Narendra Chanchal

Some Lesser Known Facts About Narendra Chanchal

• Narendra Chanchal was an Indian religious singer who was known for his devotional songs.

• Born into a Punjabi religious family, Narendra was always surrounded by a devotional environment. He used to hear his mother singing the bhajans of Mata Rani and developed an interest in religious singing.

  

• Narendra started singing Bhajans and Aartis in Jagrans at a very young age.

• In his teenage, he would often attend various marriage parties for his singing performance. He used to earn Rs. 1 for it, and he treated it like his pocket money.

  

• Once it happened that his final matric geometry examination date clashed with a prestigious singing competition in Chandigarh. Chanchal then decided to skip the exam and go for the competition, and after winning the competition, he decided to make a career in singing.

• Chanchal was fond of good clothes in his childhood but he could not afford them. He often used to stand in front of Central Dry Cleaners shop and look at the glamorous suits. He used to think that one day he would also buy them.

• He learned music from his guru Prem Tikha in Amritsar.

• Slowly, Narendra started his own music company by the name Paradise Club. He later changed its name to Paradise Entertainers.

• Narendra gradually became popular in Punjab for his Mata Ki Bhenten. Chanchal often used to sing Punjabi poet Bulle Shah’s Kafian.

• On 13 April 1972, Chanchal attended the popular Punjabi Annual Festival of Bombay in which he sang Kafian of Bulle Shah. Many Bollywood celebrities got impressed with his singing including the veteran actor Raj Kapoor who offered him to sing in his film “Bobby” (1973).

  

• He bagged his first singing assignment in 1973 by singing the song ‘Beshak Mandir Masjid Todo’ from the film “Bobby.” The song earned him huge popularity.

• Some of his popular songs include “Main Benaam Ho Gayaa” from the film ‘Benaam’ (1974), “Mehngai Mar Gayi” from the film ‘Roti Kapda Aur Makaan’ (1974), “Do Ghut Pila De Sakia” from the film ‘Kala Suraj’ (1985), and “Huye Hain Kuchh Aise Wo Humse Paraye” from the film ‘Anjaane’ (1994).

• He gained immense popularity for his songs “Tu Ne Mujhe Bulaya” from the film ‘Aasha’ (1980) and “Chalo Bulawa Aaya Hain Mata Ne Bulaya Hain” from the film ‘Avtaar’ (1983).

• Narendra Chanchal shared during an interview that after the film Bobby (1973) gained him overnight stardom, he decided to quit singing in the Jagrans. He further shared an incident that once he visited Ma Kali’s Mandir and was requested to sing a few hymns to which he replied that he was unwell and could not sing. Later, when he went back home, he realised that he was unable to speak and had lost his voice. At that time, he was not able to sing for 2 months. However, one day he again visited the same mandir and sought apologies for his fault. He took the holy offerings (Pede Ki Bani Lassi Ka Prasad), and his voice returned. At that moment, he vowed that he would never run away from singing religious hymns.

  

• When Narendra became popular he attended his school’s principal JK Sood’s son’s marriage in Karnal. He, along with his troupe, sang there for the whole night without charging anything. When asked by the principal why he didn’t charge anything, Chanchal replied,
  

  I am giving my Guru Dakshina to my Principal after so many years.”

  

• His song JMD (Jai Mata Di) was previously heard in the Varun Dhawan starrer film “Badrinath Ki Dulhania” (2017).

• Reportedly, Narendra was a naughty child in his school days because of which his teachers started calling him ‘Chanchal.’ Later, Narendra made ‘Chanchal a part of his name and came to be known as Narendra Chanchal. ^[5]Dailyhunt

• Chanchal was the holder of the honorary citizenship of the US state of Georgia.

• In 2009, Narendra released his autobiography ” The Midnight Singer,’ chronicling his life from his early struggles and hardships to his achievements.

  

• Chanchal used to visit Mata Vaishno Devi shrine every year on 29 December and used to perform there on the last day of the year, i.e., on 31 December.

• Chanchal took his last breath at around 12:30 PM on Friday, 22 January 2021 in Apollo Hospital Delhi. He was suffering from age-related issues for the past three months. ^[6]Indian Express

• While condoling the death of Narendra Chanchal, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter on 22 January 2021, and wrote,
  

  Extremely saddened to hear the news of Narendra Chanchal Ji’s death. He made a mark in the world of devotional songs. My condolences to his family and fans.”