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mittijalebi

@mittijalebi

Rocker

Posted: 15 years ago

Ghazal singer Chitra Singh's daughter Monica commits suicide, depression blamed

31 May 2009 @ 10:11 am IST

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Mumbai - A pall of gloom has descended on the life of famous Ghazal singers Jagjit and Chitra Singh. The famous duo, who lost their son Vivek in a freak road accident in 1990, were left stunned when they saw, Friday, that Monica Chaudhury, Chitra's daughter from her first marriage, had committed suicide.

(From Left to Right) Jagjit Singh, Chitra Singh and son Vivek. A pall of gloom has descended on the life of famous Ghazal singers Jagjit and Chitra Singh. The famous duo, who lost their son Vivek in a freak road accident in 1990, were left stunned when they saw, Friday, that Monica Chaudhury, Chitra's daughter from her first marriage, had committed suicide.

Chitra was staying with Monica, 50, for the past one month in the latter's Bandra residence, had retired late into the night on Thursday. On Friday morning, when Monica did not respond despite Chitra knocking on her bedroom door several times, Monica's elder son Armaan entered through a bathroom window and was shocked to see his mother hanging from the ceiling fan in her Bandra residence in an apparent case of suicide.

Immediately, her lifeless body was rushed to Bhabha Hospital, which declared her dead on arrival. Her body has now been sent to Cooper Hospital for postmortem, the results of which are still awaited.

Police, who are investigating the incident, said prima facie it looked like a case of suicide as Monica was suffering from extreme depression for some time because of her failed marriage.

Monica Chaudhury, or Monica Dutt (daughter of Chitra and her first husband Debo Prasad Dutt), was a famous print model in the 1980s. Her first marriage was to cinematographer Jehangir Chaudhary in 1988 but they divorced in February 2005 citing irreconcilable differences. The same year she fell in love with British national Mark Atkins, then managing director of Compass Business Outsourcing, and married him two months later.

The second marriage, however, also turned sour and Monica was forced to lodge a dowry torture case against Atkins in September 2007, alleging assault and harassment. The litigation has been running since then and it had robbed Monica of her peace and happiness, police said.

"Monica was depressed due to her marital problems. Her family members didn't make any allegation of abetment to suicide and we have registered a complaint of accidental death," said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone IX) Niket Kaushik.

Agrees Additional Commissioner of Police (western region) Amitabh Gupta. "She (Monica) had a troubled marriage and was depressed," Gupta said.

However, Gupta added that they have not ruled out foul play, as there was no suicide note, and will look into all possible angles leading to her death.

Chitra Singh, who gave up singing after Vivek died, was not available for comment.

Monica is survived by her two sons Umer, 13 and Armaan, 19.

Meanwhile, Monica's death has sent shockwave through India's entertainment industry, which is no stranger to cases of suicide.

"I was quite close to Jagjitji. The moment I read about this suicide in the newspaper, I recalled that they had lost their only son Vivek in a car accident in 1990. Now, it's another shock. I am sure something must have gone awfully wrong with Monika for which she had to take this extreme step," said Bollywood playback singer Alka Yagnik.

"I just want to say, my heart goes out to Jagjit and Chitraji. They've lost both their children tragically. As a parent, I know there could be no greater loss," said Bollywood actress Pooja Bedi, who witnessed her schizophrenic brother Siddharth take his own life in 1997.

Edited by mittijalebi - 15 years ago

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Frequent Posters

Ajnabee

@*Woh Ajnabee*

Stunner

Posted: 15 years ago

Thanks for the article, MJ di.

It is indeed an unfortunate incident. May God give them strength and will to get through this time.

After hearing such stories, i can't believe how unpredictable life is. Suicide cases always make me wonder how completely broken a person might be to take such a huge step. In this case, she left behind parents and a son, is that not enough to live for? To live with?

I can't even imagine what her family will be going through right now.

May she rest in peace.

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mittijalebi

@mittijalebi

Rocker

Posted: 15 years ago

WA, i will never be able to understand ppl who commit suicide. in the past year i have known at least 2 people (not close to me) who have committed suicide. in the one case no one is able to figure out exactly what went wrong.

in the other it was a young girl who supposedly didnt get along with her bro and sis and law.....some say it was over a guy who they didnt approve of. but whatever the case......all i could think was how bad could life really get that you resort to that.

some ppl say that individuals who commit suicide are obviously mentally disturbed. but that is hard to believe for some people who you knew you so well.....no signs of mental disturbance. i dunno...its hard thing to understand.

and your absolutely right.......i can see how she would be upset over two broken marriages...........but what her sons?

suicide is definitely a tough subject.

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mittijalebi

@mittijalebi

Rocker

Posted: 15 years ago

Jagjit Singh: Survivor Par Extraordinaire

By PRIYANKA DASGUPTA

The Times of India, Aug. 3, 2003

"How can I ever forget Jul. 28, 1990? It was the day I lost my 18-year-old son Vivek in an accident. I was working on the background score for a Punjabi film that evening. After that I went to perform at a programme organised by Abdur Rahman Bukhatir of Dubai who was in Mumbai then. I returned home at two in the morning, when my daughter Monica's husband, Jehangir called to say that Baboo (Vivek's pet name) had met with an accident. I asked Jehangir, 'How's Baboo?' He replied, 'He's no more.' I was numb. In desperation, I remember wearing my pyjamas inside out that day. Newspaper reports hurt me further when they described Baboo as a 'spoilt kid.' I stopped singing for a month. Chitra was so shocked that she stopped singing altogether."
---
"But slowly, I realised that I would have to live on with the pain. Rumours that claimed that I was finished, made me all the more determined. The anguish remained. The pain of memories, the grief stayed on with me. But, in the strokes of the tanpura, I felt a kind of peace and I got solace in Nida Fazli's words - apne gham le ke kahin aur na jaaya jaye; ghar mein bikhri hui cheezon ko sajaaya jaye. It took me six months to get back to the stage. In 1991, I resumed singing. It was emotionally very difficult. The first album I released after Baboo's death was Man Jite Jagjeet. It contained Sikh devotional Gurbani, where one can hear the pain . . . my mood of acceptance of fate. Someone Somewhere was recorded before Baboo's death, but was released after he passed away and was dedicated to him."
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"On many occasions, I broke down on stage when I found striking resemblance between the couplets and my real-life experiences. Paradoxically, I even started to enjoy my pain. It increased my creativity and concentration. My approach towards the world changed and I became a stronger human being."
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mittijalebi

@mittijalebi

Rocker

Posted: 15 years ago

Saturday, November 17, 2007

'I want to sing to honour my son's memory'

Saturday, November 17, 2007 03:41 [IST]

Ghazal singer Chitra Singh on the high and low notes in her musical journey with humsafar Jagjit Singh

Musical childhood
"Probably, I've been singing right from my cradle. My mother was a trained classical singer. Baba also sang a bit. So I grew up with music (in Kolkata), even though I've no formal training. I'd enjoy singing songs sung by Lata Mangeshkar, Mohammed Rafi and Bade Ghulam Ali saab. Talat Mehmood was my favourite."

Tryst with Jagjit
"In Mumbai, I happened to meet Jagjit (Singh). My first impression of him was that he was a lazy slob. One afternoon somebody rang the bell of my house. I opened the door as I was expecting composer Mahendra Singh (he was supposed to bring a male singer along to record few songs with me). There I saw a man, resting his hand on the door and almost asleep in that position. He was Jagjit. He came in, walked to the corner of the room, fell sleep, and even began snoring. Later, Mahendra Singh came and asked him to get up. He didn't wash his face, took the baja (harmonium) and monopolised it totally thereafter."

Wizard of winks
"After a few meetings and rehearsals, one day I invited him home for a cup of tea. He saw the baja in my house and began singing. What he then sang, were not Mahendra Singh's compositions. I loved his ghazals and noticed that his voice had no karigiri, no acrobatics. Through your ears it reached down to your heart. Slowly, I started getting impressed that there was more to him than just sleeping. But even today, he can fall asleep with his eyes open. He'd be lying on the bed, watching TV, specks on, the remote in his hands; eyes open…yet fast asleep. Earlier I used to get upset with this habit but not anymore."

Love lore
"We didn't fall in love instantly. The liking and loving took its time. What we felt for each other was a mature emotion, not a fleeting feeling. When I heard his renditions, expressions, and his improvisations, I was drawn to his music. I started singing in his style. He became my guru. I love his base voice1 full of emotion and passion. When he sings, you feel he's singing for you."

Echoes and silences
We lost our son Vivek 17 years back(in an accident). My world came crashing down. I was reduced to 43 kilos and looked like a ghost. I couldn't face people, I couldn't come out of my room. I lost my voice and it remained like this for 13 to 14 years. I didn't even hum in those years. If you don't use a sharp instrument, it loses its edge."

Note Of Hope
But one morning, when I was looking at Vivek's picture, a thought dawned upon me. I felt I was dishonouring my talent. Vivek was so proud of our singing. He'd never want me to stop. I opened my mouth but I couldn't sing. But I've decided to sing, if nothing else than just to honour my son's memory. I accompany Jagit to the studios and enjoy the musical atmosphere there. I've kept my riyaz on. But I want to match my calibre or I'll feel let down in my own eyes. One day I feel I am doing well, the other day I am back to square one. I've left it to Providence. Even if I do record, I'll never go back to stage."

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Forever-KA

@Forever-KA

Rocker

+ 4

Posted: 15 years ago

Its sad! may she RIP. i hope her family survives this.

thanks jaleebi

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Ajnabee

@*Woh Ajnabee*

Stunner

Posted: 15 years ago

Originally posted by: mittijalebi
WA, i will never be able to understand ppl who commit suicide. in the past year i have known at least 2 people (not close to me) who have committed suicide. in the one case no one is able to figure out exactly what went wrong.

in the other it was a young girl who supposedly didnt get along with her bro and sis and law.....some say it was over a guy who they didnt approve of. but whatever the case......all i could think was how bad could life really get that you resort to that.

some ppl say that individuals who commit suicide are obviously mentally disturbed. but that is hard to believe for some people who you knew you so well.....no signs of mental disturbance. i dunno...its hard thing to understand.

and your absolutely right.......i can see how she would be upset over two broken marriages...........but what her sons?

suicide is definitely a tough subject.

I know. It is so hard for me to grasp why someone would want to take their life? Only to end their own misery perhaps? But what about all that pain that you are giving to those you leave behind? *sigh*

I guess it is very easy for us to talk sitting here, only those who undergo such circumstances perhaps truly understand what can motivate a person to commit such a drastic action.

Thank you for all the articles.

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-shehzaadi-

@-shehzaadi-

Rocker

Posted: 15 years ago

WA, even I don't understand why someone would commit suicide in this situation. Don't they think about what would happen to their family after they're gone? And especially in this situation, where she has witnessed her parents lose a child and what it did to them. And her sons are so young, I feel so sorry for them!

Edited by shehzaadi91 - 15 years ago

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Gursharan

@Gur.N.cool

Sparkler

+ 8

Posted: 15 years ago

This is really sad. To loose two of your kids at this point of life, is depression. Because this is when u need them the most. Don't know what can force people to commit suicides, without thinking about anyone else. It's really sad.