For the Peruvian rodent see Paca

Asrar ul Haq Majaz (Urdu: مجاز لکھنوی, Hindi: मजाज़ लखनवी) (1911 – 5 December 1955) was an Indian Urdu poet.^[1] He was known for his romantic and revolutionary poetry. He composed ghazals and nazms in Urdu.^[2]

Early life[link]

Majaz was born in Rudauli, Bara Banki, UP, India. He received his early education in Lucknow and Agra, and did his B.A. at Aligarh Muslim University. He considered Fani Badayuni as his 'ustad'.

He hails from a family of poets and litterateurs. Muztar Khairabadi, one of the great masters of Urdu poetry, was among his ancestors.He has a sister Safiya, who married to Jan Nisar Akhtar, father of Javed Akhtar.

Career[link]

Majaz started writing poems while in Aligarh and soon became a popular among the masses and well respected among the literati. He became one of the front-ranking poets of the taraqqi pasand tahreek or Progressive Writers’ Movement.

He is also well known for composing the anthem, tarana, for Aligarh Muslim University, 'Ye meraa chaman, hai mera chaman, Main apne chaman ka bulbul huun.' "Aahang" and "Saaz-e-Nau" are two of his poetry compilations.

Majaz was madly in love with a woman. She married another man which he could not come to terms with. His poetry was greatly influenced by her and he remained unmarried all his life.

In Ranchi[link]

After liberation of India, condition deteriorated and with the help of Josh Malihabadi Majaz was sent to the mental hospital of Raanchi. There he met kazi Nazrul Islam and recognized the poet. It is reported that he told the poet, "Why are you silent Nazrul, Lets go to Lahore/Dhaka, though they are in foreign country, there are asylums!"

Death[link]

Majaz, a heavy drinker, died alone in a tavern located in the Beldari Lane of Lalbagh, on the cold winter night of 5 December 1955 in the heart of the city of Lucknow.

Major works[link]

• Shab-e-taab
• Aahang
• Saaz-e-Nau

One of his famous poems Ae Gham-e-Dil Kia Karoon, Ae Wahshat-e-Dil Kia Karoon was sung by singer Talat Mehmood for a film. This was one of the very early attempts to bring literary poems to film industry.

Honours[link]

• Postage-stamp released by Indian Postal Service on 28 March 2008
• An evening was dedicated to Majaz Luckhnawi on 24 October 2011 just after his 100th birth anniversary by a organisation called Let's Unite for Culture Knowledge Nationalism and Objective welfare Society in Lucknow, the event was named after Majaz's one of the famous creations called "Subh-e-Nau", completion of 100 years were celebrated on a grand scale by the society which is run by the youth dedicated to work for their city Lucknow. Several Urdu literate's discussed about the legacy of Asrar-ul-Haq(Majaz) by reciting his most famous creations.

References[link]

3^http://www.janadesh.in/innerpage.aspx?Story_ID=4382+&Parent_ID=3&Title=%E0%A4%B9%E0%A4%AE+%E0%A4%AA%E0%A4%B0+%E0%A4%B9%E0%A5%88+%E0%A4%96%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AE+%E0%A4%B6%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%AE 4^http://www.bhaskar.com/article/UP-OTH-majaz-lucknowi-jnmstabdi-function-celebrated-on-october-24-2514255.html 5^http://news.bhadas4media.com/index.php/yeduniya/606-2011-10-20-06-03-43

External links[link]

• Biography of Majaz @ Aligarians.com
• Majaz, the Keats of Urdu poetry
• Apne Dil Ko Dono Aalam Se - Majaz
• Majaz Ghazals and Biography
• Asrar-ul-Haq Majaz - A Journey of Love, Hope and Nationalism

Jagjit Singh
Jagjit Singh performing at Jaidev Hall, Bhubaneswar, on 7 September 2011
Background information
Birth name	Jagmohan Singh
Born	(1941-02-08)8 February 1941 Sri Ganganagar, Bikaner State, India
Died	10 October 2011(2011-10-10) (aged 70) Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Genres	Ghazal, Classical, Devotional, Folk
Occupations	Composer, Singer, Music Director, Activist, Entrepreneur
Instruments	Vocals, Harmonium, Tanpura, Piano
Years active	1965–2011
Labels	EMI, HMV, Saregama, Universal Music, Sony BMG Music Entertainment, Polydor, TIPS, Venus, T-Series, Magna Sound, Big Music, Times Music

Jagjit Singh, born Jagmohan Singh); (8 February 1941 – 10 October 2011) was a prominent Indian Ghazal singer, songwriter and musician. Known as "the Ghazal King", he gained acclaim together with his wife, another renowned Indian Ghazal singer Chitra Singh in the 1970s and 1980s. Their combination album comprising music from the films, Arth and Saath Saath is the HMV's largest selling combination album of all time.^{[citation needed]} Sajda (An Offering, 1991), Jagjit Singh's magnum opus double album with Lata Mangeshkar holds the same record in non-film category.^{[citation needed]} He had sung in numerous languages. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan by the government of India in 2003.

Singh is credited for the revival and popularity of ghazal, an Indian classical art form, by choosing poetry that was relevant to the masses and composing them in a way that laid more emphasis on the meaning of words and melody evoked by them. In terms of Indian Classical music, his style of composing and Gayaki (singing) is considered as Bol-pradhan, one that lays emphasis on words. He highlighted this in his music for 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 over 80 albums,^[1] 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).

Singh's 1987 album, Beyond Time, was the first digitally recorded release in India.^{[citation needed]} He was 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 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 also 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 life and career[link]

Jagjit Singh was born on 8 February 1941 in Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan, India. His birth name was Jagmohan but this was changed to Jagjit after his parents sought the advice of a member of the Sikh Namdhari sect.^[2] His parents were themselves Sikhs, called Amar Singh and Bachan Kaur, and had several other children, with sources variously reporting the number between six and eleven.^[3][4]

Educated initially at Khalsa High School and Sri Ganganagar Government College, Singh obtained an arts degree from DAV College at Jalandhar and then a post-graduate degree in history from Kurukshetra University in Haryana. Throughout this time, and as a consequence of a natural talent that was spotted by his father, Singh learned music both in Sikh temples and from musicians such as Pandit Chaganlal Sharma and Ustad Jamaal Khan, both of whom were trained in classical Indian music. He performed on radio and on stage, as well as composing some material, although he subsequently claimed that his father, who was a government employee, had hoped that he would become an engineer.^[5] On another occasion his memory was that his father aspired for him to become a bureaucrat, and that his siblings also were encouraged musically.^[3]

In March 1965, and without the knowledge of his family,^[5] Singh moved to Mumbai, where there were many opportunities for music artists because of the Bollywood film industry. He obtained work initially as a singer of advertising jingles and later progressed to playback singing.^[2] In the same year he persuaded the record company HMV to produce an EP, and he also altered his Sikh image by abandoning his turban, shaving and cutting his hair.^[5] His first film role was in Dharati Na Chhoru, a Gujarati production by Suresh Amin.^{[citation needed]}

Fame[link]

Singh was still struggling to make a living in 1967 when he met the Bengali-born Chitra Dutta.^[5] She was also a jingle singer, and was unhappily married with a daughter. She subsequently divorced and then married Singh in December 1969.^[3] Following the birth of their son, Vivek, the couple performed as a singing duo but it was not until the 1976^{[clarification needed]} release of an album entitled The Unforgettables that they found significant, and surprising, success. In the interval, the primary difficulty for them had been that the ghazal music genre was dominated by Muslim artists,^[5] and especially those from Pakistan.^[6]

The Unforgettables, which was the couple's first LP,^[3] was an unconventional recording and it turned them into stars. The song Baat Niklegi from the album achieved great popularity for Singh and his wife.^[4] The Independent described it in 2011 as "ground-breaking ... it became a transformative, before-and-after milestone in the history of Indian popular and ghazal music. It remains that." Using modern arrangements, it consists of ten tracks that include two on which they sang as a duo and the remainder equally split between Jagjit and Chitra singing the lead. The Independent further noted that "This format of solo and duet performances from the first commercially successful husband-and-wife team in Indian popular music proved astonishingly successful."^[2] Jagjit explained that "I was determined to polish up the genre and make it more acceptable to modern tastes, so chose simple poems and set them to simple tunes. I also introduced western instrumentation to make them livelier." Thereafter, the couple worked both on solo and joint musical projects and performed concerts worldwide. There was also success from involvement with the film industry and they amassed a considerable wealth,^[5] while Jagjit became known as "the Ghazal king".^[6]

Jagjit Singh's work in film^[7] encompassed playback singing for productions such as Arth, Saath Saath and Premgeet. He also composed all of the songs for the latter, as well as for the TV serial Mirza Ghalib that was based on the life of the eponymous poet, Mirza Ghalib.^{[citation needed]}

Among their subsequent duo recordings of the 1970s were Shiv Kumar Batalvi – Birha da Sultan (1978), Live in Concert at Wembley (1979) and Come Alive (1979). Of those released in the 1980s, Ecstasies (1984) has been described as "one of their finest".^[2] The joint projects ceased in 1990 when their eighteen year-old son, Vivek, was killed in a road accident. Chitra felt unable to sing following these events. Monica, Chitra's daughter from her first marriage, committed suicide in 2009.^[2][5]

Although Jagjit continued to work and to have success after Chitra withdrew from public life he, too, was affected by the death of Vivek. The Guardian notes that he "suffered from deep depression and his anguish was often evident in his live performances." Aside from occupying himself with solo projects, which he performed in several languages,^[6] he also collaborated with Lata Mangeshkar on an album entitled Sajda, an Urdu word meaning "prostration".^[2][5]

On 10 May 2007, in the presence of numerous political and diplomatic luminaries at an event held in the Central Hall of the Parliament of India, Jagjit Singh rendered Bahadur Shah Zafar's famous ghazal Lagta nahin hai dil mera to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Indian Rebellion of 1857.^[4][8]

Death[link]

Singh toured the UK in 2011 and was due to perform with Ghulam Ali in Mumbai^[5] but suffered a cerebral hemorrhage on 23 September 2011. He was in a coma for over two weeks and died on 10 October 2011 at Lilavati Hospital, in Mumbai. He was cremated the following day at Chandanwadi Crematorium in Mumbai.^[9][10]

A number of tributes have been paid to Singh after his death,^{[11][12][13][14][15]} and some tried to encash his popularity which was criticised by his wife.^[16]

Awards[link]

• In 2003, Singh was awarded the Padma Bhushan, India's third highest civilian award, by the Government of India^[5]
• In 1998, Jagjit Singh was awarded Sahitya Academy Award, a literary honor in India. He was awarded this literary honor for popularizing the work of Mirza Ghalib.
• Sangeet Natak Academy Award
• Sahitya Kala Academy Award by Rajasthan Government in 1998
• Ghalib Academy by Delhi Government in 2005
• Dayavati Modi Award
• Lata Mangeshkar Samman in 1998 by Madhya Pradesh Government
• D. Litt. by Kurukshetra University, Haryana in 2003
• Teacher's Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006

Film scores[link]

Discography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Jagjit Singh on BBC
• 'Ghazal King' Jagjit Singh dies, BBC
• Jagjit Singh at Internet Movie Database

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Jagjit Singh

Jigar Moradabadi (Urdu: جگر مراد آبادی) was the nom de plume of Ali Sikandar (1890–1960), one of the most famous Urdu poets of the 20th century and a celebrated Urdu ghazal writer.^[1] He received the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1958 for his highly acclaimed poetry collection "Atish-i-Gul".^[2]

Early life[link]

Jigar Moradabadi was born on April 6, 1890 in Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh, India. He lost his father at an early age and did not have an easy childhood. At school (madrassah) he was taught both Arabic and Persian. His poetry teacher (ustad ) in the early days was Rasa Rampuri.^[3]

Still in his teens, Jigar, as he came to be known universally, moved to Gonda, near Lucknow. This proved to be a turning point in his life. Here, he befriended Asghar Gondvi,^[4] who later also emerged as a notable Urdu poet. Gondvi was only six years older than Jigar, who became his protégé. Gondvi's influence over Jigar, and the significant role he played in his life, should not be underestimated. He was his mentor, a father figure, an older brother, a teacher, a friend and a fellow poet, all rolled into one. Jigar even married a sister of Gondvi's wife. He made Gonda his permanent home and Gonda acquired one of the most famous literary figures to have ever lived there.

In Memoriam[link]

Jigar died on September 9, 1960 in Gonda. A small residential colony in Gonda city called Jigar Ganj is named after him. It is close to his original residence. An intermediate school in the city is also named after him - the Jigar Memorial Inter College. Mazar-e-Jigar Moradabadi is in Topkhana, Gonda.

Acclaim[link]

Jigar Moradabadi belonged to the classical school of ghazal writing and was a mentor to Majrooh Sultanpuri, who became a prominent lyricist in the Indian film industry and penned many popular songs in Urdu and Hindi.

Jigar was extremely popular with the masses, who regarded him as the People's Poet. The American singer Eartha Kitt, who was a contemporary of Jigar Moradabadi, sang "Monotonous", written by June Carroll and Arthur Siegel, in 1952, which became an international hit. Two memorable lines in this song are reminiscent of how Jigar's appearance in public often created a stir, such was his appeal : ^[5]

Traffic has been known to stop for me

Prices even rise and drop for me ^[6]

Jigar Moradabadi has become even more popular since his death, as his poetry continues to gain ever more admirers, particularly among film-goers, who are familiar with his lyrics.

He never received any formal higher education. No university could have taught him what he taught himself in his chosen field. He is now regarded as one of the all-time great Urdu poets. Jigar was only the second poet in the history of Aligarh Muslim University to be awarded an honorary D.Litt - the first one to receive this honour was Allama Iqbal, which speaks volumes about Jigar's standing and reputation. He is already being mentioned in the same breath as Iqbal and Ghalib.

Faiz Ahmad Faiz, the distinguished Urdu poet and academic, regarded Jigar Moradabadi as a master craftsman in his field.^[7] Aligarh was one of Jigar's favourite cities. A former student of Aligarh Muslim University, who often attended mushairas at which both Faiz and Jigar were participants, recalls that Jigar would steal the show with his rendition of his own ghazals and was the life and soul of the mushaira.^[8]

Malik Ram, the renowned Urdu scholar and a leading authority on Ghalib, knew Jigar personally and wrote an appreciative article about him in the June 1959 issue of Nuqoosh - the reputable Lahore monthly Urdu literary journal.^[9] In 1974, Malik Ram also included Jigar, along with Ghalib, in his award-winning book "Woh Surten Ilahi" (The Immortals) - biographical essays on nine giants in the Urdu literary world.^[10]

Research on Jigar Moradabadi and his poetry is ongoing and is also encouraged and supported by the Government of India sponsored National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language.^[11] Jigar's poetry is now an established academic subject in Urdu departments at many universities

Contemporaries[link]

Poetry portal

• Nushoor Wahidi

References[link]

External links[link]

• Jigar Moradabadi at Kavita Kosh (Hindi)
• Weaving ghazals on love, by Ashraf Faruqi
• Complete poetry of jigar Moradabadi in free single pdf file uploaded by Javed Hussen
• http://urduworld.com/h/videos/video/1322-jigar+moradabadi%3A+mushaira%3A+muddat+mein+%D8%AC%DA%AF%D8%B1+%D9%85%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%AF%D8%A2%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%AF%DB%8C%3A+%D9%85%D8%B4%D8%A7%D8%B9%D8%B1%DB%81%3A+%D9%85%D8%AF%D8%AA+%D9%85%DB%8C%DA%BA+%D9%88%DB%81?groupid=71