Anup Jalota, (born 29 July 1953) is an Indian singer, musician and actor, best known for his contributions to the

Bhajan Bhajan refers to any devotional song with a religious theme or spiritual ideas, specifically among Indian religions, in any language. The term bhajanam ( Sanskrit: भजनम्) means ''reverence'' and originates from the root word ''bhaj'' ...

genre of Indian Music. He is popularly known as the "Bhajan Samraat" (Emperor of Bhajans).CRY America Inc.(RDU Chapter)Anup Jalota Sings for CRY
Rdu.cryamerica.org (26 July 1953). Retrieved 5 June 2012.

Padma Shri Padma Shri ( IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is conf ...

was conferred upon him by

Government of India The Government of India ( ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, ...

in 2012. He was a contestant on the reality show '' Bigg Boss 12''.

Early life and background

Anup Jalota was born in Nainital, Uttrakhand a renowned exponent of

bhajan Bhajan refers to any devotional song with a religious theme or spiritual ideas, specifically among Indian religions, in any language. The term bhajanam ( Sanskrit: भजनम्) means ''reverence'' and originates from the root word ''bhaj'' ...

and hails from the Sham Chowrasi Gharana of Punjab. He was educated in

Lucknow Lucknow (, ) is the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is also the second largest urban agglomeration in Uttar Pradesh. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous district and divis ...

Bhatkhande Music Institute Bhatkhande Sanskriti Vishwavidyalaya (BSVV), formerly Bhatkhande Music Institute Deemed University, Bhatkhande College of Hindustani Music and Marris College of Music, is a state university in Lucknow. Established in 1926 by Vishnu Narayan Bhat ...

. His father, Purshottam Das Jalota, was also a prominent Bhajan singer. He also spent few years in

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Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...

in his early days. He has two younger brothers, Anil Jalota and Ajay Jalota and two sisters, Anjali Dhir and Anita Mehra. Ajay currently lives in

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

Career

Jalota started his musical career as a chorus singer in

All India Radio All or ALL may refer to: Language * All, an indefinite pronoun in English * All, one of the English determiners * Allar language (ISO 639-3 code) * Allative case (abbreviated ALL) Music * All (band), an American punk rock band * ''All'' (All ...

. He is usually backed by a

santoor The Indian santoor instrument is a trapezoid-shaped hammered dulcimer, and a variation of the Iranian santur. The instrument is generally made of walnut and has 25 bridges. Each bridge has 4 strings, making for a total of 100 strings. It is ...

player,

dholak The ''dholak'' is a two-headed hand drum, a folk percussion instrument. The instrument is about 45 cm in length and 27 cm in breadth and is widely used in '' qawwali'', '' kirtan'', ''lavani'' and '' bhangra''. The drum has two differ ...

player,

sarod The sarod is a stringed instrument, used in Hindustani music on the Indian subcontinent. Along with the sitar, it is among the most popular and prominent instruments. It is known for a deep, weighty, introspective sound, in contrast with the swe ...

player,

sarangi The sārangī is a bowed, short-necked string instrument played in traditional music from South Asia – Punjabi folk music, Rajasthani folk music, and Boro folk music (there known as the ''serja'') – in Pakistan, India and Bangladesh. It is ...

player, violinist,

sitar The sitar ( or ; ) is a plucked stringed instrument, originating from the Indian subcontinent, used in Hindustani classical music. The instrument was invented in medieval India, flourished in the 18th century, and arrived at its present form ...

player,

tabla A tabla, bn, তবলা, prs, طبلا, gu, તબલા, hi, तबला, kn, ತಬಲಾ, ml, തബല, mr, तबला, ne, तबला, or, ତବଲା, ps, طبله, pa, ਤਬਲਾ, ta, தபலா, te, తబల� ...

player and guitarist. Some of his popular bhajans include Aisi Lagi Lagan, Main Nahi Makhan Khayo, Rang De Chunariya, Jag Me Sundar Hai Do Naam, and Chadariya Jhini Re Jhini. He was also the presenter of the program ''Dharam Aur Hum'', telecast in

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from 2002 to 2005. He met Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj in

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the secon ...

and agreed to release several CDs of his compositions. In 2008 he recorded the title song "Golden Memorable Yaadein" for the CD "Noorani Chehra", produced by Shaukat (Sam) Kassam to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of the

Aga Khan Aga Khan ( fa, آقاخان, ar, آغا خان; also transliterated as ''Aqa Khan'' and ''Agha Khan'') is a title held by the Imām of the Nizari Ismāʿīli Shias. Since 1957, the holder of the title has been the 49th Imām, Prince Shah Kari ...

. On 16 September 2018, Jalota entered ''

Bigg Boss ''Bigg Boss'' is an Indian reality television game show franchise based on the Dutch reality show '' Big Brother''. It is produced by Endemol Shine India through Viacom18 and Disney Star. Subsequently, the various versions of the show are made ...

'' house in its twelfth season, as a contestant, along with

Jasleen Matharu ''Bigg Boss 12'', also known as ''Bigg Boss: Vichitra Jodis'' is the twelfth season of the Indian reality TV series ''Bigg Boss'' which is based on the Dutch series '' Big Brother'', and premiered on 16 September 2018 on Colors. The launch ep ...

Personal life

Jalota's first marriage was to Sonali Sheth, a

i girl who was then a music student and later a singer. They married without his family's approval. The couple became popular in the North Indian live performance circuit as "Anup and Sonali Jalota," which disbanded after their divorce. His second marriage was an arranged one, to Bina Bhatia, which too ended in divorce. Anup's third marriage was to Medha Gujral, niece of former Indian Prime Minister

I. K. Gujral Inder Kumar Gujral (4 December 1919 – 30 November 2012) was an Indian diplomat, politician and freedom activist who served as the 12th prime minister of India from April 1997 to March 1998. Born in Punjab, he was influenced by nationalist ...

and director

Shekhar Kapur Shekhar Kulbhushan Kapur (born 6 December 1945) is an Indian filmmaker and actor. Born into the Anand-Sahni family, Kapur is the recipient of several accolades, including a BAFTA Award, a National Film Award, a National Board of Review Award a ...

's first wife whom he had divorced in 1994. Anup and Medha have a son named Aryaman (born in 1996), who studied at

Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...

. Medha died on 25 November 2014 in

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of renal failure following a second heart and first kidney transplant. It came to light in 2018 that he had been in a relationship with Bigg Boss 12 contestant Jasleen Matharu, who is thirty-seven years younger than him. They had been together at least three and a half years prior. However, after getting evicted from the house, Anup said their relationship was only of a teacher and student.

Discography

The popular Bhajans and ghazals for which he is credited the most are given below * ''Aisi Lagi Lagan'' * ''Chaand Angdaiyaan Le Raha Hai'' * ''Tumhare Shahar Ka Mausam'' * ''Jag Mein Sundar Hai Do Naam'' * ''Kabhi Kabhi Bhagwan Ko Bhi'' * ''Tere Man Mein Raam'' * ''Main Nazar Se Pee Raha Hoon'' * ''Hum Se Achi to Kahin Aaine ki Khismat Hogi'' * ''Rukh Se Parda Hata De'' * ''La Pila De Saqiya'' * ''Shree Hanuman Chalisa'' * ''Noorani Chehra'' (Ismaili Devotional songs) * ''Mere Kabr Par Pate Huye'' * ''Tum Kya Samjho Tum Kya Jano'' * ''Kategi Ye Zindagi Ab Rote Rote'' * ''Laga Chunari Mein Daag'' * ''Rang De Chunariya'' * ''Prabhuji Tum Chandan Hum Pani'' * ''Suraj ki Garmi Se'' * ''Bhajan prabhat'' * ''Devonix'' with Kunal Saha *''Hot and Spicy'' with Sundar Popo *''Bhagwan Mere Bhagwan'' with '' Satyam Anandjee''

Tracks

Filmography

Television

Films

References

External links

MysticamusicHindi Bhajans
of Anoop Jalota (archived) {{DEFAULTSORT:Jalota, Anup 1953 births Living people University of Lucknow alumni Bhajan singers Indian male ghazal singers People from Nainital Recipients of the Padma Shri in arts 20th-century Indian male singers 20th-century Indian singers Bigg Boss (Hindi TV series) contestants Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award