| Ishmeet Singh Sodhi | |
|---|---|
Ishmeet Singh |
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Ishmeet Singh Sodhi |
| Born | September 2, 1988 Ludhiana, India |
| Died | July 29, 2008 (aged 19) Chaaya Island Dhonveli, Maldives (drowning) |
| Genres | Playback singing, Indian classical music |
| Occupations | Singer |
| Instruments | Vocalist |
| Years active | 2007–2008 |
| Associated acts | Amul STAR Voice of India, Jo Jeeta Wohi Superstar |
| Website | http://ishmeetsinghfoundation.net |
Ishmeet Singh Sodhi (September 2, 1988 – July 29, 2008) was the winner of Amul STAR Voice of India 2007. Hailing from Ludhiana (model town), Punjab, India, Ishmeet had won the Star Plus show in 2007. He also participated in another Reality Show called Jo Jeeta Wohi Superstar. Ishmeet's first album was a religious Gurbani album called Satgur Tumre Kaaj Savaare. Tragically, Ishmeet drowned in Maldives on July 29, 2008.
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Ishmeet received his schooling from Guru Nanak Public School, Sarabha Nagar, Ludhiana. He was a second year student of the MNC College in Mumbai, pursuing a Bachelor's Degree in Commerce. During his second reality show competition attempt, he had promised his mother to study up to C.A. level.
Ishmeet received training in singing kirtan from Principal Sukhwant Singh, of Gur Shabad Sangeet Academy, Jawaddi Taksaal, Ludhiana and from his dear uncle Dr. Charan Kamal Singh (Professor - Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Ludhiana)who whole heartedly supported him during the Star Plus competition "Amul Star Voice of India". He had learned how to sing, but was not trained to sing classical Indian music. This was evident and criticised during the Star Voice of India contest.
Ishmeet Singh entered the Star Voice of India contest at age 17, making him one of the youngest competitors on the show. He spent his 18th birthday with his friends, during the show. He was among the top two finalists on Amul STAR Voice of India and was crowned the winner on November 24, 2007. He was given the winner's trophy by singer Lata Mangeshkar.[1] He was also one of the contestants of Jo Jeeta Wohi Superstar, a singing reality show on Star Plus, and represented the Champions' team. He was eliminated on June 20, 2008.
His style of singing was very similar to Bollywood singer Shaan. Shaan even said that when they were singing together, he could not tell which lines he was singing himself.
Although Ishmeet was from the state of Punjab, his voice was well suited for Hindi songs, and he had made a conscious effort to sing more Hindi songs.
Ishmeet was praised for his choice of songs throughout the contest, especially by Lalit Pandit in the final episodes of the show.
Ishmeet had promised his community that he would release a religious Sikhi album as his first, regardless of his position in the Voice of India contest. He released an album with the music label BIG Music, titled 'Satguru Tumre Kaaj Savaare'. The album contains six tracks:
He sang a Sikh religious hymn for a charity Punjabi film, Sat Sri Akal. The track is titled Dithe Sabhe Thanv. His voice was described as sounding very similar to Sonu Nigam's. During the music launch of Sat Sri Akal, Jagjit Singh spoke about Ishmeet. "He was an excellent singer. He had got everything in his early age. In Sat Sri Akal, he has sung the shabad beautifully."
Ishmeet was set to release his new music album, in which Lalit Pandit, part of the Jatin-Lalit duo, was the composer. Jatin Pandit revealed that he will try to get this album released.[2]
Ishmeet worked with Salim-Suleiman to produce a song called 'Shukriya'. Ishmeet promoted this single with live performances.
Ishmeet toured Hong Kong, Bangkok and Malaysia, and sung in concerts with members of the Voice of India competition. He put time aside to sing kirtan, or hymns, in gurdwaras. His last performance in a gurdwara was alongside a well-known singer amongst the sikhs, Veer Manpreet Singh.
After releasing his initial religious album, Ishmeet joined a show titled Jo Jeeta Wohi Superstar, which would pit champions of Indian musical reality shows against each other.
In July 2008, Ishmeet went on a visit to the Maldives with fellow Star Voice of India contestants Sumitra and Vyom for a concert that was to be held on August 1, 2008. He was drowned on July 29, 2008 in the hotel's swimming pool.[3] Ishmeet Singh was staying at the Chaaya Island Dhonveli resort in Male.[4]
Many believe that there might be a possible manslaughter as his accomplices watched him drown, or the failure of an event management company to "manage" the event. The family have demanded a probe. The final post-mortem report will not be released before the viscera results are received. The Punjab government has ordered a police probe.[5]
Webnewswire conducted an in-depth investigation on his death and suggested that there was foul play. They have published a story entitled "Was Ishmeet Singh murdered?", which raised several questions. These include: The Organiser, Post-mortom Report, Lack of witnesses, and Recent accidents.[6]
Ishmeet's family suspect that he was murdered, and have listed their reasons on the Ishmeet Singh Foundation website. His father, Gurpinder Singh, and uncle, Charan Kamal Singh, recently paid a three-day visit to the Maldives to try and find more into the "unexplained" head injuries found on Ishmeet. His family members had earlier said that the post-mortem and forensic laboratory reports stated the reason of his death as drowning, but they are now stressing on the so-far "under noticed" injury marks on Ishmeet's forehead and temple.
According to a report by ADK Hospital, Maldives, where Ishmeet was taken after his death, a linear cut on the forehead was recorded. The post-mortem report in India also mentions a blood clot, "hematoma", under the skin behind the right eye and bloody froth in the nostrils and the mouth.
"We have inspected every nook and corner of the resort and the pool from every possible angle," said Charan Kamal Singh, a pathologist in Ludhiana. "The pool has no pointed surface that could lead to such an external injury," the uncle stressed. "His injuries show inflammatory change. Inflammatory alterations cannot take place after a person's death and nor in a swimming pool. These injuries could have taken place only when he was outside the pool. Ishmeet was living but unconscious when he was slipped into the pool," he claimed.
According to The Indian High Commission, Maldives... Narayan Swami, first secretary, Indian high commission in Maldives, was not in the country while Ishmeet's family visited the Indian high commission there. However, Mr Thomas, the official spokesperson of the high commission told us, "Ishmeet's father and two uncles had visited Maldives. They met the police authorities and have requested for further enquires about the incident. So, the Indian high commission in Maldives has forwarded the family's request for further enquiries into the matter to the government of Maldives. The letter has already been forwarded. We are taking appropriate steps now, following Ishmeet's family's request."
Thousands of people, including commoners and celebrities, attended Singh's journey from his home to the cremation ground on July 31, 2008. Shops in the area closed out of respect for their star.[7]
BIG Music released two albums in tribute to Ishmeet Singh, both of which contain songs that were recorded prior to his death. The first album is entitled Mool Mantar, and contains the first hymn of the Sikh holy scripture, Guru Granth Sahib.
The second album, titled We'll Miss You, contains around six tracks, including the popular song Shukriya:
We'll Miss You has been released on both CD and DVD, and is distributed worldwide.
Under the ISF banner, Principal Sukhwant Singh and Gurpinder Singh, father of Ishmeet, travelled to Malaysia to spread the message of the foundation. They stayed in the same room at the same hotel (Citrus Hotel) where Ishmeet stayed during his visit to Malaysia. They sang kirtan in Titiwangsa and Petaling Jaya Gurdwara where Ishmeet did the previous year, on the very same stage.