Veteran bhajan singer Narendra Chanchal passes away in Delhi; PM Narendra Modi, Bollywood celebs pay rich tributes

We've only just stepped into 2021 and there's sad news coming in. Popular bhajan singer Narendra Chanchal passed away in Delhi on January 22. He was 80. The veteran breathed his last at 12:15 pm at Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals in New Delhi following some health complications. According to reports, the singer was admitted to the south Delhi hospital on November 27 and died after suffering from brain complications. Sanjay Malik, who has been Narendra Chanchal’s concert organiser for the last 25 years, confirmed the same in an interview and said that he had fallen quite weak after being hospitalised for over two months. Apart from performing at live events throughout his career, Chanchal’s songs like 'Chalo Bulava Aaya Hai' from the film 'Avtaar' and 'Beshak Mandir Masjid Todo' from 'Bobby' were immensely popular. He even won the Filmfare Award for Best Male Singer for 'Bobby'. As soon as the news of his death broke out, netizens, well-wishers and celebrities began pouring tributes on social media. Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter to mourn his passing by saying that he 'earned himself a special place in the world of bhajan singers through his voice'. Singer Daler Mehndi also took to Twitter and wrote, 'Deeply saddened to learn that iconic and most loved #NarendraChanchal ji has left us for the heavenly abode. In prayers for his soul to rest in peace. Heartfelt condolences to his family and legions of fans.' On Instagram, singer Jaspreet ‘Jazim’ Sharma wrote, 'Rest in peace #narendrachanchal Sahab. You will be always alive for your contribution in Mŭsîc. May the departed soul rest in peace.' Cricketer Harbhajan Singh also tweeted, 'Deeply saddened to learn that iconic and most loved #NarendraChanchal ji has left us for the heavenly abode. In prayers for his soul to rest in peace. Heartfelt condolences to his family'. Back in March 2020, a video of Narendra Chanchal at a Holi function in Delhi's Paharganj area had gone viral. In the video, the veteran devotional singer had sung a bhajan on coronavirus. Chanchal, born in Amritsar in 1940, has to be the first name that comes to mind when one thinks of 'Mata ka Jagran'. May his soul rest in peace.