Pankaj Udhas: A Gravitating Voice Which Bends Space And Time!

Nature intricately designs some voices with a preordained purpose, destined to sing the future with the soulful melodies of ghazals.

One such matchless voice belongs to Pankaj Udhas. It was carefully crafted by the hands of time, to carry poetic tales and heartfelt expressions.

During the youthful days of a challenging existence, with limited access to any songs, Ghazals in particular, I found myself drawn to a particular voice emanating from my neighbour's house who was a part-time radio set repair man.

In my role as a 'part-time' tea boy for the radio repairman, I questioned him about the enchanting music playing. His response was casual: "Who knows, this cassette came with the tape recorder I'm fixing," shrouding the singer's identity in mystery.

And so, my journey to unveil the singer's identity unfolded. On a day when the tape recorder owner came to retrieve it, I inquired about the vocalist. His response was revealing, "He is Pankaj Udhas." The compilation of songs in that cassette was titled 'Nabeel.'

The album 'Nabeel' housed exquisite collections; each song surpassed the other in both beauty and profound meaning. (Though the meaning eluded me in those early years, it unfolded later)

Songs like 'Dil kaise Tod Dete Hain,' 'Roshan Chehra Kali Zulfen,' and 'Waqt Ki Baat Hai' exude profound soulfulness. The pinnacle of the album is reached with the majestic 'Ek Aisa Ghar Chahiye...'

The most enchanting lines of this song are:

"Aisa Ghar Jiske Darawaaze
Band Naa Ho Insaano Par"

meaning, ''I desire a home where doors don't shut on people ever''.

Yet, Pankaj Ji, you have sealed the doors of your mesmerizing voice.

But, as we know, he will sing with angles narrating stories of 'sharabis', who drink barrels of love, to Gods!