album is a tour of the soul, ethereal, conscientious and introspective. These ghazals have a moving quality to them since they embody a feeling of deep personal loss. After that Chitra Singh quit singing.

Jagjit Singh's later albums, including ''Hope'', ''In Search'', ''Insight'', ''Mirage'', ''Visions'', ''Kahkashan'' (meaning "Galaxy"), ''Love Is Blind'', ''Chirag'' (meaning "Lamp"/"Flame") also achieved success. ''Sajda'' (an Urdu word meaning "prostration"), which has ghazals sung by Jagjit and Lata Mangeshkar was another brilliant release and made its mark as a classic Ghazal album. The combined successes of his many albums made him the number one ghazal singer in India. The audience wanted more and Jagjit Singh obliged with his Punjabi albums. Ebullient, effervescent and bubbly, his Punjabi songs are pleasant as well as joyous. His enchanting ghazals use the choicest poetry by renowned poets including Mirza Ghalib, Firaq Gorakhpuri, Qateel Shifai, Shahid Kabir, Ameer Meenai, Kafeel Aazer, Sudarshan Faakir and Nida Fazli, and contemporary writers like Zaka Siddiqi, Nazir Bakri, Faiz Ratlami and Rajesh Reddy.

Jagjit also sang (as playback singer) for various songs in Bollywood films including ''Arth'', ''Saath Saath'', and ''Premgeet'' (all from 1980s). These scores remain popular even today. In fact, all the songs of film ''Premgeet'' were composed by Jagjit. His compositions for the TV serial ''Mirza Ghalib'' (based on the life of the poet Mirza Ghalib), remain extremely popular among ghazal aficionados. The exclusive element of Ghalib's poetry was sensitively and wonderfully brought out in the soulful compositions of Ghalib's ghazals by Jagjit Singh. The album could veritably be called a magnum opus.

Compared to his earlier ghazals (sung during 70s and 80s) his later ghazals have acquired a more soulful and poignant demeanour, as in albums such as ''Marasim'', ''Face To Face'', ''Aaeena'', ''Cry For Cry''. But all through this, romance never took a backseat! The journey to the soul is punctuated by romantic pauses like ''Dil Kahin Hosh Kahin''. A testimony to his popularity is his ghazals in recent Bollywood flicks like ''Dushman'', ''Sarfarosh'', ''Tum Bin'' and ''Tarkeeb''.

Most of the earlier albums of Jagjit Singh had English titles. Later, these had Urdu names like ''Sahar'' (meaning "Dawn"/"Morning"), ''Muntazir'' (meaning "In waiting"), ''Marasim'' (meaning "Relation"/"Relationship"/"Affinity" ), and "Soz" (meaning Pathos). The switchover may not be deliberate but marks a milestone in his singing. These new albums show a far better selection of lyrics and his singing has scaled new peaks.

Besides ghazals, Jagjit Singh has also sung Bhajans and Gurbani (Hindu and Sikh devotional hymns respectively). Albums such as ''Maa'', ''Hare Krishna'', ''Hey Ram...Hey Ram'', ''Ichhabal'' and also ''Man Jeetai Jagjeet'' in Punjabi, put him in the league of Bhajan singers such as Mukesh, Hari Om Sharan, Yesudas, Anup Jalota and Purushottam Das Jalota. The soothing effect that Jagjit's voice has on frayed nerves has prompted psychiatrists in metros (as large cities in India are called) to prescribe them as stress relievers.

Influence

Jagjit Singh is accredited with bringing the ghazal genre, which was previously restricted to the elite classes, to the masses. His music direction can be seen to be pioneering in changing the sound layout by adding more Western instruments while mostly retaining the traditional orchestra (which includes a tablaa, dholak, bongos, sitar, sarod, santoor, flute, and harmonium, and a couple of string instruments]. Jagjit Singh is also nicknamed Ghazaljeet Singh.

Jagjit Singh is accredited with finding a famous singer of modern times Kumar sanu. Sanu himself confessed that Jagjit singh offered him the first chance to sing.

Jagjit Singh voiced his opinion against artists from Pakistan being allowed to sing in India, when Pakistan refuses to reciprocate the gesture.

In addition to cultivating his own successful career, Jagjit Singh has been involved in guiding many new, talented singers such as Abhijeet, Talat Aziz, Ghanshyam Vaswani, Ashok Khosla, Siza Roy, Vikram Singh, and Vinod Sehgal. He also lends active support to several philanthropic endeavors such as the Library at St. Mary's (Mumbai), Bombay Hospital, CRY, and ALMA (an organization that adopts under-privileged students for further education and development). He assisted Peta India in asking the Minister of Railways to enforce speed restrictions to prevent further elephant deaths from collisions with speeding trains.

Personal life

Jagjit Singh married the popular singer Chitra Singh in 1969. They live in Vivek Singh Lane (a road dedicated to their son) on Breach Candy in Mumbai. Their only son, Vivek, died in a road accident in the early 1990s.

In January 1998, Jagjit Singh had his heart attack, which led him to quit smoking. In October 2007, he was hospitalized following blood circulation problems.

Music career

Ghazals

There are many successful ghazals composed by Jagjit Singh. Some of them are listed below:-

Yaarian Rab Kar Ke (Sang for Shiv K. Batalvi)

Umr Jalwon mein basar ho

Der lagi aane mein tumko

Apni aankho ke samundar mein utar jaane de

Koi paas aayaa sawere-sawere

Apne hothon par sajaana chaahta hoon

Meri zindagi kisi aur ki, mere naam ka koi aur hai

Apne haathon kee lakeeron mein

Sadma to hai mujhe bhi ke tujhse juda hoon main

Aadmi aadmi ko kya degaa

Haath chhooten bhi to

Garaj baras pyaasi dharthi par phir paani de maula

Apni marzi se kahan apne safar ke hum hain

Ik barahman ne kaha hai

Main na hindu na musalmaan mujhe jeene do

Kaise kaise haadse sehte rahe

Wo jo hum mein tumme qaraar tha

Patta-patta boota-boota haal hamaara jaane hai

Chak jigar ke see lete hain

Main bhool jaaoon tumhe, ab yahi munaasib hai

Jaate jaate wo mujhe achchhi nishaani de gaya

Shaam se aankh mein namin si hai

Tere baare mein jab socha nahin thaa

Tere aane ki jab khabar mehke

Tamanna fir machal jaaye agar tum milne aa jaao

Ab main ration ki kataron mein nazar aata hoon

Tujhse milne ki saza denge tere shehar ke log

Patthar ke khuda, patthar ke sanam

Huzoor aapka bhi ahtraam karta chaloon

Din aa gaye sabaab ke aanchal sambhaaliye

Gulshan ki faqat phoolon se nahin kaaton se bhi zeenat hoti hai

Baat saaqi ki na taali jaayegi

Roshan jamal-e-yaar se hai anjuman tamaam

Tera chehra kitna suhaana lagta hai

Tum nahin, gham nahin sharaab nahin

Sarakti jaaye hain rukh se naqaab aahistaa-aahista

Ae khuda ret ke sehra ko samandar kar de

Yeh daulat bhi le lo, yeh shohrat bhi le lo

Hoshwalo ko khabar

Honthon se chhoo lo tum

Koi yeh kaise bataye

Tere khat

Bahut khoobsurat hai

Kiska Chehera

Kal chodvi ki raat thi

Baat niklegi to

Der laagi ane mein tumko

Main nashe mein hoon

Pyar mujhse jo kiya tumne

Tera chehera hai aaeene jaisa

Chitthi na koi sandesh

Tum itna jo muskura rahe ho

Jab se kareeb ho kay chale zindagi se hum

Koi fariyaad

Kahin duur jab din

Kehta hai baabul

Jhuki jhuki si nazar

Tumko dekha to yeh khayal

Sehma sehma

Yaad kiya dil ne kaha ho tum

Aap ko dekh kar

Jab saamne tum

Hazaron khwaishe aisi

Ya to mit jaaeeye ya mita deejiye

Tere aane ki jab khabar mehke

woh khat ke purje jala raha tha

tum ye kaise khafa ho gaye

hum to hai perdes mein desh mein

Jeevan Maran Chhe Ek (in Gujarati)

Woh kaaghaz ki kashti

Badi Najuk he ye manzil mohabbat ka safar he

Awards

In 2003, he was awarded the Padma Bhushan, one of India's highest civilian honours, by the Government of India

In 2006, he was presented the Teacher's Achievement Awards

Discography

Song for films

Film Name !! Year !! Details
Dear Friend Hitler	2011	"''Har or tabahi ka manzar''"
Pyar Kare Dis : Feel The Power of Love	2007
Umar	2006
Kasak	2005
Dhoop''	2003
Joggers' Park	2003
Aapko Pehle Bhi Kahin Dekha Hai	2003
Leela	2002
Vadh	2002
Deham	2001
Tum Bin	2001
Tarkieb	2000
Shaheed Udham Singh	2000
Bhopal Express	1999
Sarfarosh	1999
Dushman	1998
Khudai	1994
Mammo	1994
Khal Nayak	1993
Nargis	1992
Billoo Badshah	1989
Aakhri Kahani	1989
Doosra Kanoon	1989
Kaanoon Ki Awaaz	1989
Mirza Ghalib	1988
Rahi	1987
Aashiana	1986
Long Da Lishkara	1986
Phir Aayee Barsat	1985
Ravan	1984
Bahuroopi	1966
Bhavna	1984
Kalka	1983
Tum Laut Aao	1983
Zulf Ke Saye Saye	1983
Arth (film)	Arth	1982
Saath Saath	1982
Sitam	1982
Prem Geet	1981
Ek Baar Kaho	1980
Griha Pravesh	1979
Avishkaar	1973
Heena	1999
Neem Ka Ped	1994
Hello Zindagi	19**

Ghazal albums

The Unforgettables (1976)

Birha Da Sultan(Shiv Kumar Batalvi) Jagjit & Chitra (1978

Live in Pakistan (1979)

A Milestone (1980)

Main aur Meri Tanhaayee (1981)

The Latest (1982)

Ae mere Dil (1983)

Live at Royal Albert Hall ª(1983)

Ecstasies (1984)

A Sound Affair (1985)

Echoes (1985–86)

Beyond Time (1987)

Mirza Ghalib (Two Volumes) (1988), TV Serial Directed by Gulzar

Passion / Black Magic (1988)

Ghazals from Films (1989)

Emotions

Man Jite Jagjit (1990)

Memorable Ghazals of Jagjit and Chitra (1990)

Someone Somewhere (1990)

H O P E (1991)

Sajda (Two Volumes with Lata Ji) (1991)

Kahkashan (Two Volumes) (1991–92), TV Serial Directed by Jalal Agaa

Visions (Two Volumes) (1992)

In Search (1992)

Rare Gems (1992)

Face to face (1993)

Your Choice (1993)

Chiraag (1993)

Desires (1994)

Insight (1994)

Cry for Cry (1995)

Mirage

Unique (1996)

Come Alive in a Concert (1998 (CD))

Live at the Wembley

Love is Blind (1998)

Silsilay (1998) (Lyrics by Javed Akhtar)

Marasim (1999) (Lyrics by Gulzar)

jaam utha(1999)

Saher (2000)

Samvedna 2002 (Atal Behari Vajpayee's poetry))

Soz (2002) (Lyrics by Javed Akhtar)

Forget Me Not (2002)

Muntazir (2004)

Jeevan Kya Hai (2005)

Tum To Nahin Ho (Lyrics by Bashir Badr) (2005)

Life Story (2006)

Best of Jagjit & Chitra Singh (includes Mere Darwaaze Se Ab Chand Ko Ruksat Kar do by Ali Sardar Jaffrey)

Koi Baat Chale (Lyrics by Gulzar)

Jazbaat(2008)

Inteha (2009)(Promoted on Banoo Main Teri Dulhann)

Aeena (2009)

Vakratunda Mahakaya (2009)

His Nepali Ghazal 'Kun Maya Sadar Bho, Mero maya badar bho...' [which love has been granted, my love has been disproved]is a big hit... some other songs in the same album is romantic song which is 'not his type'sung with Sadhana Sargam. though his nepali pronunciation in romantic songs are not perfect still worth listening.

Vakratunda Mahakaya

The album Vakratunda Mahakaya was released on December 4, 2009 and was published by Times Music, a subsidiary of The Times Group. The album contained 3 tracks, each about 30min in length.

Tracks

Vakratunda Mahakaya

Om Gam Ganapatayenamah

Jai Ganesh Deva - Aarti

All three tracks are composed of multiple layers of Jagjit's voice with a subtle Tabla rhythm in the background to produce a powerful, transcendental tone to the music.

Trivia

The album 'Beyond Time' is the first digitally recorded album of India.It was recorded in the studio 'Western outdoor' by sound recordists duo 'Daman Sood and Avinash Oak.

References

External links

Jagjit Singh's Official website

IMDB entry

Twitter

Article on the Genius of Jagjit Singh in Asian Lite Magazine by Sreeram Chaulia

Review of Jagjit Singh's Biography, ''Beyond Time'', in Asia Times by Sreeram Chaulia

Jagjit Singh Lyrics and Translations

Bazm-E-Jagjit

Jagjit Singh Albums and Lyrics

Ghazal singer Jagjit Singh in Dulhann

Dollar Mehta does a PhD on Jagjit-Singh

Category:1941 births Category:Living people Category:Indian composers Category:Indian ghazal singers Category:Indian Sikhs Category:Recipients of the Padma Bhushan Category:People from Sri Ganganagar district

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