Ghulam Ali mourns the loss of Jagjit Singh.

Ghulam Ali mourns the loss of Jagjit Singh.

“Ours was a friendship, which transcended the barriers of geography, hostile governments and hurdles of red-tape. My friend Jagjit Singh has left for heavenly abode, and I am simply inconsolable. I feel he will walk up to me and sing the mukhda of a ghazal for me.”

“I met Jagjit for the first time in 1976 in London, where both of us had our respective concerts. We have done more than 30 concerts all over the world together. Whenever we found the time, we would attend each other’s concerts in London. Since then, we were inseparable!”

“Despite his stern looks, Jagjit was the most fun-loving person, who didn’t allow tragedies of life to get the better of him. Whenever we had meals together, he would regale me with his hilarious jokes, and we would end up giggling like schoolboys. Deep inside, he was still a child, even though his tragic life added extra soz to his voice.”

“I and Jagjit were both very disturbed whenever we heard about the bans being proposed on artists, stopping them from crossing the border, because you can’t stop art from reaching beyond barriers. Like water and air — they create their own path!”