Blog: A black Monday – for the unparalleled master!

Ruling the hearts was his forte, relieving the souls of stiffness was his job. As people become nostalgic for 9-11, 7-11, 6-11, 10-10 will also permeate for timeless ages, the day we lost the unparalleled jewel, which India wouldn’t produce again, no matter how hard it may try. He left myriad souls with grief, which would never receive solace again. Ghazal was on the verge of death, and this “Masiha” saved her from dying, giving it a new rejuvenated life with a healthy heart and soul. Is there anyone who can claim that he’s poured life into Ghazal? I’m sure noone can say that! He is the sole protector of this dying unparalleled art. Understanding the hearts, like he had dived into them and understood what people need. Solace must have been the answer he would have got, when dived to search that answer! The living legend, Manoj Kumar says, “Suna hai Jagjit nahin raha, aaj Ghazal ki maut ho gayi.” It was exactly what I felt. He was a voice from heaven who provided relief to numerous hearts at the end of the day, the hearts which need peace, a halt.

Today he might have amalgamated into the five elements but his aroma has prevailed in the air covering a vast distance till horizon. How will the “Thou art mercy” take this aroma away? No he can’t! He is the most powerful, but still taking this aroma from air is beyond his arena…

Whetted by his divine voice, he made Ghazal a cult. With Jhuki-Jhuki nazar bekaraar hai ken hi, Hoton se choo lo tum and Tumko dekha to ye kahayal he made people pay heed to something which was out of question. Then, musically inclined people, obsessed with some other genres, changed their tastes from other genres to ghazal…and once they entered Jagjit’s arena, they forgot the way to return. Incorrigibly obsessed by his soulful voice – these hard-core listeners of his voice could never find that same bug to be bitten by in rest of the whole world.

His expedition to the heaven will again establish his leverage over the heavenly deities and gods, though it might have created that void over here on this earth. Now he’s off to another duty to provide relief to the heavenly creatures. The eloquence in his singing made the complicated Urdu poetry so simple that it directly entered people’s hearts and they would associate themselves with the lyrics. The best meaningful lyrics, when got his voice to-be-communicated through, made thousands and lakhs to mull over, to ponder over deeply, but still they could find euphoria in the saddest lyrics ultimately.

Only he could understand the nuances of ghazal and peoples’ taste. He gave a new birth and form to ghazal, levied it with the contemporary music and ruled over even the young hearts, for whom Pop, Jazz, Carnatic, Fusion, Light Classical, etc. were the only worlds. He was the bellwether who brought a revolution in the preconceived notions of those who never lend their ear to ghazal, and extricated million hearts of the ruthless knots of life.

His grandeur was much higher than that of The Great Himalyas, The Mount Everest and The Kunchanjunga. From a dud to new heights, which were never scaled before, he made impossible possible. He even ushered the most reluctants to this genre, coloured the psyches into his own hues. Ghazal reached the zenith under his tutelage and the heights were never challenged, whosoever may have tried it. The epoch was his where the listeners from all walks of life, from all the other genres just came for giving it a try, could never stay away again and became his die-hard followers.

This maverick from heaven emanated consolation to the pandemonium. His zeal was phenominal. Revered by millions, this veteran has reigned throughout his life. He is irretrievable. This oracle of music is irretrievable. His jubilation made an effect over hearts.

He provided a second life to Ghalib by lending his voice to his most coveted lyrics, which were lost otherwise. One of them which has been made immortal by Jagjit Sahab is “Hazaron khwahishein aisi ke har khwahish pe dum nikle, bahut nikle mere armaan lekin fir bhi kam nikle.”

I am short of words to express the greatness and aura of this unmatched personality, so just a few words from his own ghazals to bid adieu to my master: “Apni marzi se kahan apne safar ke hum hain, rukh hawaon ka jidhar ka hai, vahan ke hum hain.”