NY Guyanese Remember Ghazal Maestro Pankaj Udhas

Dear Editor,
Indian Guyanese and other lovers of Indian music in the diaspora remember ghazal maestro Pankaj Udhas who passed away last week at age 72. He had a golden voice and was a master at the harmonium, a great singer. He had several memorable hits. He was honored by the Government of India with a Padmashri.
His most famous ghazal was “Chitthi Aayi Hai”, a popular hit among the Indian diaspora and in India itself.
Pankaj ji brought Ghazal music to Guyanese. He was adored by Guyanese who had great memories of his performances at concerts in NY and Toronto. In fact, he was a favorite singer among Guyanese and Indo-Caribbean people. Guyanese and Trini tabla players accompanied him on tours in other cities several times. Several Guyanese businesses, including the late Ramesh Kalicharran group of companies, sponsored his performances in New York. And they also sponsored his recordings. He performed countless times for Indo-Guyanese and other Caribbean audience in New York, Toronto, and London including at several New York mandirs. He also performed in Guyana, Trinidad, and Suriname. He was in New York not too long ago singing to large Indo-Caribbean audiences. His songs are hits in Mandirs and on radio; he will be missed.
His passing came as a shock to not just the music industry in Bollywood but also fans around the globe. Sad faces were observed among Guyanese and other Indo-Caribbean people as they reminisced about his concerts. Condolences poured in from Bollywood celebrities as well as Indo-Caribbean singers and musicians. Guyanese remember him as a fantastic musician and singer. In addition, they spoke of how he was a quiet, soft-spoken gentleman who was worried about copyrights of the recordings of musicians and singers. He appealed to Guyanese and other Indo Caribbeans not to patronize duplicate recordings and to purchase original tracks of all artistes as a means to supporting them.
His coffin was draped with the Indian flag, and he was given a gun salute before his cremation.
Bollywood and sports personalities, including legendary Sunil Gavaskar, attended his cremation rites. Hindus, Muslims, Christians, dressed in white, came to the funeral.

Yours Sincerely,
Vishnu Bisram