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| Jagjit Singh - Legendary Ghazal Maestro |
Jagjit Singh (1941–2011) was a legendary Indian composer, musician, and singer widely celebrated as the "Ghazal King." He popularized traditional ghazal music by blending complex Urdu poetry with simple, modern melodies that appealed to everyday listeners. Over a five-decade career, he released numerous hit albums and recorded memorable film soundtracks.
But did you know that he was banned by Indian government led by Rajiv Gandhi and his songs were not allowed on state-run All India Radio and Doordarshan TV? The ban lasted for almost two years. So, what prompted the government to ban Jagjit Singh?
Jagjit Singh's Past
Jagjit Singh was born as Jagmohan Singh Dhiman at Sri Ganganagar to a Sikh family. His father, Sardar Amar Singh Dhiman, was a surveyor with the government's Public Works' Department. He.followed the Namdhari sect of Sikhism who are strict vegetarian and known for their devotion to Gurbani, His natural talent that was spotted by his father who encouraged him to learn Gurbani kirtan. He learned music initially from Sikh raagis, then from Pandit Chagan Lal Sharma, a visually impaired music teacher, Later he learned Hindustani Classical vocal tradition from Ustad Jamal Khan of Maihar gharana.
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| Jagjit Singh in Sikh Form |
Struggles and Triumph in Bollywood
In March 1965, and without the knowledge of his family, Jagjit Singh moved to Bombay, where struggled to make an impression in the Hindi film industry. He started as amateur singer in social gatherings, mostly at the homes of Punjabi superstars in Bollywood - Raj Kapoor, Rjinder Kumar, Raj Khosla, and others.
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| Turbaned Jagjit Singh in Hind film Aman(1967) |
He made a rare, uncredited on-screen acting cameo as a turbaned Sikh student and friend of the lead character in the 1967 Hindi film Aman, which starred Rajendra Kumar and Saira Banu.
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| New Look of Jagjit Singh |
After struggling for years, Jagjit made a major decision to abandon his Sikh form and cut hair. He hid this from his father who was anguished by his sons action. This, however opened may doors for him. He became popular in Bollywood circles ans started getting small jobs for soundtrack for advertisements.
He never turned back and went on to become the most celebrated singer and 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.
When Past Catches Up with Jagjit Singh
Throughout his career, Jagjit Singh maintained a largely non-political stance, focusing almost entirely on his music, composition, and charitable works. It was post-1984 period and India had witnessed genocide of Sikh in Delhi and other parts of India after an equally traumatic Operation Bluestar. Jagjit Singh was anguished by the suffering of his community. He expressed his grief privately.
Union Information and Broadcasting Minister H.K.L. Bhagat has been in the eye of many a political controversy. He was one of the prime accused of inciting mobs against the Sikh population of Delhi. He defined the role of the official media. He was accused of misuse of official media - All India Radio and Doordarshan TV to incite violence against the Sikhs and spreading false propaganda against the Sikhs in general.
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| HKL Bhagat with Rajiv Gandhi during Genocide of Sikhs in Delhi |
In the multi-part interview series "Insight into the Life of Jagjit Singh: Apne Apne Jagjit Singh" hosted by Tapasya Sharma on the YouTube channel ShreeJee Creations, Jagjit Singh’s younger brother, Kartar Singh, directly documents this specific broadcast ban.
Following the 1984 anti-Sikh riots and the rise of the Punjab insurgency, the Rajiv Gandhi administration put strict, highly sensitive surveillance on prominent Sikh figures. During this era, Jagjit Singh traveled to London to perform a series of charitable concerts. The organizers of the London events claimed the proceeds were meant for a charitable trust or community support.
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| Live Shabad Kirtan by Jagjit Singh in UK |
Because of this suspected link, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting blacklisted Jagjit Singh. An unwritten but strictly enforced unofficial ban was issued across state-controlled media, meaning All India Radio (AIR) and Doordarshan completely stopped broadcasting his ghazals, songs, and interviews.
As Kartar Singh recalls in his interview, Jagjit Singh had to personally fight to clear his name against these wrongful allegations of anti-national funding. He met with senior government officials and intelligence chiefs to emphasize that he was purely an artist performing a cultural show with zero ties to any political or extremist factions.
Then came the release of Doordarshan series on Mirza Ghalib, the famous ghazal composer. Jagjit Singh had rendered the music track of this monumental series. the government quietly lifted the blacklist, allowing his music to return to AIR and Doordarshan.
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| Mirza Ghalib by Jagjit Singh |
HKL Bhagat died a painful death in remorse for his actions during the Sikh Genocide and Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated by Tamil Tigers for his anti-people role.
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| Indian President Kalam awards Padma award to Jagjit Singh |
Nationalistic BJP formed government in India under Atal Bihari Vajpaee, a senior and respected politician. Legendary Indian ghazal singer and composer Jagjit Singh was awarded the Padma Bhushan (India's third-highest civilian honor) by the Government of India in 2003 for his immense and pioneering contributions to the field of art and music.
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| Shabad Kirtan by Jagjit Singh |
Jagjit Singh kept his promise to the Sikh community. He continued to compose a devotional rendering every year based on Gurbani music traditions. Famous Gurbani and Devotional Albums from jagjit Singh includes the following:
- Man Jeete Jag Jeet
- Eh Jag Meet Na Dekhiyo Koi
- Satnam Shri Waheguru
- Ehee Naam Hai Adhara
- Jiyu Jiyu Tera Hukam
- Ram Simar Ram
- Mitr Pyare Nu
- Deh Siva Bar Mohe Eh
- Jaise Jal Te Budbuda
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