INVC NEWS
Mumbai : Famous ghazal Pankaj Udhas is no more with us. He has said goodbye to the world at the age of 72. There is a wave of mourning in the industry due to the demise of Pankaj, a big name in the world of Ghazal. He gave more than one song in his career. The ghazal of the film Naam Chithi Aayi Hai is still remembered. The singer was ill for a long time. The news has been confirmed by his daughter Nayab. Nayab posted on Instagram and wrote – With great sadness we want to inform you that Pankaj Udhas ji passed away on 26 February 2024 due to prolonged illness.
Born in a landlord family
Pankaj Udhas was born on 17 May 1951 in Jetpur, Gujarat. He was the youngest among his three brothers. His family was from a town named Charkhadi near Rajkot. His grandfather was a zamindar and also the Diwan of Bhavnagar state. His father Keshubhai Udhas was a government employee, he was very fond of playing Israj. His mother Jituben Udhas was very fond of songs. This was the reason why Pankaj Udhas and his two brothers were always inclined towards music.
51 rupees were received in return for the song
Pankaj never thought that he would make his career through singing. In those days there was a war going on between India and China. During this time, Lata Mangeshkar’s song ‘Ae Mere Watan Ke Logon’ was released. Pankaj liked this song very much. He composed this song with the same rhythm and tune without anyone’s help.
One day the school principal came to know that he was better at singing, after which he was made the head of the school prayer team. Once Mata Rani’s post was sitting in his colony. After Aarti-Bhajan at night, there used to be a cultural program there. On this day, Pankaj’s school teacher came and requested him to sing a song in the cultural program. Pankaj sang the song Aye mere watan ke logon. His song brought tears to the eyes of everyone sitting there. He also received a lot of applause. A man from the audience stood up and clapped for him and gave him Rs 51 as a reward.
Raj Kapoor cried after listening to the song ‘Chithi Aayi Hai’
Rajendra Kumar and Raj Kapoor were very good friends. One day he invited Raj Kapoor to his house for dinner. After dinner, in the voice of Pankaj Udhas, he recited the ghazal ‘Chitthi has come to Raj Kapoor’, and he cried. He said that this ghazal will give Pankaj a lot of popularity and no one else can sing this ghazal better than him.
Studied music from music academy
Both Pankaj’s brothers Manhar and Nirjal Udhas are well-known names in the music industry. After this incident, the parents felt that Pankaj could also do better in the music field like his brothers, after which the parents got him admitted in the Music Academy in Rajkot.
Hurt by not getting work, he went abroad
After completing the course there, Pankaj used to perform on many big stage shows. He wanted to make a place in Bollywood like his brothers. For this he had to struggle for a long time for 4 years. During this period he did not get any major work. He gave voice to one of his songs in the film Kamna, but that film flopped, due to which he also did not get much popularity. Unhappy with not getting work, he decided to go and live abroad.
Had refused to work in the film whose song gained popularity
Pankaj got a lot of popularity abroad through the art of singing. During this time, actor and producer Rajendra Kumar listened to his songs and was very impressed. He wanted Pankaj to sing and also do a cameo for a film. For this his assistant talked to Pankaj but he refused.
Rajendra Kumar mentioned this and Pankaj’s attitude to his brother Manhar. When Manhar told this to Pankaj, he felt very bad. He called Rajendra Kumar’s assistant and fixed a meeting. After this meeting, he worked in the film Naam and lent his voice to the ghazal ‘Chithi Aayi Hai’. This ghazal is one of the best ghazals of his career. This ghazal was edited by David Dhawan.
