Pankaj Udhas Wiki, Age, Death, Wife, Family, Biography & More

Pankaj Udhas (1951-2024) was an Indian ghazal and playback singer. He is mainly known for his work in the Hindi film industry and Indian pop. He died on 26 February 2024 after suffering from prolong illness.

Wiki/Biography

Pankaj Udhas was born on Thursday, 17 May 1951 (age 72 years; at the time of death) in Jetpur, Gujarat. His zodiac sign is Taurus. He studied at Sir Bhavsinhji Polytechnic Institute, Bhavnagar, Gujarat. Later, his parents relocated to Mumbai where he pursued Bachelor of Science degree at St Xavier’s college, Mumbai. He had also attended Wilson College, Mumbai.

Physical Appearance

Height (approx.): 5′ 8″

Hair Colour: Black

Eye Colour: Black

Family

He originally hails from a family of zamindars from a town named Charkhadi, Rajkot, Gujarat.

Parents & Siblings

His father, Keshubhai Udhas, was a government servant. His mother’s name is Jituben Udhas.

He had two elder brothers named Manhar Udhas, and Nirmal Udhas. Both of his brothers are renowned singers.

Wife & Children

He got married to Farida Udhas on 11 February 1982. Together, they have two daughters. His daughter, Nayaab Udhas, is an event organiser, and Reva Udhas is an entrepreneur.

Other Relatives

His grandfather was the revenue minister (also called Diwan) the Bhavnagar State, now in Gujarat. He was the first graduate from his village at that time.

Relationships/Affairs

Pankaj Udhas first met Farida Udhas at his neighbor’s home in 1979. At that time, Pankaj was pursuing his bachelor’s degree, and Farida was serving as an air hostess. Pankaj fell in love with Farida at the first sight and they soon started dating. Reportedly, Farida’s parents were initially unhappy with their relationship due to the communal differences between the two families. However, Pankaj later decided to meet Farida’s father and successfully convinced him to allow them to marry.

Religion

He followed Hinduism. He used to recite Hanuman Chalisa before his concerts. ^[1]Hindustan Times

Career

Film

He made his debut as a playback singer for the 1970 film ‘Kamna.’ In the 1970s, he didn’t get many opportunities due to the high competition and domination of the singers like Mohammad Rafi, Kishore Kumar, and Mukesh in the film industry. Later, he started singing ghazals and became popular. After establishing himself as a successful ghazal singer, he was offered to sing the song “Chitthi aayi hai” for the film ‘Naam’ (1986), directed by Mahesh Bhatt. The song was well received by the audience and made Pankaj Udhas a household name.

He, alongside Lata Mangeshkar, sang the song “Maahiya Teri Kasam” for the 1990 film ‘Ghayal.’ In 1994, he sang the song “Na Kajre Ki Dhar” for the film ‘Mohra.’ The song was well received by the audience and became one of his most notable songs.

In his career span, he had lent his voice in the songs for numerous films. Some of his most notable songs include “Chandi Jaisa Rang Hai” for the film ‘Ek Hi Maqsad’ (1988), “Aaj Phir Tumpe” for the film ‘Dayavan’ (1988), “Jeeye To Jeeye Kaise’ for the film ‘Saajan’ (1991), “Zindagi Ko Guzarne Ke Liye” for the film ‘Jeevan Yudh’ (1997), “Teri Aashiqui” for the film ‘Ghaath’ (2000), and “Main Dil Ki Dil Mein” for the film ‘Sanam Teri Kasam’ (2009).

Album

Hindi

In 1980, Pankaj Udhas released his first ghazal album titled ‘Aahat.’ In December 1987, his album “Shagufta” was released by Music India, making it the first album to be launched on compact disc in India.

His album, ‘Nabeel,’ became one of the top-selling albums in 1989. The very first copy of the album was auctioned for Rs. 1 Lakh. The proceeds from the auction were donated to the Cancer Patients Aid Association. In 2018, he collaborated with the renowned poet and lyricist Gulzar for the album ‘Nayaab Lamhe with Gulzar.’

Some of his other most notable ghazal albums include ‘Mukarrar’ (1981), ‘Tarrannum’ (1982), ‘Pankaj Udhas Live at Albert Hall’ (1984), ‘Aafreen’ (1986), ‘In Search of Meer’ (2003), ‘Hasrat’ (2005), ‘Sentimental’ (2013), and ‘Khwabon Ki Khahani’ (2015).

Other Languages

Apart from Hindi, he had also sang songs and ghazals in several Indian regional languages. Some of his albums in regional languages are titled ‘Bhalobasha’ (Bengali), ‘Rajuat’ (Gujarati), and ‘Baisakhi’ (Punjabi).

Devotional Songs and Albums

Pankaj Udhas provided his vocals for ‘Shabad’ (sacred songs in Sikhism’s scripture ​Guru Granth Sahib) in 2010. A year later, he sang some songs along with Sanghamitra Bharali for the devotional album ‘Mata Ki Bhetein.’ In 2018, he released a devotional album ‘Jai Ganesh’ for the Siddhivinayak Temple. In the same year, he launched the album ‘Krishna Chants.’

Television 

In 1998, he started a ghazal singing reality TV show ‘Aadab Aarz Hai,’ which aired on the channel Sony Entertainment Television.

Awards, Honours, Achievements

• K L Saigal Award for being the Best Ghazal Singer of the Year in 1985

• Outstanding Young Persons’ Award in 1990 from the Indian Junior Chambers for his positive leadership and his services to the nation

• Giants International Award in 1993 for his efforts to achieve the highest standards in the field of music

• Radio Lotus Award in 1994, presented by Radio Lotus, South Africa at the University of Durban

• Honorary Citizenship of Lubbock Texas, USA in 1994

• Indira Gandhi Priyadarshani Award for his outstanding services, achievement, and contribution to music in 1996

• Outstanding Artistic Achievement Award, presented by the American Academy of Artists at Atlantic City in 1998

• Indian Arts Awards Gala presented by the then Mayor Jersey City in 1998

• Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, USA Award in 1999 for extraordinary services to Indian music, especially promotion of ghazals in India and abroad

• Vocational Recognition Award in 2001 from Rotary Club of Mumbai Downtown for his outstanding performance as a Ghazal singer

• Honoured by the Indo-American Chamber of Commerce in 2002

• Award for Excellence in Music Field presented by Sahyog Foundation at Mumbai in 2002

• Dadabhai Naoroji Millennium Award in 2003 conferred by the Dadabhai Naoroji International Society for his contribution to ghazal and the music industry

• Special Achievement Award at the Bollywood Music Award, New York in 2003

• MTV Immies Award in 2003 for his album ‘In Search of Meer’

• Special Felicitation at the Wembley Conference Center, London in 2004 for completing 20 Years of Performance at the Prestigious Venue

• “Kalakar” Award in 2006 at Kolkata for his album “Hasrat” as “Best Ghazal album of 2005”

• Padmashree Award in 2006 for his contribution to the art of ghazal singing and his huge contribution to cancer patients and thallasemic children on the occasion of his completing 25 years of ghazal singing

Car Collection

• Fiat 1100
  

  Pankaj Udhas with his Fiat 1100 car

• Mercedes Maybach S-Class

  

  Pankaj Udhas with his Mercedes Maybach S-Class car

• Range Rover SV
  

  Pankaj Udhas with his Range Rover SV car

• Audi A4 Car
  

  Pankaj Udhas with his Audi A4 Car

Death

Pankaj Udhas passed away at Breach Candy Hospital, Mumbai on 26 February 2024, around 11:00 a.m. According to some resources, he had been suffering from a prolong illness. ^[2]India Today His final rites were performed at Hindu Crematorium Worli, Mumbai on 27 February 2024 from 3 to 5 p.m. His death was mourned by many Bollywood celebs and other eminent persons from various fields, including Sunny Deol, John Abraham, and Narendra Modi.

We mourn the loss of Pankaj Udhas Ji, whose singing conveyed a range of emotions and whose Ghazals spoke directly to the soul. He was a beacon of Indian music, whose melodies transcended generations. I recall my various interactions with him over the years.

His departure leaves… pic.twitter.com/5xL6Y3Sv75

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 26, 2024

Facts/Trivia

• Pankaj Udhas developed an interest in music after observing his father, who used to play the dilruba as a hobby, and his elder brothers, who were pursuing a career in music.

• Initally, he received a formal training to learn the tabla at the Sangeet Academy in Rajkot. He learned Hindustani vocal classical music from Ghulam Qadir Khan Sahab, when he was 13 years old. Later, he learned music from Navrang Nagpurkar, a singer from the Gwalior Gharana.

• He gave his first stage performance at the age of 11, during the Sino-Indian War, where he sang the song “Aye Mere Watan Ke Logo.” He received a reward of Rs 51 by an audience for his performance.

• In an interview, he revealed that he had learn the Urdu language from a maulvi to  better understand the poetic verses of the Ghazals.

• When he didn’t get many opportunities to work as a playback singer in the Hindi film industry, he went to Canada and the US, where he hosted many ghazal concerts.

• He drew inspiration from Begum Akhtar and Mehdi Hasan to sing ghazals.

• He used to make huge donations to help needy people. He had hosted numerous concerts to raise funds for social causes. He was associated with several charity associations such as Cancer Patients Aid Association, Parents Thalassemia Unit, Spastic Society of India, and MIND.

• He enjoyed watching horse racing and also had a female horse (filly) named Alliana.

• In 2010, he started his YouTube channel named ‘Pankaj Udhas,’ where he had uploaded his songs and ghazals. In 2019, he received the Silver Creator Award for surpassing 1,00,000 subscribers on his channel. As of 2024, he had more than 664 K subscribers on his channel.
  

  Pankaj Udhas with his Silver Creator Award