26 February,2024 05:51 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Pankaj Udhas passed away on Monday
Ghazal legend Pankaj Udhas breathed his last on Monday. Mumbai is a city that Pankaj Udhas took pride in and saluted wholeheartedly for its resilience for having come out on top in spite of many setbacks. Once, the ghazal maestro took a stroll along Kala Ghoda and talked about his album that was dedicated to Mumbai.
Pankaj Udhas on Mumbai
I take it personally when someone talks ill of Mumbai. It hurts to see the roads in such a bad condition and dirt everywhere. Yes, almost all the metropolitan cities of the world today are over populated. But what Mumbai really needs are a few open spaces. On Sunday evenings, you see families trying to find a place to relax. They find none and end up at Girgaum Chowpatty or Gateway Of India. We should look into building some sea-facing promenades for the middle class families that form a large part of the city.
City hangouts
Gateway of India has been my haunt back in college days. My friends and I would sit on the stonewalls bordering the sea and watch young boys jump into the sea during hot summers. Another place I frequented was this coffee shop at Warden Road. I used to stay in the vicinity with my parents and brothers. It was an upbeat area back then. It was called 'scandal point' because a lot of couples would hang around there (chuckles). And the only discotheque in Mumbai was Blow Up at the Taj. Believe it or not, I loved to shake a leg there.
Best known for 'Chitthi Ayee Hai' and 'Aur Ahista Kijiye Baatein', Udhas died in Mumbai on Monday following prolonged illness, his daughter Nayab said. He was 72.
Udhas -- who also made a mark as a playback singer in several Hindi films, including 'Naam', 'Saajan' and 'Mohra' -- died around 11 am at the Breach Candy hospital, a family source said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, singer Sonu Nigam, composer Shankar Mahadevan paid tribute to the legend, as fans mourned the loss of an icon of Indian music.
