“It is not enough that you are accepted as a ghazal singer or a bhajan singer. You should be accepted as an artist”

ANUP JALOTA tells JYOTHI VENKATESH

Today is the veteran bhajan and ghazal singer Anup Jalota’s 67^th birthday. We at bollyy.com and Mayapuri, we wish him by reproducing this interview which had appeared way back in Day After, Delhi issue dt July 1985 where ANUP JALOTA tells JYOTHI VENKATESH about his journey as a bhajan and ghazal singer. “His soft voice is full of pathos and devotion”, remarked India’s nightingale Lata Mangeshkar about Anup Jalota.  Anup, the son of bhajan singer Purushottamdas Jalota is among the most successful ghazal singers. We talked to him to know more about this interesting combination of ghazals-mostly about two W’s- wine and women and bhajans, yet W- worship.

What inspired you to take up music?

Actually, music is in my family. My father Purushottam Das Jalota was a well known classical singer. We belong to the Sham Chaurasia gharana. Our famous classical singers are Salamat Ali-Najakat Ali. They are in Pakistan those days. So because it was so much in the family since childhood I was in that atmosphere and my father taught me music. Till 1974, we were in Lucknow and my father was guiding me and teaching me the various finer points of music. He also used to take me to his concerts and sometimes ask me to come on to the stage and sing bhajans. So that’s how I started.

When did you get your real big break?

Before moving to Bombay, I learnt music for three years in the Bhat Khande Sangeet Maha Vidyalaya. I think it is one of the best institutions to learn music today. In 1975, I came to Bombay and started my career as a singer. Before that, in 1974, I completed my education.. It was when Manoj Kumar spotted me that I got my first real big break. He heard me in Sur Singaar sammelan and gave me the big break in Shirdi Ke Sai Baba. I sang four songs in that film and after that people came to know me. That was my first record. After that I went abroad. Then for one year, I performed everywhere wherever we have Hindi speaking people. Then for two years, I worked for Bombay All India Radio as a chorus singer. I think that there were 35 others with me. But there I learnt all the English notations and chords and that really helped.

19. . Anup Jalota

When did you cut your disc for the first time?

Well, the first two LPs that I made were in America in the year 1978. These two LPs were hits and Polydor released them in India too. Those bhajans and ghazals became very popular. So I started as a ghazal and bhajan singer.

What do you think is the main difference in ghazal singing and bhajan singing?

See. In one, people talk about wine and women and in bhajan you don’t talk about these two things. So content wise these are entirely different things. But one thing common is music. All ragas and all swars are the same.

Well, as you suggest that bhajan and ghazal are different content wise, they are almost at opposite ends. Still how do you manage to do so well?

It is not enough that you are accepted as a ghazal singer or a bhajan singer. I should be accepted as an artist. Today I don’t consider Hari Om Sharan as an artist. I think no one will accept him as a ghazal singer too. But you see Lata Mangeshkar. If she is asked to sing a ghazal. She excels in that and then if you ask her to sing a Meera bhajan, she is again accepted. I also want to have that kind of image.

What are you at ease-Singing bhajans or ghazals?

Well. I am comfortable when I am singing classical things like ragas and all. On the same ragas I compose my bhajans and ghazals and geets. I also compose Punjabi songs but they have not clicked so far. It is because when I sing Punjabi songs, I maintain a certain standard and if you have a standard in Punjabi songs, people will not listen to you. I mean you would not be a commercial hit because they want cheap songs.

anup jalota

You started singing with your father who was a bhajan singer. Don’t you think you gave the impression to a lot of people that you are basically a bhajan singer?

Yes. I absolutely agree with you. I started singing with him in the bhajan concerts. I remember I used to play the tanpura. And whenever I sang with him, I sang bhajans. But as soon as my ghazal records were in the market, people started accepting me as a ghazal singer.

What is your advice to people who want to follow in your footsteps and be singers?

I think that to sing good bhajans you should have a lot of devotional feelings in you. Then only you would be able to convey the meaning of your bhajan, Then if you know the thoughts in the ghazals, it will help you.. I was in Lucknow in my childhood and I learnt Urdu at a young age. Another point that I would like to make is that ghazal singing is not just singing what the shayaar the poet has written. A good sher or couplet will be accepted if it is simply read out in a mushaira. So if we get the same wah wah, what have we done?. It is the shayar who should get the credit. I think what a good singer should do is that he should leave the couplet and concentrate on the words and the feeling. He should make people visualize what the poet has written. I would like to give you an example. Like I sing Angdaiyaan in Chand angdaiyaan. Similarly when you sing ghataiyen, people should feel that it is about clouds and rains. If a singer is able to do that, then he is good.