Introduction
Dr Ajai R. Singh is an Indian Psychiatrist practising at Aastha Health Care, Mulund, Mumbai, India. He is Editor, Mens Sana Monographs (www.msmonographs.org), which is a PubMed indexed International Journal and Monograph Series.
Writings
Dr. Singh has written extensively on matters related to conceptual issues in psychiatry, philosophy, bioethics, medicine and the pharmaceutical industry.
Posts
Having been President of the Bombay Psychiatric Society 2014-15, he is one of the Speciality Editors of the Indian Journal of Psychiatry and is Co-Chair, Task Force for Creativity and Mental Illness/Health, 2018- 19.
Orations And Book Chapters
Dr. Singh had delivered various Orations, besides addressing various symposia in India and abroad. He has also authored various book chapters in psychiatry.
Music
Dr Singh underwent formal training for more than 25 years in North Indian Classical Music from his revered Guruji, Shri Vinayak Kunte. He is fluent in English, Hindi and Urdu. Being himself a poet, he understands the subtleties and nuances of the Ghazal and the Nazm.
He is also the Founder President of a not-for-profit music organisation called Swara Sampada with branches in Mulund, Thane, Lonavla and Pune in Maharashtra, India. He has written its definitive text, The Swara Sampada Source book of Music.
In 2016, Sony DADC brought out his latest Music Album of original music, Khushnuma Raat Hai.
Ghalib
Ghalib and his poetry has been an abiding interest of Dr Singh. He believes Ghalib is the most appreciated but the least understood of Urdu poets. To remedy this, in Feb 2018, Dr Singh started a YouTube Channel, Ghalib. Ghalib and only Ghalib, devoted solely to the understanding and singing of Ghalib’s poetry.
From Sept 2018, he has started a Ghalib Ghazals Worldwide Concert Series called, Ghalib-Decoded and Sung. Here the more popular of Ghalib’s Ghazals and Shers would be sung, with an explanation of the more difficult ones.
Not-for-profit Initiative
All profits from this Ghalib Ghazals Worldwide Concert Series will go solely towards the Ghalib Project, in which all ghazals from his Deewan-e-Ghalib would be rendered in their entirety, in different ragas, and no raga would be repeated.
This publication Decoding Ghalib Shers is part of this venture. It aims to popularise Ghalib and make him consumable for a wider, cosmopolitan audience.
Dr Singh invites you to join this not-for-profit initiative and come face to face with the beauty and majesty of this master shayer’s poetry.
Dr. Ajai R. Singh, M.D.