Pankaj Udhas is an established Ghazal singer. The unique quality of Pankaj Udhas is that he has developed a singing style that involves Urdu verses of poets set in the musical tunes. This unique singing style has also been found among the maestros like Jagjit Singh and Talat Aziz.

This renowend ghazal singer was born on 17th May in the year 1951 at Jetpur in the Gujarat State of India. He originally belongs to the community of `Charan`. Manhar Udhas is his elder brother who has carved a niche as a Hindi playback singer in Bollywood movies. Pankaj Udhas did his formal education from Sir BPTI Bhavanagar. Later on as his family moved to Mumbai (Bombay), he joined St. Xavier`s College in Bombay. At the age of five he has started exhibiting his singing skills. Pankaj Udhas did his first stage performance during the Indo-Chinese war and sung `Ae Mere Watan Ke Logon`. The song moved the people of India and for this rendition he was awarded prize of Rs. 51, which was presented to him from an audience.

He was very much moved with this honor and decided to pursue his career in the field of music. With such passion he joined the Sangeet Natya Academy in Rajkot and learnt the subtleties of playing the tabla. Begum Akhtar and Mehndi Hasan are the two legendary ghazal maestros with whose music Pankaj Udhas always moved on. After coming down to Mumbai, Pankaj Udhas started experimenting his luck in the field of Bollywood. Mohd. Rafi, Kishore Kumar, Mukesh and Manna Dey were the ruling planet in the field then. Pankaj Udhas found it very difficult for him to get a break through. In the year 1972, he got a break with the film namely, `Kamna`. The movie was a flop one. He was very much dissapointed with this and did not get any right opportunity to prove himself.

As he was very much moved with the music genre of Mehndi Hasan and Begum Akhtar, Pankaj Udhas later on found this genre of music as his destiny. He started learning Urdu. For few days he was moved to Canada and did few ghazal shows in the local get together. He was extremely moved by the rave reviews that he received from the audiences. He returned home with all lost enthusiasm back and decided to make an impression in Ghazal. In the year 1980, he released his first ghazal album `Aahat`. Throughout his professional career Pankaj Udhas has released 40 albums to his credits. He has presented the music genre, Ghazal in a more appealing manner at the same time maintaining the essence of ghazals. In the due process he has contributed a lot to the realm of music with some outstanding music.

Pankaj Udhas rose to fame with the film Naam (1986 film), in which he sung `Chitthi Aayee Hai` . The song became hugely popular. It has been said that the song brought the tears to every music lover`s eyes. He also appeared in the screen, which made him a star in his own right. Later on also Pankaj Udhas made occasional screen appearances in some films like those in Saajan, Yeh Dillagi and Phir Teri Kahaani Yaad Aayee. He has also composed musics for many films and performed as a playback singer for others.

Acknowledging his talent he has been conferred many accolades like, K L Saigal Award for being the Best Ghazal Singer of the Year in the year 1985; Outstanding Young Persons` Award (1989-90) for positive leadership and distinguish services rendered to the nation (Presented by the Indian Junior Chambers) in the year 1990; Giants International Award in the year 1993 was given to him for `extraordinary efforts to achieve the highest standards in the field of music thereby motivating the entire community to pursue excellence`; Radio Lotus Award in the year 1994 acknowledging his Outstanding Achievement and for the many songs that are featured on the official hit parade of the radio, the award was presented by Radio Lotus, South Africa at the University of Durban; Honorary Citizenship of Lubbock Texas, USA in the year 1994; Indira Gandhi Priyadarshani Award for Outstanding Services, Achievement and Contribution to Music in the year 1996; Outstanding Artistic Achievement Award presented by the American Academy of Artists at Atlantic City in the year 1998; Indian Arts Awards Gala presented by the Mayor of the City of Jersey City in the year 1998; for impressive services to Indian music and promotion of ghazals in India and abroad Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, USA awarded in the year 1990; for Outstanding Performance as a Ghazal singer Rotary Club of Mumbai Downtown awarded Rotary Club of Mumbai Downtown in the year 2001; Honored by the Indo-American Chamber of Commerce in the year 2002; Award for Excellence in Music Field presented by Sahyog Foundation at Mumbai in the year 2002; Dadabhai Naoroji Millennium Award conferred by the Dadabhai Naoroji International Society in the year 2003; Special Achievement Award at the Bollywood Music Award, New York in the year 2003; for the successful album `In Search of Meer`MTV Immies Award has been presented in the year 2003; Special Felicitation at the Wembley Conference Center, London in the year 2004 for Completing 20 Years of Performance at the Prestigious Venue; Awarded the prestigious "Kalakar" award at Kolkotta for "Hasrat" as "Best Ghazal album of 2005" in the year 2006; Pankaj Udhas Awarded Padmashree in the year 2006.

On receiving the award `Padmashree` he expressed his feelings, "I take this award as the best gift on the completion of 25 years of my singing career. It is a felicitation of Ghazal singing and I`d like to thank my friends all over the world who have enjoyed my music through the years and supported me". The soul of Pankaj Udhas is lying with music. He has attempted to give the world of music something more that he has acquired. On Sony Entertainment Television, he has started a talent hunt program called Aadab Aarz Hai. The programme is mainly meant for those aspiring youngsters who have talent. Pankaj Udhas is planning to materialize some of his plans in the field of music. He is preconceiving a series of albums enriched with the classic poetry of old poets. On some fusion project also he is working for and this will be a treat for music lovers. He is also planning for his regular ghazal albums apart from that.

Pankaj Udhas gets small time with all the music involvement for doing social work. But he possesses a sheer purpose to do something better for the society has led to associate with organizations like Cancer Patients Aid Society, Parents Thalassemia Unit, Spastic Society of India and MIND. For demolition of leprosy, thalassemia, cancer and for the cause of the mentally retarded, he works in an extensive manner. Pankaj Udhas has done many concerts to gather over Rs. 50 lakh for social organizations throughout his 17 years of social work. In the year 1989, when his album Nabeel released, he donated the funds that he received from the sale of his album. It was for the Cancer Patients Aid Society.