'Pune gives me a break from Mumbai'

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal">It''s time for the equestrian enthusiasts to plunge into their passion — Horses, betting, winning and glamour! Last afternoon saw the Poona racing season kick off in style and among the many followers of this sport was singer Jagjit Singh. <br /><br />In Pune for the races, we caught Singh in the early hours of the morning, looking visibly relaxed (by that time he had already walked two-and-half miles of the race course). "My passion for horses goes back 20 years ago. I love these animals because of their grace, power and speed. I don''t really spend too much time with them but I love watching them and investing in them. I have three horses today of my own — Different Stroke, Razamand and For a Song. There is a pony who I am going to name after my latest album, <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Parwaaz</span>. Where spending money on horses goes, I don''t go over Rs 20,000 a month. Though there are horses worth Rs 40 lakh, the most I have spent on one horse is Rs 5 lakh." Apart from racing and music, Jagjit finds his passion for cars third on the list.<br /><br />Says Singh, whose passion for horses brings him to Pune as often as possible, "I love Pune because I can get away from the crowds of Mumbai and recharge my mind. It''s a nice change of weather and people." When in Mumbai, he leads a very simple life. "I am from a middle-class family and even though today I can afford a lot of things, I like leading a simple life," he explains. <br /><br />He hates socialising but says he makes friends easily and loves spending time with them. In between singing for Hindi movies, Singh finds time for his music albums. His recent fare is the popular hits album called <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Parwaaz</span>. "A lot of my favourite ghazals, film songs and Punjabi songs are on this CD," he says. Right now Singh is working on his new untitled album, the lyrics of which have been penned by Gulzar. "I have experimented a lot with this album. I have used <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Trivenis</span>, which is the poetry of three lines. It will be released by Diwali."<br /><br />Ask him how he spends his free time and he says, "Spending time is not a problem at all, sparing time is the problem. I love to travel when I can which is usually when I am doing concerts." Ask him about Chitra Singh and he says, "Our relationship has matured over the years and we are very close friends. Everyone fights, but it''s important to have a close companion later on in life. One thing is for sure, we do not interfere in each other''s lives."</div> </div>