By Kashish Rai

The beauty of the Hindi film industry lies not only in it's stories but also in the songs that get in tune with the mood of the narratives. These songs remain eternal in the minds of the audience for generations to come, but unfortunately the ones who give their melodious voice in these songs are not always remembered. Jaspal Singh is one of them.

Today we have brought in light one of those gem singers of bollywood~ Jaspal Singh, who has by and large made a significant contribution in Bollywood through some of the most popular and melodious songs he sang.

• Who is Jaspal Singh?

Jaspal Singh is an Indian singer who lent his voice to various Bollywood actors in the era 1970's and 1980's. He was born in Amritsar and during his school and college days, he realised his passion for singing. He used to participate in various music competitions throughout his school and college life. To further pursue his passion for singing he went to Mumbai where his sister used to stay.

Jaspal's talent was first and foremost recognised by well known female singer Usha Khanna during the year 1968.

• Jaspal's Early Life Struggle

Jaspal Singh was provided a chance to sing at a professional level, however he did not get the recognition which he deserved in his life. He struggled to make a career in singing and would often visit Amritsar, Delhi and Mumbai time and again.

Jaspal was always an ardent fan of Mohammed Rafi and grew up listening to his songs and singing Rafi's songs whenever he got the opportunity. As he was attracted to only film songs he did not undergo any training in classical music.

Due to peer pressure, he started practicing law and started living in Mumbai. In spite of the hardships he was facing, he never gave up and then, a well known Music Composer, Ravindra Jain gave him the big break for a song in the movie called 'Geet Gata Chal' of 1975. After this song, he became a prominent name. His voice was unique and was unlike any other and he sang for some hit bollywood movies like 'Nadiya ke paar', 'Ankhiyon ke jharokhon se','Sawan ko aane do', etc.

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• Jaspal's Singing Career in Bollywood Industry

In 1975 as the opening credits of the newly released film "Geet Gaata Chal" rolled out and the cinema hall resonated with the fresh, melodious, energetic and high-pitched vocals of Jaspal Singh singing the title song- 'Geet gaata chal o saathi gungunata chal…'

Every viewer was mesmerized by this totally new, original, youthful and brilliant voice which was both pleasing and heart-warming. This was the magic his voice had.

For the audience who did not see the film at that time, hearing the song was enough to transport them to the villages and immediately entreating up images of the person dancing amidst the lush green fields, flowing rivers, chirping birds and pleasant winds. Such was the effect the song had on the listeners of that time that it became one of the most iconic songs of the decade.

The film "Nadiya Ke Paar" produced by Tarachand Bharjatya under his banner "Rajshri Productions" was to be the launch vehicle for introducing child artists Sachin and Sarika as adult stars in a romantic story. As the existing singers of the time were all associated with different popular heroes, the new male singer Jaspal Singh was chosen to do a playback for Sachin. Not only did the film became a big hit, all the songs of the film also became super-hits and music lovers wholeheartedly accepted Jaspal Singh as the new sensational voice.

According to an interview, Ravindra Jain was apprehensive about giving Jaspal the title song which according to him was his best composition for the film but associate producer Rajkumar Bharjatya was in favour of taking the risk. Whatever the concerns may have been, still the fact remains that finally Jaspal Singh did get the green signal to record all the songs and the rest as they say is history.

Jaspal Singh was very thrilled to get such a golden opportunity. Those days it was not very easy for a new singer to make inroads into the industry especially without any father figure to launch him!

Luckily for him the film established him in a big way. He proved his versatility in the film by singing fun songs, romantic song and even 'bhajans'.

Though, popular perception is that Geet Gaata Chal was Jaspal Singh's debut film, technically he had made his debut earlier in 1968 in the film Bandish. It was music director Usha Khanna who decided to give him a break. She gave him a solo number which was picturized on a comedian in the film. As the film did not create any ripples, the song also did not get much attention and Jaspal Singh's debut song went virtually unnoticed.

After this he also sang a duet with Mahendra Kapoor for the film Anjaan Hai Koi, 1969, but again that song also did not receive any great response. Once again Usha Khanna was the music director and the song was picturized on character artistes. In the coming years, he started singing for many other films in Bollywood.

• How did Jaspal "Lost in Transition?"

Slowly it was becoming evident that as Jaspal Singh's voice had become the voice of actor Sachin, he was not going to be used for any of the top actors of that period. Also keeping in consideration the type of films he was singing for, he did not get an opportunity to sing a variety of songs in his career. Eventually, actor Sachin's career also did not take off in a very big way as a hero and in the absence of any top music director willing to try his voice, Jaspal's career went towards a downward trend.

But today, he has no complaints whatsoever with his career. He feels that whatever he accomplished was due to divine blessing and his good fortune. He is thankful to the Bharjatyas of Rajshri Productions and music director Ravindra Jain who placed so much faith in him and gave him a break in the industry. His stint in Bollywood got him many stage shows all over India and abroad as well which gave him an opportunity to outshine him.

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Indeed this winsome vocalist's career was short-lived but whatever he sang was melodious and from the heart. Today not many people may pause to recall this underrated singer but for those who grew up in the seventies, his songs remain etched in their memories and listening to them still gives them inexplicable pleasure.