Pankaj Udhas passes away

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FE Team | Published: February 26, 2024 23:54:12

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MUMBAI, Feb 26: Pankaj Udhas was suffering from a prolonged illness and wasn't keeping well for the last few days. He died this morning around 11 am at Breach Candy hospital," reports The Indian Express.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled Pankaj Udhas' death. "We mourn the loss of Pankaj Udhas Ji, whose singing conveyed a range of emotions and whose Ghazals spoke directly to the soul. He was a beacon of Indian music, whose melodies transcended generations. I recall my various interactions with him over the years. His departure leaves a void in the music world that can never be filled. Condolences to his family and admirers. Om Shanti," the PM wrote.
We mourn the loss of Pankaj Udhas Ji, whose singing conveyed a range of emotions and whose Ghazals spoke directly to the soul. He was a beacon of Indian music, whose melodies transcended generations. I recall my various interactions with him over the years.
Born in a musically inclined family in Gujarat, Pankaj was the youngest of three brothers. Both his brothers - Manhar Udhas and Nirmal Udhas - established their careers in singing and Pankaj followed their example. While he initially wanted to learn tabla, his interest gradually moved to ghazals.
With memorable ghazals such as "Chitthi Aayi Hai" from Naam, "Na Kajre Ki Dhar" from Mohra, "Chandi Jaisa Rang", "Ek Taraf Uska Ghar" and "Ahista" to his credit, Pankaj was famous for his velvet voice. His first big break was in a song in the film Kamna, but he eventually found his calling in ghazals.
He also learned Urdu to hone his skills and went on to regale music lovers in India and abroad with his work in cinema and albums. His first ghazal album, Aahat, came out in 1980. He gave music lovers more than 50 albums and hundreds of compilation albums.