Padamshri Pankaj Udhas dies at 73; Know his music career, family, education, and more in his biography

Panjak Udhas Death:  A Legendary Era ends with the sad demise of ghazal singer Pankaj Udhas, leaving behind a rich legacy of some of the most prominent and popular ghazals behind him. He had been suffering from a prolonged illness before his spirits succumbed to the illness on 26 February 2024. 

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Pankaj Udhas Biography

Born in Jetpur, Gujrat Pankaj on 17, April 1951 he was the youngest child of Keshubhai Udhas and Jituben Udhas. His family were affluent zamindars near Rajkoy in Gujrat. His father has been encouraging his children’s interest in music and hence enrolled them at Sangeet Academy in Rajkot.

 He did his schooling at Sir BPTI Bhavanagar, and despite his evident interest in music, he put his education on top, pursuing a graduation degree in Science from St. Xavier’s College in Mumbai. Pankaj is the youngest sibling of Nirmal Udhas and Manhar Udhas, who also was responsible for introducing Pankaj to the stage and music as a stage singer himself. 

Pankaj Udhas has been versed in Hindustani vocal classical music by Ghulam Qadir Khan Saab and later was under the tutorship of Navrang Nagpurkar from Gwalior Gharana.  

Pankaj Udhas Music Career 

Pankaj Udhas tried his luck in Bollywood after moving to Mumbai for graduation, however got lost in the crowd of big names. Ghazal singers came to him like his silver linings. He discovered already existing Ghazal singers and started honing his Urdu skills along with instrument playing.   

Ghazal had a niche and loyal audience making it difficult for Udhas to find his footing in India. Consequently, he went to Canada and continued with his ghazal shows which were fortunately received fervently abroad.   

After 4 years of stage performances in Canada, she returned to his roots to release his first ghazal album “Aahat” in 1980. His unique style and Urdu ghazals were quick to gain popularity in India winning him a mass audience this time.     

In 1986, his popular sentimental song, ‘Chitthi Aayi Hai’ from the film ‘Naam’ was released, amassing huge popularity. To encourage the ghazal singer’s talent in the county, Pankaj Udhas also pioneered the talent show ‘Adab Arz Hai’ on Sony TV. 

Pankaj Udhas Awards 

Pankaj Udhas was felicitated with the Padmashree award in 2006 for his contribution to the art of ghazal and also for providing contributions to cancer patients.  In the same year, he was awarded the ‘Kalakaar’ award at Kolkata for Hasrat to be the ‘Best Ghazal album of 2005’.