Pankaj Udhas possessed a very sweet and melodious voice. A voice that became the ocean of romance and also the river of pain. For many years, Pankaj Udhas ruled the hearts of music lovers with his songs, but he is no longer with us as of February 26, 2024. He left this world forever, leaving behind thousands of songs and ghazals sung in his velvety voice, which will always keep his memories alive in this world.
As magnificent as Pankaj Udhas’s songs are, so is the story of his life. And today, Meerut Manthan will share some unheard and interesting stories of Pankaj Udhas with its readers. We are confident that you will enjoy these stories of Pankaj Udhas.
First Story
Pankaj Udhas was born on May 17, 1951, in the village of Charkhani near Rajkot in Gujarat. His family belonged to a prominent landlord family in their area. His grandfather had very good relations with the royal family of Bhavnagar. They were responsible for managing the lands of the Bhavnagar king.
Pankaj’s father, Keshubhai Udhas, spent his childhood in Bhavnagar. His father often saw musicians coming to the court of the Bhavnagar king from close quarters. Inspired by them, Pankaj’s father also developed an interest in music. He even received formal training in playing the Israj instrument.
Second Story
Pankaj Udhas’s father worked in a government job. In his spare time after office hours, he often played the Israj. Meanwhile, his mother, Jeetuben Udhas, also had a keen interest in music and was a good singer herself. Seeing the interest of both parents in music, Pankaj Udhas and his two elder brothers, Manhar Udhas and Nirmal Udhas, also began to develop an inclination towards music.
Yes, very few people know even today that the renowned singer Manhar Udhas is the elder brother of Pankaj Udhas. Their other brother, Nirmal Udhas, has also excelled in ghazal singing. However, he never gained the recognition like his brothers.
Third Story
After the India-China war, when the song ‘Ae Mere Watan Ke Logon’ sung by Lata Mangeshkar became very popular, it also deeply influenced Pankaj Udhas. At that time, there used to be a radio in Pankaj’s house in which Lata Ji’s song was played several times a day. Pankaj used to listen to that song with great interest and even wrote its lyrics in a notebook to remember it.
This was also the time when his music training had begun, and he used to sing morning prayers in his school. Sometimes, they also sang the song ‘Ae Mere Watan Ke Logon’ in school. Navratri was celebrated with great pomp in their hometown of Rajkot. Thousands of people used to gather to celebrate Navratri. Cultural music programs were organized on a large scale during that program. Many artists used to perform in that program.
Once his parents also went to see that program with their parents. By chance, one of their school teachers, who knew that they sang very well, saw them there and told the organizers that this child sings the song ‘Ae Mere Watan Ke Logon’ very well. Give him a chance to sing on stage. At the teacher’s suggestion, they went on stage and sang the song with great enthusiasm. And since that song was very emotional for people at that time, people were very impressed when they heard it from him.
As soon as his song ended, four to five thousand people present at the program stood up and applauded for him. When the applause stopped, a gentleman stood up and announced that I want to give this child a reward of 51 rupees. After seeing that scene, his father had decided that now he would prepare his sons for success in the field of music.
Fourth Story
Very few people would know that there was a time when even Pankaj Udhas felt that he should become a doctor by studying. He would continue singing alongside his medical studies. This was the reason why he pursued his studies in science. He enrolled in B.Sc. at St. Xavier’s College in Mumbai. But music had such a profound impact on his life that he couldn’t focus on his studies after coming to college.
He couldn’t even attend classes regularly. Although he continued to participate in various singing competitions for his college and won prizes, the college authorities had exempted him from attending classes due to his low attendance. It was during that time when television began in India, and as a student, he also once went to sing on Doordarshan.
Fifth Story
When Pankaj Udhas’s elder brother Manhar Udhas became somewhat successful in the world of music, he often took Pankaj along with him to his recordings. It was with him that Usha Khanna, a renowned music composer, saw Pankaj once. Manhar Udhas had told Usha Ji that this is my younger brother and he also sings very well. Then came a time when Usha Khanna was preparing the music for a film of the eminent producer-director B.R. Ishara.
The name of that film was ‘Kamna’, and it was released in 1972. Usha Ji needed a new voice for a song in that film. Pankaj Udhas’s name came to her mind. She asked Manhar Udhas to bring Pankaj. Manhar Ji asked his brother Nirmal Udhas to find Pankaj. Nirmal Ji searched for Pankaj and brought him from St. Xavier’s College to the studio.
Meanwhile, Pankaj had no idea why his brothers had brought him there. In the studio, he met Usha Khanna, who asked him to sing a few lines written on a piece of paper. As soon as Pankaj sang those lines, Usha Ji stopped him and said, “Get to the microphone. You will sing this song.” And thus, Usha Khanna gave Pankaj Udhas his first song as a playback singer.
The lyrics of that song were, “Tum Kabhi Samne Aa Jao To Poochhu Tumse,” written by Nakhsh Lalpuri Sahab. At that time, the late Ameen Sayani Sahab had extensively played this song in his program, Binaca Geetmala. Ameen Sayani Sahab was very fond of his voice and used to praise him a lot at that time.