Jagjit Singh was a Sikh but you may not have seen him wearing a turban or sport a beard. There's a reason behind that. Many aren't aware that the first playback that Singh ever sang was in Gujarati for the film Bahuroopi in 1969. That's not it. He sang his first Gujarati song for Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan's Song of the month in 1968 which was produced by Purshottam Upadhyay. It's the latter who revealed in an old interview with DNA why Singh didn't continue wearing the turban and sport a beard despite being Sikh. Jagjit Singh Birth Anniversary: Did You Know The Ghazal Meastro Had an Acting Cameo In Rajendra Kumar-Saira Banu's Aman?.

Purshottam Upadhyay recollects, "I still remember him wearing his pagdi and sporting a long beard when he first visited us at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan to sing a Gujarati song. At that time, someone commented on his attire and looks and said he was too young to sing. He changed his image. He removed the pagdi and beard and continued to have that image for a lifetime.

Hence, while you will find an old monochromatic picture of Jagjit Singh in a turban and beard, you won't get anything on him in the later years. Jagjit Singh Birth Anniversary: From Koi Faryad to Tum Itna jo Muskura Rahe Ho - Taking a Look at his Songs that will Always Find a Place in Our Hearts.

Losing Jagjit Singh to God hurts the most. His Ghazals defined and redefined our lives and love life. The moment he sang 'Tumko dekha to ye khayal aaya' we found courage in using that line to ask our crush out, when he belted the soft 'Hothon se choo lo tum', we melted and his 'Tum itna jo muskura rahe ho' is part of our vocabulary now. Of course, we don't sing them! That man is part of our everyday lives even when he is no more with us.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 08, 2023 08:10 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).