Kriti Mehrotra
If there’s one thing absolutely nobody can deny, it’s that Punjabi singer-songwriter Chamkila was a trailblazer in every way, shape, and form considering the sheer efforts he put into his career. After all, as indicated in Netflix’s biographical drama ‘Amar Singh Chamkila,’ he valued his public standing, loved ones, fans, as well as community more than he ever cared about actual money. It thus comes as no surprise he endured a lot of drama and even went to some extremes just to ensure he never had to part from his passion for music — a passion 2 of his kids have inherited.
Who Are Amar Singh Chamkila’s Kids?
Although it’s not publicly known precisely when Chamkila first came across Gurmail Kaur, they’d reportedly happily tied the knot per their local norms by the time the late 1970s rolled around. This suggests he was in his late teens and only beginning to build a stable foundation by working at a Ludhiana cloth mill when he married, yet he always knew he wanted to do something bigger. He hence spent the ensuing few years trying his best to make a name for himself as an artist, for which he became a part of an entourage and wrote for others before finally deciding to go solo.
It was then that Chamkila began searching for a duet partner — someone to give his cunning yet explicit lyrics a soul — just to ultimately choose Amarjot Kaur as his permanent collaborator. They actually started on a trial basis, but one thing led to another, and they ended up making their union official in 1983 without him ever separating from Gurmail, meaning he had two wives. Then came his innocent children: Jaiman Singh Chamkila with Amarjot, followed by Amandeep Kaur plus Kamaldeep Kaur with Gulmair, and finally another (unidentified) son with his second wife.
But alas, the latter sadly passed away mere days following his parents’ assassination on March 8, 1988 — he was 15 days old and couldn’t survive without Chamkila and Amarjot. As for Jaiman, Amandeep, as well as Kamaldeep, they were primarily raised by their respective maternal family members; people they already spent a lot of time with while their father toured. “As my parents would mostly be busy with shows, they would leave me at my maternal grandparents’ place in Fardikot,” the singer’s eldest recently told Times of India.
“As I was just a few years old at that time, the only memory I have of my parents is that they would take me to a showroom on Mall Road and get me clothes and toys,” Jaiman candidly added. “When I would be at home, I would spend most time playing with the toys. The other memories I have of them are that they took me to Mata Chintpurni, Mata Vaishno Devi, and Baba Balak Nath Temple. I have a faint memory of that dreadful day when my parents were killed… [I was] too young to understand what a tragedy had befallen.”
Amar Singh Chamkila’s Kids Are Keeping His Legacy Alive
Starting with Jaiman only, he has actually followed in his father’s footsteps in more ways than one; he not just dresses like Chamkila but is also an artist proud to share his craft with the world. In other words, he’s a recording singer-songwriter plus a live performer who has never hesitated to express his own emotions or sing his parents’ words alongside his duet partner/loving wife. We specifically mention both since he’s again like his parents in the sense that his life partner is even his music collaborator, and they’re currently blissfully based in Jamalpur, Ludhiana, Punjab.
Coming to Amandeep, while this 38-year-old prefers to remain well away from the limelight these days, we do know this Punjab native is rather happy with the aforementioned Netflix original. In fact, it seems like Chamkila’s entire family is content with this film, which could be credited to the fact that proud son/half-brother Jaiman served as an active advisor to its filmmakers/writers. As for Kamaldeep, she’s a singer too, yet she goes by the stage name of Kamal Chamkila and resides in Canada today — her last released work was an album titled ‘Return of Chamkila’ in 2020, two years prior to her marriage plus emigration.
Read More: Is Netflix’s Amar Singh Chamkila Based on a True Story?
