Jammu, May 12- In life famous ghazal singer Vijay Malla was often labeled as Ghulam Ali of Kashmir by the connoisseurs of Ghazal signing.He entertained his audience with soulful rendition of emotional ghazals,bhajans,duets while maintaining an affable smile and hiding his emotions behind the veil of laughter, Kashmir Independent Press (KIP),News agency said in a news bulletin.
According to KIP that though he never got the due recognition to match his talent pool yet he always remained composed and never asked for undue favour from his long list of VVIP listeners which included former Chief Minister Dr Farooq Abdullah and several others.
Special events were organized at his home whenever his friends requested for a soulful evening. He never said NO to any one and won many hearts.
His sudden death has not only shocked his audience,well wishers and close relatives but has also brought focus on his painful journey of life.
Before he breathed his last after suffering a massive cardiac arrest Vijay Malla lived a life far away from the glare of media. At the time of his death he was staying in a rented accommodation as he had to sell his newly constructed house.Reason he could not repay the loan installments in time and decided to repay the loan by selling off his
property, KIP said.
After touching dizzy heights in his career Malla could not consolidate his position in the music industry due to his simplicity. Malla survived by his wife and two children, a daughter and son was living in oblivion due to utter neglect on the part of state authorities.
KIP quoting a blogger Autar Mota while paying tributes to Vijay Malla wrote,"He sang Rahi , Firaq and scores of other contemporary Kashmiri poets.Though he had many admirers in the Film and Music world , he had no network or lobby to do PR work on his behalf. I remember having seen him singing exclusively for talented waheeda Rehman while she stayed atthe then Oberoi Palavce Hotel Srinagar ".
Vijay Malla was trained by Ustad Rahat ali Khan of Lucknow, admirers of his Gayaki include noted Bhajan singer Anoop Jalota Many CDs or Albums of his musical collections are readily available in Jammu and Srinagar markets .
The news of his death has once again reunited his fans and admirers. Malla has been hogging the limelight since then in news papers and other mediums but the state government is yet to recognise his contribution.
Everyone is busy in doing lip service and paying glorified tributes to the ghazal singer but none has come forward to help his family in difficult times.
In a meeting held in radio Kashmir Auditorium on 10th of May 2012 , Farooq Nazki noted Broadcaster and former Deputy Director general Door Darshan revealed that Malla was living in penury.Nazki is also media advisor of the state Chief Minister.He should use his good offices to press upon those at the helm of affairs to acknowledge his
contribution.
On record Farooq Nazki has revealed that Malla’s economic condition was very poor these days. He had also borrowed some money for his house and this had depressed him a lot,” he said, adding the Kashmiri artists should organize a mega musical concert in Srinagar and Jammu by which we can raise funds to help his family. ”
Well-known Kashmiri singer, Waheed Jeelani said, “I have no words to explain the loss and to explain his contribution. He was an inspiration for me. He debuted at a time when whole South Asia was listening three Ghazal maestros; Ghulam Ali, Mehdi Hassan and Jagjit Singh.”Even then he created a niche for himself among stalwarts of Ghazal singing,he added.
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