Wednesday, August 16, 2006

Ever since last weekend, 12th august when i missed Abida Parveen's performance at Karachi Club, that has somewhat sparked a revival of my interest in qawwalis and folk music. I have always been a big fan of such stuff majorly because till the dawn of new millenium, we used to have annual qawwalis taking place at our home every shawwal. They were a HUGE affair and my nana used to look after the entire thing with much enthusiasm and verve. It used to be an open air thing which would go on right till fajar. Earlier, i just could not see the sense out of this and the whole salaami thing to qawwals seemed like a farce :p not only that, but people in trance and doing dhamaal and what not ... me being me, always thought its all playacting and dramay baazi, but as i later grew up and went on to appreciate and understand it better, i pretty much well can understand where did all that come from . Besides that, when abbu was working with Jinnah he used to be the head of cultural committee which organized various talent shows inviting singers like nayyara noor, alamgir, shayki, tina sani and numerous others. Now ... with a bit of history going on how do i like this stuff ... moving on to the contemporary times.

Well, Nusrat Fateh Ali khan brought the boom in qawwalis ever since `92 Worldcup and i ve been a lifelong fan. Possessing some of this old and all time classic works, he remains top of the line for me. But apart from Khan sahab, the other 2 are Abida Parveen (my dad's personal fav) and the phenomenal, fascinating, and enchanting - Aziz Mian late. Just the other day i bought few CDs, one was Abida performing at Royal Albert Hall in 2000 (Double CD) and the other one, 3 qawwalis from Aziz Mian.

Abida's collection is simply out of this world. Just no words can describe the serenity in her voice, the calm, the ebb and flow , i mean, it is just AWESOME ! As mentioned in New York Times, " Owner of one of the most remarkable voices on planet". That certainly is a fact nobody can deny who has seen her performing even once. The collection includes Man Kuntu, Jab say tu nay Mujhe Deewana , Raqs e bismal , Yar de Gharoli, Mast Qalander, Ishq Nacchaya , Meda Ishq, and so many other brilliant ghazals which make your mind go berserk !

Apart from Abida, there is this one man who was a genius, a gifted lyricist, and a vocalist second to none. Aziz Mian Qawwal was simply irresistable and the way he belted out classics after classics, it was a sheer treat and joy. His famous qawwalis, Mein Sharabi Sharabi and Teri Soorat Nigahoun Mein Phirtee rahey ... but for me , the real Gems were " haye Kambakht Tu nay Pee Hee Nahin' and above all , BEWAFA YOUN TERA MUSKURNA ! I mean .. Oh God ! it is just out of this mind ! You hear that once and go crazy ! ... Or rather let me put it this way, i have heard ALOT of music .. pop/rock and all that, alot of live performances, people know my U2 craze, but not alot of music really makes me want to head bang, but this stuff does. You know, i almost coined a new music genre, 'Sufi Trance Rock' - Now however one can interpret it, certainly not my problem but this stuff puts me thru a trance and as close to headbanging i can ever be ! Halka Halka Suroor, Haye Kambakht, Allah Hoo .... all of this made me realize and understand WHY people do dhamal and what is that pushing them towards it. it comes from within, it just kicks you from inside and you feel enchanted, captivated by it all. There is not a great deal of music going on, just VERY VERY strong lyrics, awesome vocals and the manner it is belted out - marvellous .

I wish i could transcribe the entire 'Bewafa Youn Tera Muskurana ... ' but i cannot, but before leaving ... will just leave a few lines ....

"Bewafa say bhi Piyar hota hai / Yar kuch bhi ho yar hota hai
Jo Haqeeqat mein Pyar Hota hai / Umar mein Eik Baar Hota hai
Bewafa Youn Tera Muskurana / Bhool Janay k Qabil nahin hai ... "


"Unn ka Bulanaa / Mera Na Janaa
Takay woh Mujhay Aur Manaaein
Bhool Janay k Qabil nahin hai ... "

I dont know if this will come across as as stunning or mindblowing as i ve been writing about, but believe me, once anybody listen to it ... it is just phenomenal.

Next time round, will write about the giant, the legend ... Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan . Stay tuned.

bono-fan left the ground at 12:04:00 PM
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