Bhajan and ghazal maestro Anup Jalota expressed his deep sorrow over the passing of his close friend and legendary ghazal maestro Pankaj Udhas. On February 27, Jalota attended Udhas‘ funeral and bid a heartfelt farewell to the iconic musician who passed away on February 26 at the age of 72. While speaking about his health condition, Jalota revealed that he had been aware of Udhas’ battle with pancreatic cancer for around six months.
“I got to know about his cancer around six months back through a common doctor friend. He had pancreatic cancer. I was also told how the cancer was taking him away,” Jalota told India Today.
Recalling their last meeting, Jalota opened up about Udhas’ struggle against cancer and shared how that his close friend continued to sing at a music festival despite looking weak and significant weight loss.
“He later also called me to thank me for always supporting him. After that, whenever I tried to reach out to him, he never called back. That’s when I knew that he was in terrible pain and we were going to lose him,” Jalota shared the pain of witnessing his friend’s decline.

Jalota then reminisced about the inception of the Khazana Ghazal Festival, a collaborative effort between Udhas, Jalota, and Talat Aziz. The trio, during a dinner conversation, conceptualized the festival as a platform to introduce new talent while also raising funds for cancer patients. “It’s ironic that a man who did so much for cancer patients had to succumb to the illness himself,” Jalota lamented.

Praising Udhas’ musical legacy, Jalota said how Udhas had made ghazals accessible to a wider audience. “People who never knew Urdu, had no connection with ghazal, were singing his songs. He made it so simple for everyone to understand. Pankaj was a simple and humble man, who spoke very few words. He only desired the upliftment of ghazal singers,” Jalota remarked.
Paying homage to Udhas’ impact on the music industry, Jalota said that he would continue to carrying forward the mission he and Udhas had embarked upon. With Udhas’ daughter, Nayaab, joining them, Jalota pledged to continue promoting new talent in the world of ghazals.