Bhajan maestro Narendra Chanchal passes away at 80

Veteran singer Narendra Chanchal, best known for his iconic bhajans, passed away on Friday in Delhi. He was 80. It is being reported that the maestro had been ill for a long time and was being treated at Apollo Hospital Delhi where he breathed his last at 12:15 p.m. The singer reportedly died of neurological problems.

Born in a religious Punjabi family in Amritsar on October 16, 1940, it was his upbringing in a religious atmosphere that inspired him to sing bhajans and aartis. 

Besides the religious songs, Chanchal also sang some Bollywood tracks including 'Beshak Mandir Masjid' for the 1973 film 'Bobby' which won him the Filmfare Best Male Playback Award.

Condolences started pouring in soon after the news of the bhajan maestro's death spread on social media. Singers, cricketers and stars from the showbiz world took to their respective social media handle to extend condolences.

Taking to his verified Twitter handle, singer Daler Mehndi shared the tragic news. He 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."

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.  pic.twitter.com/zXEBN07MbM

— Daler Mehndi (@dalermehndi) January 22, 2021

Cricketer Harbhajan Singh 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"

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 

— Harbhajan Turbanator (@harbhajan_singh) January 22, 2021

Actor Ranvir Shorey too mourned the singer's demise. He wrote, "Saddened at the demise of vocalist Sh. Narendra Chanchal, singer of many iconic bhajans & Hindi film songs in history. His unique voice had the ability to pierce straight to a listener’s heart, making every listening experience an emotional & spiritual one. #RIP #respect."

Saddened at the demise of vocalist Sh. Narendra Chanchal, singer of many iconic bhajans & Hindi film songs in history. His unique voice had the ability to pierce straight to a listener’s heart, making every listening experience an emotional & spiritual one. #RIP #respect 

— Ranvir Shorey (@RanvirShorey) January 22, 2021

Singer Jaspreet ‘Jazim’ Sharma wrote on Instagram, "Rest in peace #narendrachanchal Sahab. You will be always alive for your contribution in music. May the departed soul rest in peace."

Known for his bhajans and religious songs, audios and videos of which are still widely popular among the masses, live concerts too were a big part of making Narendra Chanchal the singing icon he was.