See the life of Pankaj Udhas in 10 pictures: He got Rs 51 for his first song in school, when he fell in love with a Muslim girl, religion came in the way.

Famous ghazal singer Pankaj Udhas has passed away today at the age of 72. He was admitted to Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai 10 days ago due to difficulty in breathing.

Let's take a look at his life through some special pictures…

Pankaj Udhas shared this picture with his mother on Mother's Day.

Got Rs 51 for first song in school

Pankaj never thought that he would make a career in singing. In those days the India-China war was going on. During this time, Lata Mangeshkar's song 'Ae Mere Watan Ke Logon' was released. Pankaj said, O people of my country. People's eyes became moist with his song. A man from the audience gave him Rs 51 as a reward. This was his first earning from singing.

Pankaj Udhas with wife Farida in the picture.

Love marriage with Muslim girl
Pankaj Udhas married Farida on 11 February 1982. Pankaj's family was ready for this relationship, but Farida's family did not approve of this relationship. They did not want to get the girl married in another religion.

On Farida's request, Pankaj went to her house and talked about his relationship with her father. Farida's father was a retired police officer, hence Pankaj was very scared, but he won her heart with his words. Farida's father agreed to their marriage.

Pankaj Udhas was honored with the Padmashree Award in 2006. He received this award from the hands of APJ Abdul Kalam Azad.

Pankaj Udhas with elder brother Manhar Udhas.

Manhar has sung many famous songs of Bollywood, including the song 'Hum Tum Chahte Hain Aise' from 'Qurbani', the song 'Tera Naam Liya' from 'Ram Lakhan'.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi shared this picture while paying tribute to Pankaj Udas. This photo is of the prayer meeting organized at 'Sadaiv Sthal', the national memorial site of Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 2018.

PM Modi wrote on the social media platform 'X', 'We condole the demise of Pankaj Udhas ji, whose singing expressed many emotions and whose ghazals spoke directly to the soul. He was a beacon of Indian music, whose tunes were passed down through generations. I remember my various conversations with him over the years.

He further wrote, 'With the departure of Pankaj Udhas, there is a void in the music world which can never be filled. Condolences to his family and fans. Calmness.'

This picture was shared by Pankaj Udhas on social media on the death of Dilip Kumar on July 7, 2021.

Pankaj Udhas, while sharing his memories with Dilip Kumar, had said that this picture was clicked at the live concert of his DVD release at the Gateway of India.

Pankaj Udhas also performed in the program held at Atal Sthal on the third death anniversary of Atal Bihari Vajpayee on August 7, 2021, when PM Modi met him. Prime Minister Modi has shared the picture on social media.

Gulzar and Pankaj Udhas.

This photo was shared by Pankaj Udhas on December 6, 2021, which was clicked during the launch of the ghazal album 'Nayaab Lamhe'.

On January 21, 2021, Pankaj Udhas shared this photo on Instagram in which he was seen with Anup Jalota (left), Archana Puran Singh, Hariharan and Kapil Sharma.

Pankaj Udhas and Hridaynath Mangeshkar.

On April 24, 2023, Pankaj Udhas was awarded the Lata Dinanath Mangeshkar Award. He received this award from Lata Mangeshkar's brother Hridaynath Mangeshkar.