When in January news that Bollywood singer Arijit Singh has stepping away from playback singing broke, fans were devastated.But far from the stardom, in his hometown of Jiaganj in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district, the singer leads a life that remains deeply grounded in simplicity.Speaking with The Telegraph India, the singer’s father, Surinder Singh, shared how the family came to settle in West Bengal many decades ago.“Our ancestral home was near Lahore. After partition, my father and his three brothers migrated to Lalgola,” Surinder said.Like many families displaced during the Partition, they, too, were forced to leave behind their home and livelihood. Cloth merchants by profession, they rebuilt their lives from a scratch in Bengal. Over the time, the family moved to Jiaganj.The Sikh community settled in the Panjabipara area, where a gurdwara became the heart of belonging for at least for Arijit. It was here that music first found the singer.In Jiaganj, he is not just the voice behind some of Bollywood’s most iconic love songs, he is “Shomu”, a name locals call him with.His father recalled that he would accompany his mother to the gurdwara, where he sang ‘kirtan’ during special occasions.Residents also recall seeing him swim in the river as a child and ride through town on his scooter as a young adult.Despite owning property in Mumbai, Singh prefers to live in his hometown. “This is such a peaceful place. Even my son couldn’t live in Mumbai and had to return. Ei maatir emoni taan,” his father said, explaining the emotional bond they feel with their hometown.Through his foundation, Tatwamasi, Singh has been supporting initiatives aimed at building schools, a hospital and a music academy in the area.International artistes such as Ed Sheeran and Martin Garrix have also visited his hometown studio in recent years.Even as he steps back from playback singing, Singh continues to explore independent music.His latest release, “Raina”, composed by Shekhar Ravijani and written by Priya Saraiya, is already drawing attention online.With many social media users calling it “a beautiful composition”.