As the two doyens of Indian music industry passed away, they might leave a void never to be filled, but they also leave behind a legacy that would surely encourage many aspiring singers. One look at their musical journey gives us an understanding of how profound their influence had been. But, what strikes you more is the fact that despite being different in style, genre or other factors, both the legends still shared some common points, some of which we see here.

 

 

Long, Illustrious Career

There are but few musicians who have following that runs into decades. Both Jagjit Singh and Bhupen Hazarika can lay claim to this rare honour as both continued to create music and spellbind listeners till the last breath of their lives. And, that too an audience that was ever ready to lap up more. This despite the fact that they held on their own style and didn’t do much of re-inventing. Collectively, both the legends share a century of limelight between them.

While Bhupen Hazarika started out in the far eastern state of Assam, an atmosphere that dripped from his mellifluous music way back in the late thirties, Jagjit Singh’s journey began in early sixties when he composed music for a Gujarati film. Over the years, both went on to create magic after magic with each album/ film/ song.

Even though trends changed during the long course of their long careers, both managed to hold sway among the new crop of singers with not just their musical talent, but their ability to create something few others could.

Carved a Niche

When you think of either singer, you invariably imagine the niche they carved with their signature signing styles. While Hazarika was known for his baritone and clear diction, Jagjit also scored on similar front when he fused his velvet voice with a precise and simple diction that touched million hearts. Both stood out clearly among the lot of me-toos for something that still continued to be their individual signatures that remain unmatched. Both started against big odds. When Jagjit Singh was trying to establish himself in the field of ghazals, hardly anyone gave much chance to this outsider in the field dominated by established doyens like Mehdi Hassan, Talat Mehmood, Begum Akhtar and others. But, the newness in Jagjit’s voice, as also his complete command over the medium saw him succeed immensely with his first album, The Unforgetables. A similar predicament stared Bhupen Hazarika when he ventured on to Hindi films. Most dismissed him as too seeped in Assamese music to be accepted by Hindi listeners. Hazarika proved the distracters wrongs and went on to belt some of the most soulful songs in Hindi films.

Multi-Lingual

Another common factor both the legends shared was that both had sung in languages other than their mother tongues. While Jagjit sang in languages like Panjabi, Hindi, Urdu, Gujarati, Bengali, Sindhi and Nepali, Hazarika composed songs in Assamese, Bengali, Hindi and English. This also helped them establish among a cross-section of listeners rather than closet them with a certain segment.

Revivalist

While Jagjit is credited with having revived ghazals, it goes without saying that Hazarika was instrumental in making the sounds of far-east reach not just the boundaries of India, but in foreign nations as well. Jagjit was instrumental in combining soft melody with meaning words with equal emphasis on both, yet making sure it is understood by the masses and not remain high-brow and aloof for the elite alone. Hazarika made sure his music and films showcased the rich heritage of the north-east, a cause he stuck to for the rest of his life. His constant efforts and work helped establish India’s first state owned film studio in Guwahati, Assam. After the immense success Hazarika got in the latter part of his life especially in the films he composed and sang in the eighties and nineties, Assamese music and culture became more than a focal point across the country.

Multi-Talented & Socially Aware

Even though both had carved a niche for themselves through their singing, there was no denying the fact that both were immensely talented in other related fields as well. Apart from singing, both composed music, directed music for Hindi films, as also being social activists. Hazarika, of course, was a leading film-maker, having sang, acted, directed and produced many films, in Assamese, Hindi, English, apart from documentaries. Jagjit, other than his singing and composing music, was involved philanthropically with various organisations for the cause of upliftment of the under-priviledged.

Association with TV

Both Jagjit and Hazarika have brief, but successful association with television. Bhupen Hazarika composed music and sang for the popular television series, ‘Lohit Kinare’ based on the various stories of Assam. The serial became more popular for the title song sung by Hazarika. A similar case stands for Jagjit Singh when he composed music for Gulzar’s immensely popular television serial, ‘Mirza Ghalib’. Not only was the serial a big hit, but the album released later with the songs composed and sung by Jagjit Singb became a bestselling album.

Critical Acclaim and Commercial Success

Off-the-cuff many would invariably think both Jagjit Singh and Bhupen Hazarika to be elitist in their music, what with their inimitable, uncopiable styles, the fact remains is that both managed to earn not just great critical acclaim from the music aficionados, but managed to make more than a mark in the heart of simple music lovers. Despite the seemingly-limited scope of their main genres of songs, both managed to create magic with such simplicity that commercial success became a foregone conclusion the moment they sang a song. Some of their albums have managed to outdo the best film albums of their times, a feat very few could achieve in India.

Accolades

As if the above similarities weren’t enough both the legends have been conferred with Padma Bhushan. Both have, of course, been felicitated with many other honours in India and abroad. Among the important ones, Hazarika has won the Dada Saheb Phalke Award in 1993 and Muktijoddha Padak, the highest civilian honour by the Bangladesh government that he received posthumously recently.

Both Jagjit Singh and Bhupen Hazarika held enviable positions of their own in the field of music. And, even though they might no longer be with us now, there’s no denying the fact that their music will live with us foreve

- By Rajesh iyer