Remembering Pankaj Udhas, the ghazal icon who wanted to become a doctor

Pankaj Udhas died of a prolonged illness at the age of 72

Acclaimed ghazal singer Pankaj Udhas died on February 26 after an extended illness. He was 72. In a statement, the singer's family said, “With a very heavy heart, we are saddened to inform you of the sad demise of Padmashri Pankaj Udhas on February 26, 2024, due to a prolonged illness.”

Born on May 17, 1951, in Jetpur, Gujarat as the youngest of three brothers, Pankaj Udhas started his musical journey early in life. When he was still a child, his father would play a stringed instrument called dilruba. Seeing his interest in music, Keshubhai Udhas enrolled Pankaj and his brothers at the Sangeet Academy in Rajkot.

Udhas initially wanted to learn the tabla but later began learning Hindustani vocal classical music. He gave his first stage performance in 1962, when he was just 11 years old - Udhas sang “Aye Mere Watan Ke Logon” during the Sino-Indian War and was given a reward of Rs 51 by an audience member.

Pankaj Udhas gave his first stage performance in 1962

He later enrolled in Mumbai’s St Xavier’s College and started training in Indian classical vocal music under the tutelage of Master Navrang. Years later, in an interview, Udhas confessed that he wanted to become a doctor, not a singer.

However, medicine’s loss was music’s gain – Udhas went on to have a storied career as a ghazal maestro and playback singer in Bollywood. He began his career with the launch of the ghazal album titled "Aahat" in 1980 and his name soon became synonymous with ghazal in India.

Pankaj Udhas wanted to become a doctor

In 1986, six years after the launch of “Aahat,” Mahesh Bhatt invited Pankaj Udhas to sing a ghazal in his film “Naam.” Thus began his career in Bollywood, where he has become one of the most recognisable names in the world of playback singing.

Udhas’s song in “Naam,” called “Chitthi Aayi Hai,” became an instant hit. His other notable songs include “Chandi Jaisa Rang,” “Na Kajare Ki Dhaar” and “Chhupana Bhi Nahi Aata”.

Over the course of his career spanning decades, Udhas released several albums and gave many stage performances. He was awarded a Padma Shri – India’s fourth highest civilian honour – in 2006.

His death was condoled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who remembered him as the singer whose “ghazals spoke directly to the soul.”