By Farhana Farook - Daily News & Analysis - Mumbai,India
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Jagjit Singh talks about his his upcoming album penned by Gulzar, the definition of love and his Sufi leanings.
Jagjit Singh is an artiste of interesting paradoxes — though he recently celebrated his 65th birthday, he'd rather raise a toast to completing 40 years of music. "I'll be launching an album penned by Gulzar in July. It's tentatively titled 'Sehma Sehma'," he reveals. While he's known for capturing existential angst, Jagjit can surprise you with his light-heartedness. "I believe in living in the moment, with an eye on the future! I don't know what life is. I am no gyani!" he laughs.
His vintage anthology including 'Unforgettables', 'Milestones' and 'Mirza Ghalib' still move off the shelves. Jagjit attributes this to the "reality-based content" of his ghazals, penned by contemporary poets including Nida Fazli, Kafeel Aazer and Sudarshan Faakir, "They have watched life closely. Their poetry is not just about chand, tare and shama!"
For a singer who has sung myriad odes of love, what attracts him to a woman? He says, "You first get attracted by a woman's looks. But it's her tenderness that charms you eventually. It makes you feel protective about her." He adds, "Romance is not only restricted to the man-woman relationship. It extends to nature. We confuse love with lust. Love is caring and it can happen at any age!"
His wife Chitra gave up music after the tragic demise of their son Vivek, the resilient Jagjit sublimated his pain through music. "Chitra withdrew from music and delved into spirituality. She practises Bowen healing, which is more advanced than Reiki. I don't miss her on stage!"
Yet the rites of passage have made Jagjit a "Sufi at heart." But he cautions, "Everybody thinks that Sufi music is all about baal bade karlo, shor machao and shake the stage! Sufism is a way of thinking, a detachment. Emotional upheavals do not bother me anymore."
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