Jagjit Singh's father Sardar Amar Singh Dhiman a government servant was from Dalla village in the Ropar district of Punjab. His mother Sardarni Bachchan Kaur came from a deeply religious Sikh family and his siblings include four sisters and two brothers. Jagjit completed school and college like thousands of other children from a similar background even getting a postgraduate degree in History from Kurukshetra college Haryana. However despite his father's hopes that he would become a bureaucrat the world of music was calling and soon he launched on his chosen path. He had been learning to sing from his childhood under Pandit Chaganlal Sharma for two years in Ganganagar and then for six years with Ustad Jamaal Khan of the Sainia gharana. Here he learned the intricacies of the Indian Classical forms khayal thumri and dhrupad. His interest in singing intensified through his college days encouraged by the Vice-Chancellor of the University. In 1965 he made the fateful trip to Bombay undertaken by so many hopefuls looking for a break. At first he began by performing at weddings and private parties and singing jingles for advertisements. During the 1970s the ghazal considered a �light� classical form with its roots in the classical idiom was dominated by stellar names like Noorjehan Malika Pukhraj Begum Akhtar Talat Mehmood and Mehdi Hassan. However Jagjit was soon to introduce a new feel and style into this genre. In 1976 his The Unforgettables (HMV LP Records) although a ghazal album brought in a freshness and lightness which drew on popular music and though the purists scoffed it was widely successful and the album had record sales. In 1967 he met Chitra a fellow singer also doing jingles. They got married in 1969 and embarked on a successful career as a singing duo. As a pair they have played a leading role in transforming the ghazal into a light-listening melodic and romantic form that has drawn in a new generation of listeners. Beyond Time released in the early 90s was a departure from their earlier style.