December 17
His soulful voice, filled with nostalgia, was enough to make his old pals recall the golden days spent together in their alma mater. Accompanied by his friends and fans, the singer was virtually lost, gazing at the surroundings of his very own campus from where he began the journey of his classic ghazals.

Ghazal singer Jagjit Singh was at DAV College here to attend the alumni meet which saw the singer in a homely mood.

His eyes spoke of the change he felt on the campus after a gap of 30-odd years.

The singer came to the city via Ludhiana and was visibly astonished at the pace of development. “Long time….. the city has massively changed. I could not locate the busy Mai Hiran Gate…. and my favourite hang out Kesri dhaba in the interiors of the city where we used to enjoy tea with modest means. And sometimes when we had good money and mood to chill, Hotel Green was the ultimate destination,” he quipped.

Any special memories of the college? “Hmm, I can easily recall room 169 in Mehr Chand Hostel of the college where I had a lovely time. I would do riyaaz early in the morning, much to the annoyance of hostel mates,” he said in a lighter tone.

Jagjit Singh joined the college in 1959. A year after he composed a ghazal, “Rukh se parda hata de”, which became highly popular among the youth. Later when he came on to stage, the singer said, “This is the same stage where I sang this ghazal.”

Elated at singing from same old stage, he went on with some of the timeless ghazals, creating a magical aura. His ghazal “Vo kagaz ki kashti” reminded everyone of their innocent and carefree childhood. The singer mentioned the struggle period of AIR and Mumbai in the later years. “I shifted to Mumbai in 1965 from where began my professional career,” he said.

The singer released his first album “The Unforgettables” in 1976. Further talking about his first-ever stint as a music director in a film, he came out with the evergreen “Hothon se chu lo tum, mera geet amar kar do”.

He asked the audience to sing along, creating an ambience apt for ghazal lovers.

And before the audience could have asked for anything else, the ghazal maestro switched over to youthful Punjabi songs which saw the singer in a jovial mood.

His evergreen songs “Saun da mahina hai” and “Billo ne tere gore rang ne, saare pind ch puade paye” had the audience, especially the oldies, clapping along.

The singer, who enjoyed every bit of his visit, urged the college authorities to treat him as an old student and not as a guest when he visits the campus next time.

Earlier Sufi singer Hans Raj Hans, also a student of the same college, performed on the stage sharing some light moments with the audience. The singer, accompanied by Jagjit Singh and college Principal, released a souvenir and took a round of a special photo exhibition depicting the 92-year-old journey of the college till date.