Musicians pay tribute to Jagjit Singh with an original ghazal on his death anniv

On a summer afternoon in 2011, lyricist-screenwriter Manoj Muntashir received a call from

musician Deepak Pandit

, a close associate of the

legendary Jagjit Singh

.

“Uncle is recording next to your house. Why don’t you come and say hello to him?” Deepak said. A few minutes later, the lyricist found himself next to the legend.

Manoj reminisces, “I was sitting with the phenomenon called Jagjit Singh. He kept cracking jokes, and everyone in the studio was laughing. Suddenly, he turned to me and said, ‘Manoj, have you written anything new? Recite that for me!’ I started reciting a ghazal, 'Mujhe Kisi Se Pyar Nahin', which I had penned down a couple of days ago. When I finished, he extended his diary and said, ‘Yeh

ghazal

isspe likh do and don’t forget to mention your address.’ Surprised, I asked, ‘Why address, when you have my mobile number?’ He quipped, ‘Cheque mobile number par bhejoonga?’ He went on to make my day by saying that he would record this ghazal for his next album.” However, the singer passed away a few days later, on October 10, 2011.
After nine years, Deepak and Manoj are now set to release the ghazal today on the late singer’s death anniversary. Says Manoj, “I had tears in my eyes when Deepak played the ghazal to me. We wanted a true Jagjit Singh fan to complete what he had left unfinished, so Papon was our only choice.”

Papon adds, “I feel blessed to have sung the words, which were liked and approved by Jagjit Singh. He always believed in originality, so staying true to his teachings, I refrained from mimicking him and have sung it in my style. I hope my voice reaches out to his soul.”

For Deepak, it is even more personal. He shares, “I have spent so much time with Jagjit uncle, and subconsciously, I inherited his approach to music. Nine years after his demise, I am ready to celebrate him with this ghazal.”