Bandra junction renamed after iconic ghazal singer late Jagjit Singh
New plaque unvielved by Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray in presence of Chitra Singh & others. Picture Courtesy: Amit Bhadricha
A prominent junction in the city was named after the legendary ghazal singer and composer, late Jagjit Singh, on the occasion of his fifth death anniversary in Mumbai on Monday.
The plague renaming the junction of KC Marg and Bandra Reclamation near the bus depot in Bandra West as ‘Padma Bhushan Jagjit Singh Chowk’ was unveiled by Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray in the presence of Mayor Snehal Ambedkar.
Others present for the renaming ceremony included the late singer’s widow and eminent ghazal singer Chitra Singh, local municipal corporators Asif Zakaria, Arman Choudhary, Mehraz Shaikh, top civic officials and other dignitaries.
Born Jagmohan Singh to a Punjabi Sikh family in Rajasthan, Jagjit left an indelible mark in the world of music with his repertoire of ghazals, many of them sung jointly with Chitra.
The formidable duo, credited with revival of and popularising the ghazals, also composed music for several Bollywood films including ‘Arth’, ‘Saath Saath’, ‘Sajda’ and ‘Prem Geet’.
During his musical career starting 1961 till his demise, Jagjit released around 80 ghazal albums which are popular even today.
He was the only artiste who composed and recorded the songs penned by former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee in two albums – ‘Nayi Disha’ and ‘Samvedna’.
Jagjit is credited for the revival and popularity of ghazal 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.
The iconic singer, often referred to as the ‘Ghazal King’, was conferred with a Padma Bhushan by the Government of India in 2003. He passed away on October 10, 2011.
