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Neha Saini
Amritsar, January 22
During his childhood, Narendra Chanchal gathered neighbourhood kids to sing devotional songs and Bulleh Shah’s poetry, using wooden toys as his mike. “My first audience comprised people from my mohalla who encouraged me no end,” Chanchal shared in an interview in 2018.
The 80-year-old singer, who rose from humble beginnings to become a popular bhajan singer, died in Delhi after a long illness. He is survived by his wife and three children.
Born on October 16, 1940, in Amritsar’s Shakti Nagar locality, Chanchal hailed from a middle class family. Despite his interest in singing, his family never encouraged him to become a singer. But when his father suffered huge losses in the share market, Chanchal took up singing to support his family.