The master rules again

Mumbai, March 24, 2006
The king og Ghazals  has long extended his repertoire to bhajans  and film songs. Friend and lyricist Gulzar fetes him as truly living up to his name of jagatjit . Jagjit — a conqueror of hearts across the world. But the simplicity of the man in question is unscathed by his success. At the launch of a commemorative eight-CD collection, The Life and Times of Jagjit Singh by SaReGaMa, Jagjit says there's music left in him.

Performing in Sydney: Though this was my fourth performance in Australia, it was special as I became the second Indian to perform at the Sydney Opera House.

On The Life and Times of Jagjit Singh: The package is new but the songs are old. It is a compilation of the best of my works spread over 40 years.

Personal favourites: My all-time favourites are Beyond Time and Sajda, which are very close to my heart. I also owe a lot of my success to lyricists like Qatil Shifai, Nida Fazli, Lata bai and even Mirza Ghalib.

Music then and now: When we start ed there were only two genres of music – classical and film music. Today's musician is more like a mathematician on a calculator, arranging and mixing tunes to catchy beats. The clarity and perfection of the final rendering may have been enhanced, but the human touch is missing. Galtiyon mein jo majaa aata tha, woh ab nahi raha… We used to be taught to get sa, the first note, right and it would be a good two years before one went to re. But today everyone wants to become a star overnight, with SMSes and not talent deciding the winners at singing contests and talent hunts.

What next? Commemorative albums are released when you are retiring someone, but I have many more music years within me. I am not one of those to tire soon, agar baithna hota to kabhie ke baith jaate. I am currently working on an album with Gulzar saab for Sony and on a compilation of devotional songs for Times Music.