Shekhar Krishnamoorthy was gaining fame as a singer when the death of his two teenage children in Delhi’s worst fire tragedy crushed his soul and robbed him of his voice.

Now, almost three decades later, he has found his singing voice back and released a music video to commemorate the children’s birth anniversaries.

Krishnamoorthy’s voice had won him love and minor fame in the nineties. He sang both devotional and love songs. His Tamil pop album Kaaraikkudi Kallakudi was climbing the charts when his daughter Unnati (17) and son Ujjwal (13) died in an electrical fire with 57 others at the Uphaar Grand Cinema on June 13, 1997. They had gone to watch the Hindi film Border.

“I was shattered, depressed. I couldn’t sing any more. For about three years after that, we were in the courts,” Krishnamoorthy told The Telegraph.

“My wife said that the children loved my singing and I should sing for their sake. I began riyaaz (practice) again. Our close friend (advertisement professional) Praveen Saxena wrote the lyrics back then.”

He added: “Ek pal de gaya zindagi bhar ka gham. Reh gayi yaadein aur tanha-tanha se hum (One moment gave a lifetime of sorrow. All that’s left are memories and loneliness).”

Krishamoorthy’s haunting voice brings a lump to the throat.

His wife Neelam told this newspaper that she had fallen in love with him because of his voice after hearing him sing at a dinner at a friend’s house.

“I am from Himachal and I go there to unwind when I'm depressed. Several scenes (in the video) are shot there…. He didn’t sing professionally all these years,” she said.

“When he did, we decided that we would release it in the month of August when both our kids' birthdays are, and not in June when they died.”

A still from the music video featuring Shekhar Krishnamoorthy and his wife Neelam. Sourced by The Telegraph

The song and the video are available on all major online music platforms for free. The music was composed by the renowned singer Shubha Mudgal.

From around the year 2000, when the lyrics were written, it has taken a while for Krishnamoorthy to start singing.

“It’s very difficult for a father to sing about his children who are no more. I had to get out of my comfort zone and finally I entered the studio after more than 27 years,” he said.

The Krishnamoorthys led the fight for justice for the victims through the Association for the Victims of Uphaar Tragedy.

Some of the scenes in the video were shot outside the Supreme Court, and some at the memorial garden for the victims.

Their efforts led to the conviction of the Ansal brothers, construction magnates who owned the theatre, for causing death by negligence and tampering with evidence. Seven others were jailed for culpable homicide.

The Krishnamoorthys’ struggle is depicted in the Netflix series, Trial by Fire, based on a book by the couple.