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Chitra Singh
Chitra Singh in 2012
Chitra Singh in 2012
Background information
Birth nameChitra Shome[1]
Also known asChitra Dutta
Born (1940-04-11) 11 April 1940 (age 83)
Calcutta, Bengal Presidency, British India
GenresGhazal, Classical, Devotional, Folk
Occupation(s)Singer
Instrument(s)Vocals
Years active1970–1990

Chitra Singh (née Shome)[2] is an Indian ghazal singer. She, alongside her husband, Jagjit Singh, popularized the ghazal genre.[3] Respectfully known as the "king and queen of the Ghazal world," the husband and wife duo created some of the most successful Indian music of the 1970s and '80s.

Personal life

Chitra was born as Chitra Shome into a Bengali family. After completing her education, she was married to Debo Prasad Dutta, an executive in a leading advertising agency. The wedding was held in the mid-1950s, and the couple had a daughter, Monica, in 1959.[4]

While still married to Debo Prasad, Chitra met Jagjit Singh, at that time a struggling singer. Jagjit Singh was of Sikh heritage and hailed from Sriganganagar in distant Rajasthan. They first met at a recording studio in 1967, by which time the marriage of the Duttas was already under strain for unknown reasons.[5] Chitra found solace in Jagjit and says she was much taken by his "caring" personality. In 1968, Chitra left Prasad,[6][7] taking her 9-year-old daughter with her. In 1969, she divorced her husband, secured custody of Monica, and married Jagjit Singh.[8] The affair, the divorce and the wedding were disapproved of by their families and the couple were to have little contact with their kin thereafter. Chitra and Jagjit became the parents of a son, Vivek. Professionally, the couple formed a ghazal singing duo and the couple achieved great success.

Vivek died in a road accident on July 27, 1990. Chitra has never sung in public, or recorded any song, since the day her son died. Her daughter from her first marriage, Monica, first fell in love with Jehangir Chowdhary, an award-winning cinematographer. They were married in 1988 and became the parents of two sons. In 2005, Monica divorced Chowdhary and married British national Mark Houghton Roger Atkins, the managing director of a firm based in Vikhroli, Mumbai. In 2007, Monica filed a case of harassment against Atkins. In 2008, a magistrate issued a non-bailable warrant against him, but he had already fled the country. In 2009, Monica, aged 50, died by suicide.[9] She was survived by her two sons, Armaan (17) and Umair (12).[10][11] Two years after this incident, Jagjit Singh, died of a brain haemorrhage in 2011. Chitra now lives with her two grandsons.[12]

Discography

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Chitra Singh.

References

  1. ^ "Flying solo with Chitra Singh". 8 January 2016.
  2. ^ Sahara, Rashtriya (1997). "Rashtriya Sahara, Volume 5, Issues 1-6". Google Books. Sahara India Mass Communication. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
  3. ^ "Jagjit & Chitra Singh". AllMusic.
  4. ^ "'I want to marry your wife,' Jagjit Singh asked Chitra's ex-husband... Pics | 'I want to marry your wife,' Jagjit Singh asked Chitra's ex-husband... Photos | 'I want to marry your wife,' Jagjit Singh asked Chitra's ex-husband... Portfolio Pics | 'I want to marry your wife,' Jagjit Singh asked Chitra's ex-husband... Personal Photos - ETimes Photogallery".
  5. ^ First meeting
  6. ^ Ayesha (February 8, 2022). "पहले दोनों बच्चों की हुई मौत फिर पति का भी साथ छूटा, जगजीत सिंह की पत्नी की जिंदगी सिखाती हैं दर्द के साथ जीना". Navbharat Times. Retrieved June 12, 2023.
  7. ^ "When Jagjit Singh asked for Chitra's hand from her estranged husband: 'I want to marry your wife'". The Indian Express. October 9, 2021. Retrieved June 12, 2023.
  8. ^ "Jagjit called me Mummy, I called him Papa - Chitra Singh".
  9. ^ "Chitra Singh daughter found hanging; was depressed, says family". 30 May 2009.
  10. ^ Monica Chowdhary dies by suicide
  11. ^ "Triple tragedy for Jagjit Singh's wife Chitra".
  12. ^ Farook, Farhana (April 18, 2018). "Chitra Singh remembers her husband - The unforgettable Jagjit Singh". Filmfare. Retrieved June 12, 2023.

External links

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