Chitra Singh () is an Indian

ghazal The ''ghazal'' ( ar, غَزَل, bn, গজল, Hindi-Urdu: /, fa, غزل, az, qəzəl, tr, gazel, tm, gazal, uz, gʻazal, gu, ગઝલ) is a form of amatory poem or ode, originating in Arabic poetry. A ghazal may be understood as a ...

singer. She, alongside her husband,

Jagjit Singh Jagjit Singh (born Jagmohan Singh Dhiman; 8 February 1941 – 10 October 2011) was an Indian composer, singer and musician. He composed and sang in numerous languages and is credited for the revival and popularity of ghazal, an Indian cl ...

, popularized the ghazal genre. Respectfully known as the "king and queen of the Ghazal world," the husband and wife duo created some of the most successful Indian music of the 1970s and '80s.

Personal life

Chitra was born Chitra Shome into a

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

family. After completing her education, she was married to Debo Prasad Dutta, an executive in a leading advertising agency. The wedding was held in the mid-1950s, and the couple had a daughter, Monica, in 1959. While still married to Debo Prasad, Chitra met

, at that time a struggling singer. Jagjit Singh was of

Sikh Sikhs ( or ; pa, ਸਿੱਖ, ' ) are people who adhere to Sikhism, Sikhism (Sikhi), a Monotheism, monotheistic religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Gu ...

heritage and hailed from Sriganganagar in distant

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern ...

. They first met at a recording studio in 1967, by which time the marriage of the Duttas was already under strain for unknown reasons. Chitra found solace in Jagjit, and says she was much taken by his "caring" personality. In 1968, Chitra left Prasad, taking her 9-year-old daughter with her. In 1969, she divorced her husband, secured custody of Monica, and married Jagjit Singh. The affair, the divorce and the wedding were disapproved of by their families and the couple were to have little contact with their kin thereafter. Chitra and Jagjit became the parents of a son, Vivek. Professionally, the couple formed a ghazal singing duo and the couple achieved great success. Vivek died in a road accident on July 27, 1990. Chitra has never sung in public, or recorded any song, since the day her son died. Her daughter from her first marriage, Monica, first fell in love with Jehangir Chowdhary, an award-winning cinematographer. They were married in 1988 and became the parents of two sons. In 2005, Monica divorced Chowdhary and married British national Mark Houghton Roger Atkins, the managing director of a firm based in Vikhroli,

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the secon ...

. In 2007, Monica filed a case of harassment against Atkins. In 2008, a magistrate issued a non-bailable warrant against him, but he had already fled the country. In 2009, Monica, aged 50, died by suicide. She was survived by her two sons, Armaan (17) and Umair (12). Two years after this tragedy,

, died of a

brain haemorrhage Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), also known as cerebral bleed, intraparenchymal bleed, and hemorrhagic stroke, or haemorrhagic stroke, is a sudden bleeding into the tissues of the brain, into its ventricles, or into both. It is one kind of bleed ...

in 2011. Chitra now lives with her two grandsons.

Discography

* ''A Milestone'' (1976) * ''The Unforgettables'' (1978) * ''Gold Disc'' (1979) * ''Ae mere dil'' (1980) * ''The earliest recordings of Jagjit and Chitra Singh'' * ''Live in concert with Jagjit Chitra Singh'' * ''Live at Wembley'' * ''Live at Royal Albert Hall'' * ''The Latest'' * ''Desires'' * ''Arth/Saath Saath'' * ''Chirag'' * ''Live in Trinidad'' * ''Main aur Meri Tanhaayee'' (1981) * ''The Latest'' (1982) * ''Ecstasies'' (1984) * ''A Sound Affair'' (1985) * ''Echoes'' (1985–86, Live Recordings) * ''Beyond Time'' (1987) * '' Mirza Ghalib'' (1988) * ''Someone Somewhere'' (1990) * ''H O P E'' (1991)

References

External links

Oct 2007 Interview

{{DEFAULTSORT:Singh, Chitra Living people Indian women ghazal singers Bengali singers Indian ghazal singers 21st-century Indian women singers Women film score composers 21st-century Indian singers 20th-century Indian women singers 20th-century Indian singers 1945 births Women musicians from West Bengal