By IANS,
New Delhi : Condolences poured in from political leaders Monday over the death of ghazal king Jagjit Singh.
President Pratibha Patil in her message to his wife Chitra said that Jagjit Singh was “known for his unique style of ghazal singing which brought out the deepest and inner most feelings”.
She said audiences at two occasions at Rashtrapati Bhavan felt the magic of his singing.
“Popularly known as ‘The Ghazal King’, he also had a large heart due to which he also was known to give assistance to several philanthropic endeavours,” the president added.
Singh, known as much for his ghazals and bhajans as for his work in Hindi cinema, died in Mumbai Monday after a brain haemorrhage. He was 70.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who said he was an admirer of his, said he was “saddened” by his death.
“I am saddened to learn of Jagjit Singh’s passing away. He was blessed with a golden voice. By making ghazals accessible to everyone, he gave joy and pleasure to millions of music lovers in India and abroad,” he said.
“I count myself among his admirers and share their sorrow. His music legacy will continue to enchant and entertain,” he added.
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader L.K. Advani described him as “an extraordinary personality who took ghazals to the common man in an effective way.”
Paying his tributes to the singer, Advani said Jagjit Singh’s genre also extended to devotional music.
“It is a huge loss to the world of music and art…He was an extraordinary personality,” Advani said.
BJP chief Nitin Gadkari said Jagjit Singh took ghazal singing to a “new height.”
Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni in her message said that his death “left a void which will be difficult to fill”.
“As a singer and composer, he understood the tastes of the common people. His unique voice was a departure from the prevalent style of ghazal rendition, which instantly became a hit with the masses,” she added.
Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said Singh “gave a new dimension to Urdu poetry through music and presented the works of great Urdu poets in a simplified form to strike a chord with public at large”.