Pankaj Udhas (1951-2024) was an Indian ghazal and playback singer. He is primarily known for his work in the Hindi film industry and Indian pop music. He died on February 26, 2024 after a long illness.
Wiki/Biography
Pankaj Udhas was born on Thursday, May 17, 1951, in Jetpur, Gujarat (age 72 at the time of death). His zodiac sign is Taurus. He studied at Sir Bhavsinghi Institute of Technology, Bhav Nagar, Gujarat. Later, his parents moved to Mumbai and he pursued his Bachelor of Science degree from St. Xavier’s College, Bombay. He also studied at Wilson College, Bombay.
appearance
Height (approximately): 5′8″
Hair color: black
Eye color: black
family
He originally hails from a zamindar family in Chalkadi town of Rajkot, Gujarat.
Parents and siblings
His father Keshubhai Udhas is a government servant. His mother’s name was Jituben Udas.
Pankaj Udas’ father
He has two elder brothers named Manhar Udhas and Nirmal Udhas. Both of his brothers are famous singers.
Pankaj Udhas (right) and his brother Nirmal Udhas
wife and children
He married Farida Udhas on February 11, 1982. They have two daughters. His daughters Nayaab Udhas is an event organizer and Reva Udhas is an entrepreneur.
Pankaj Udas and his family
other relatives
His grandfather was the revenue minister (also known as Dewan) of Bhavnagar state (now in the state of Gujarat). He was the first graduate in the village at that time.
Relationships/Affairs
Pankaj Udhas first met Farida Udhas in 1979 at a neighbor’s house. At the time, Pankaj was studying for a bachelor’s degree and Farida was working as a flight attendant. Pankaj fell in love with Farida at first sight and they soon started dating. It was reported that Farida’s parents were initially unhappy with their relationship due to the shared differences between the two families. However, Pankaj later decided to meet Farida’s father and managed to convince him to allow them to get married.
religion
He believes in Hinduism. He often recited Hanuman Chalisa before concerts.
Profession
Movie
He made his debut as a backup singer in the 1970 film Kamna. In the 1970s, he did not get many opportunities due to the fierce competition and dominance of singers like Mohammad Rafi, Kishore Kumar and Mukesh in the film industry. Later, he started singing ghazals and became popular. After becoming a successful ghazal singer, he was invited to sing the song “Chitthi aayi hai” for the film Naam (1986) directed by Mahesh Bhatt. The song was well received by the audience and made the name of Pankaj Udhas a household name.
Movie “Naam” poster
He sang the song “Maahiya Teri Kasam” with Lata Mangeshkar for the 1990 film “Ghayal”. In 1994, he sang the song “Na Kajre Ki Dhar” for the movie “Mohra”. The song was well received by listeners and became one of his most famous songs.
Movie “Mohra” poster
Over the course of his career, he has lent his voice to several films. Some of his most famous songs include “Chandi Jaisa Rang Hai” from the film “Ek Hi Maqsad” (1988), “Aaj Phir Tumpe” from the film “Dayavan” (1988), “Jeeye To Jeeye Kaise” from the film Saajan’ ( 1991), “Zindagi Ko Guzarne Ke Liye” from the movie “Jeevan Yudh” (1997), “Teri Aashiqui” from the movie “Ghaath” (2000) and “Main Dil Ki Dil Mein” from the movie “Sanam Teri Kasam” (2009).
album
Hindi
In 1980, Pankaj Udhas released his first ghazal album, Aahat. In December 1987, his album “Shagufta” was released by Music India, becoming India’s first compact disc album.
The cover of the album “Shagufta”
His album “Nabeel” became one of the best-selling albums of 1989. The first copy of the album was auctioned for Rs. 100,000. Proceeds from the auction are donated to the Cancer Patient Aid Society. In 2018, he collaborated with the famous poet and lyricist Gulzar to release the album “Nayaab Lamhe with Gulzar”.
Pankaj Udhas (right) attends the launch of the album “Nayaab Lamhe with Gulzar” with Gulzar
His other most famous ghazal albums include Mukarrar (1981), Tarrannum (1982), Pankaj Udhas Live at Albert Hall (1984), Aafreen (1986), In Search of Meer ( 2003), “Hasrat” (2005), “Sentimental” (2013) and “Khwabon Ki Khahani” (2015).
other languages
Apart from Hindi, he also sings songs and ghazals in several regional Indian languages. Some of his albums in regional languages are titled “Bhalobasha” (Bengali), “Rajuat” (Gujarati) and “Baisakhi” (Punjabi).
Devotional Songs and Albums
In 2010, Pankaj Udhas sang for Shabad, a sacred song from the Sikh scripture Guru Granth Sahib. A year later, he sang some songs for the devotional album Mata Ki Bhetein with Sanghamitra Bharali. In 2018, he released a devotional album “Jai Ganesh” for Siddhivinayak Temple. In the same year, he released the album “Krishna Chants”.
Cover of the devotional album “Krishna Hymns”
television
In 1998, he started producing the ghazal singing reality TV show “Aadab Aarz Hai” which was aired on Sony Entertainment Television Channel.
Awards, Honors, Achievements
- Won the KL Saigal Award for Best Ghazal Singer of the Year in 1985
- In 1990, he received the Outstanding Youth Award from the Indian Junior Chamber of Commerce for his active leadership and service to the nation.
- Received the Giant International Award in 1993 for his efforts to achieve the highest standards in the field of music
- 1994 Lotus Radio Award, presented by Lotus Radio South Africa at the University of Durban
- In 1994, he was awarded the honorary citizenship of Lubbock, Texas, USA.
- Indira Gandhi Priyadarshani Award 1996 for Outstanding Service, Achievements and Contribution to Music
- 1998 Outstanding Artistic Achievement Award from the American Academy of Artists in Atlantic City
- The 1998 Indian Arts Awards Gala hosted by the then Mayor of Jersey City
- 1999, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Award, USA, in recognition of his outstanding contribution to Indian music, especially the promotion of ghazal music in India and abroad
- In 2001, he received the Career Recognition Award from the Rotary Club of Mumbai City Center for his outstanding performance as a ghazal singer.
- Won the honor of Indo-American Chamber of Commerce in 2002
- Excellence Award in the Field of Music by Sahyog Foundation, Mumbai, 2002
- The Dadabhai Naoroji International Association awarded Dadabhai Naoroji the Millennium Award in 2003 in recognition of his contribution to the ghazal and the music industry
- 2003 New York Bollywood Music Awards Special Achievement Award
- Won an MTV Emmy Award in 2003 for the album “In Search of Meer”
- A special celebration held at the Wembley Convention Center in London in 2004 in recognition of 20 years of performances at this prestigious venue
- In 2006, his album “Hasrat” won the “Kalakar” Award in Kolkata and was named the “Best Ghazal Album of 2005”
- In 2006, on the occasion of his 25th year of completing the art of ghazal singing, he was awarded the Padma Shri for his contribution to the art of ghazal singing and his immense contribution to cancer patients and thalassemia children
car collection
- Fiat 1100
Pankaj Udhas and his Fiat 1100 car
Mercedes Maybach S-Class
Pankaj Udhas and his Mercedes-Maybach S-Class
- Range Rover SV
Pankaj Udhas and his Range Rover SV car
- Audi A4 car
Pankaj Udhas and his Audi A4 car
die
Pankaj Udhas passed away on February 26, 2024 at around 11:00 am at Breach Candy Hospital, Mumbai. According to some sources, he had been suffering from a long-term illness. His last rites were performed on February 27, 2024 from 3 pm to 5 pm at Worli Hindu Crematorium, Mumbai. Many Bollywood celebrities and other big names from various fields have condoled his death, including Sunny Deol, John Abraham and Narendra Modi.
We mourn the death of Pankaj Udhas Ji, whose voice conveyed a range of emotions and whose ghazals touched the soul directly. He is a beacon of Indian music and his melodies span generations. I remember various interactions I had with him over the years.
His departure left behind… pic.twitter.com/5xL6Y3Sv75
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 26, 2024
Facts/Trivia
- Pankaj Udhas became interested in music after observing his father, who used to play diruba as a hobby, and his elder brother, who was pursuing a career in music.
- Initially, he received formal training in tabla from Sangeet College in Rajkot. At the age of 13, he learned Hindustani vocal classical music from Ghulam Qadir Khan Sahab. Later, he learned music from Navrang Nagpurkar, a tribal singer from Gwalior.
- At the age of 11, he made his debut on stage during the Sino-Indian War, singing the song “Aye Mere Watan Ke Logo”. For his performance, he was awarded Rs 51 from the audience.
- In an interview, he revealed that he learned Urdu from Maulvi to better understand the ghazal verses.
- When opportunities as a playback singer were few and far between for him in the Hindi film industry, he went to Canada and the United States where he performed many ghazal concerts.
- He took inspiration from Begum Akhtar and Mehdi Hasan to sing ghazals.
- He used to donate huge amounts of money to help the needy. He performed many concerts to raise funds for social causes. He is associated with several charitable associations such as Cancer Patients Aid Society, Thalassemia Parents Group, Spasm Society of India and MIND.
- He enjoyed watching horse racing and also owned a mare named Alliana.
- In 2010, he started a YouTube channel named ‘Pankaj Udhas’ where he uploaded his songs and ghazals. In 2019, he received the Silver Creator Award for reaching over 100,000 subscribers on his channel. As of 2024, his channel has more than 664,000 subscribers.
Pankaj Udhas wins Silver Creator Award
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education