Ghazals of Jagjit Singh, PhD topic for an avid fan

Ahmedabad, Dec 01: Here's what an avid fan of Ghazal mastero Jagjit Singh is doing. Taking up Ghazal of this mesmerizing singer as a research topic for his doctorate degree.

A resident of Vadodara and a doctorate student at the faculty of performing arts at Maharaja Sayajirao University (MSU), dollar Mehta is working on an interesting thesis titled 'the growth of Ghazal gayaki in post-independence india and the contribution of Jagjit Singh in it'.

Mehta, who did his masters in Indian classical music (vocal) from MSU, said "It is Jagjit Singh who took Ghazal from its elitist confines and served it to the man on the street in a manner which suited his taste."

"In the past, Ghazal was meant for a select audience and restricted to courts of kings and nobles," he said.

"But when Jagjit Singh made his debut in the Ghazal circuit in the 1970s, he simplified the entire concept and took this form closer to the masses, Mehta remarked.

Mehta, 33-year-old, who has a large collection of Ghazals, is also a professional Ghazal singer and runs a troupe 'the dollar show' in Vadodara.