Pankaj Udhas (72), whose compositions sold millions of cassettes, packed hundreds of concerts and took ghazals to new followers, died in Mumbai after “prolonged illness”.
He completed evenings. In the 1980s and 1990s, ghazals sung by him were mandatory at parties and gatherings. Wafting from cassette decks and record players, they were like companions helping listeners unwind, enlivening many a ‘spirited’ sunset.
Primarily a singer of non-film ghazals and geets, Pankaj delivered Bollywood’s biggest 1987 chartbuster: ‘Chitthi aayee hai’ (lyrics, Anand Bakshi; music, Laxmikant-Pyarelal; film, Naam).
The song, which topped Binaca Geetmala’s annual countdown show, touched an emotional chord, especially among NRI’s and PIO’s. For decades, the superhit track would make them both clap and weep.
Some of Pankaj’s finest numbers are located in the 1981 album, Muqarrar. ‘Tum na maano magar haqeekat hai’ (poet Qabil Ajmeri) and ‘Deewaron se milkar rona achcha lagta hai’ (poet Qaiser-ul-Jafferi) are tuneful melodies sung with feeling.
Another popular track from the same album, Sabko maloom hai main sharabi nahi (poet Anwar Farook Habadi) spurred him to come out with Paimana (1983), a collection of ghazals centred around ‘drinking’: (Thodi thodi piya karo (poet S Rakesh) and La pila de saakiya (traditional). In his concerts, the audience would often demand these tracks.
PM Narendra Modi mourned his passing by saying “We mourn the loss of Pankaj Udhas Ji, whose singing conveyed a range of emotions and whose Ghazals spoke directly to the soul. He was a beacon of Indian music, whose melodies transcended generations. His departure leaves a void in the music world that can never be filled.”
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