Jagjit Singh, the famous Ghazal singer of the entertainment world, was born on this day in the year 1941. Jagjit Singh is known for his excellent voice. But very few people know that there was a time in his life when he was given the status of a B grade singer. During that time he used to sing songs in marriages and parties for living. It is said that during his struggling days, Jagjit Singh got his first opportunity to join the entertainment space through acting. At first, he was offered the role of the protagonist in a Gujarati film, however, Jagjit Singh politely declined the offer as he wanted to pursue singing. He definitely sang a Gujarati bhajan in that film.
It is said that he is considered Mohammad Rafi as his idol and used to sing Rafi's songs on All India Radio in Jalandhar. Jagjit and Chitra Singh got married in a very simple ceremony which lasted only two minutes and cost only ₹ 30. Jagjit Singh's father is said to have recognized his talent at a very young age, although he still convinced Jagjit Singh to do engineering. Later on, his father also insisted on Jagjit Singh to take the UPSC exam.
It is said that after all this, Jagjit Singh started doing MA in History from Kurukshetra University, but even after studying for almost two years, he could never complete this course. During this time, he came to Mumbai in 1965 without informing any member of his family. In his early days in Mumbai (then Bombay), Jagjit Singh composed jingles and made his living and he started singing at film parties in the hope of getting a break in films. He also tried to find work as a dubbing artist but luck was not with him.
Jagjit Singh was the first Indian musician to record a digital album titled 'Beyond Time' in 1987. In 1982, tickets to his concert, 'Live at Royal Albert Hall,' were sold out in three hours. After his death, in 2014, the Government of India had issued a postage stamp in honour of Jagjit Singh.
