Japan's killer tsunami, Sikkim's devastating quake, the Occupy Wall Street movement, and Anna Hazare's hunger-strike were some of the many significant moments of 2011. Here they are in pictures:
On March
11, Japan was
hit by one of
the largest
earthquakes ever
recorded. The
magnitude-9.0
quake spawned a
deadly tsunami
that slammed
into the small
island nation,
leaving a huge
swath of
devastation in
its wake.
Noted Ghazal Singer Jagjit Singh Dies at 70. - Ghazal Loses its Voice.
Mumbai: Acclaimed ghazal singer Jagjit Singh died on Monday in Mumbai. The 70-year old was admitted to Mumbai's Lilavati hospital after he suffered brain hemorrhage last month. He underwent two surgeries and was on life support.
Born on February 8, 1941, 'The Ghazal King' was a singer, composer, activist and entrepreneur. He has sung in several languages including Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi and Nepali. Jagjit Singh entered the music circuit at a time which was primarily dominated by Pakistani ghazal singers, and Indian singers were considered relatively lesser authentic than their Pakistani counterparts.
Unlike other ghazal singers, Singh did not hesitate in lending his voice for films. His silky voice ruled during early 80's in films like Prem Geet, Saath Saath and Arth. However, his major work is spread over more than 60 filmy and non filmy albums.
Jagjit Singh was also known for modern approach and infusion of technology in the traditional art of ghazal singing. Singh was the first Indian music director to use the technique of multi-track recording for his album 'Beyond Time'.
Recipient of Padma Bhushan award, Jagjit Singh was the man behind making the ghazal genre available and understandable to all. Prior to Singh, ghazal singing was considered as an elite art, which was difficult for the common mass to understand due to high class Urdu and Persian.
Jagjit Singh broke this myth by coming up with songs such as 'Kaagaz ki kashti', 'Chaak jigar ke', 'Kal chadhanvi ki raat thi', and 'Shaam se aankh me name si hai'. He mixed the words of legends like Ghalib, Qateel Shifai, Firaq Gorakhpuri, Nida Fazli and Sudarshan Faakir with melodious indigenous tunes and achieved a state where nothing came in between him and his listeners.
Later when television started showcasing music videos, he was among one of the prominent members of the music fraternity to avail the facility. He again came up with brilliant albums such as 'Face to Face', 'Marasim', 'Aaeena', and 'Dil Kahin Hosh Kahin'.
Jagjit Singh had also given his voice for ex-prime minister Atal Bihari Bajpayee poems in the albums 'Nayi Disha' and 'Samvedna'.
Jagjit Singh is survived by his wife Chitra Singh, with whom he had produced several record breaking albums. Their only son Vivek Singh had died in a road accident in 1990.
Gary Kirsten
ended his term
as
India's
coach on a high,
guiding
India
to a historic
World Cup
triumph, said it
was an honour to
coach
Team India.
Anna Hazare's crusade against corruption has grabbed headlines all over and inspired the common Indian to demand for a Jan Lokpal Bill that would hold politicians accountable for their actions.
Spiritual leader Sathya Sai Baba passes away.
HYDERABAD/PUTTAPARTHI: Sathya Sai Baba, who had millions of followers across the world, is no more. Baba's heart stopped beating at 7.28 am on Sunday morning.
He had been on ventilator support for many days with all his vital parameters failing. He was being treated at the super speciality hospital that he himself had created for the masses. Doctors confirmed that Sai Baba died of cardio-respiratory failure.
US
President Barack
Obama,
Vice President
Joe Biden,
Secretary of
State Hillary
Clinton, and
several other
government
officials
gathered to
monitor the raid
that killed the
world's most
wanted man,
Osama bin Laden.
Nargis, a girl
born in Uttar
Pradesh,
India's
most populous
state, was
welcomed as the
world's seven
billionth baby
-- an honour she
shares with a
girl child born
in the
Philippines and
a boy in Russia.
