After retirement, why is Arijit Singh living as ‘Shomu’ in Jiaganj? The answer lies in a hidden truth far from Mumbai's fame game

When news broke on January 27, 2026, that Arijit Singh was stepping away from playback singing, fans across the country were taken by surprise. For many, the voice that had defined a decade of film music was suddenly going quiet. But in Jiaganj, a small town in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district, life carried on almost as usual. Here, he is not a celebrity. He is still Shomu.

From Lahore To Jiaganj: A Family’s Journey

In a conversation with The Telegraph India, Arijit’s father Surinder Singh spoke about their past. “Our ancestral home was near Lahore. After Partition, my father and his three brothers migrated to Lalgola," he shared.

Like many families who crossed borders during Partition, they had to rebuild from nothing. They were cloth merchants. Over time, they moved from Lalgola to Jiaganj and settled near the river. Other relatives made homes in Panjabipara, where the Sikh community set up a gurdwara that slowly became a centre for prayer and social life.


What began as a struggle slowly turned into belonging.

Growing Up As Shomu

In Jiaganj, Arijit was always known as Shomu. Haridasi Das, who runs a local tea shop with her son Sanjoy “Bultey” Das, remembers those days clearly. “I saw Shomu grow up,” she says. “Shomu learnt to swim here, his father taught him,” she continues.

The tea stall used to be his regular evening adda. Even now, locals say he sometimes rides his scooter through the narrow lanes at night. There are stories of international artists riding pillion with him. Social media videos have shown British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran and Dutch music producer Martin Garrix visiting Jiaganj. Garrix even recorded Angels for Each Other at Arijit’s studio, set up close to his home about four years ago.

School, Family And Simple Roots

Arijit spent much of his childhood in the house built by his maternal grandfather, Gopal Chandra Roy. His grandmother Bharati had a strong influence on him. His maternal uncle Pijush still keeps a laminated photo of six-year-old Shomu.

He studied at Kamalekamini Oboitanik Prathamik Vidyalaya. The school has no formal classrooms, just a large hall beside a temple and a jute godown. A teacher there recently found an old attendance register from the early 1990s listing an Arijit Singh as a student.

Music was always around him. He would go with his mother to the gurdwara and sing kirtan during special occasions.

Choosing Jiaganj Over Mumbai

Though he has apartments and offices in Mumbai, Arijit prefers living in Jiaganj. A childhood friend, who did not wish to be identified, said, “Shomu has apartments and offices in Mumbai but prefers to live here. His sons — Jul and Ali — study in a local CBSE school. Shomu wants to give more time to Tatwamasi-led projects.”

Tatwamasi is his charitable organisation. It is working on improving schools and building a hospital, a music academy and a sports complex in the town.

His father spoke about the emotional pull of the place. “Moja lagey. I feel amused. People ask me ‘what is your son doing’, ‘what is his next project’," he said. On why Jiaganj still matters so much, he added, “This is such a peaceful place. Even my son couldn’t live in Mumbai and had to return. Ei maatir emoni taan."

Even after stepping back from playback singing, Arijit continues to explore independent music. He recently released Raina, composed by Shekhar Ravjiani and written by Priya Saraiya. The track is available on the Garuuda Music YouTube channel and has started drawing attention online.

But in Jiaganj, the bigger story is not about charts or streams. It is about Shomu riding through familiar lanes, stopping by old places when he can, and staying close to the soil that raised him. Fame may travel far, but home, for him, has remained the same.