If classical music lovers are growing fewer by the day, it might be because classical musical events are rare. Hence when an opportunity comes by to watch a classical maestro’s performance, not many will miss the chance, be it rain or thunderstorm.
While the rain did manage to hamper the turnout, the show went on with an enthusiastic audience, making their way to the Pakistan National Council of the Arts in the hopes of a memorable night with Ustad Fateh Ali Khan Hyderabadi.
An exponent of khayal gaiki, the ustad belongs to the Gawalior Gharana. Born and brought up in Hyderabad, he is a recipient of the Pride of Performance. His throaty voice managed to capture the audience in a trance-like state.
Preceding him on stage was a young classical singer Mussarat Abbas, a student of Ustad Ghulam Ali, who with opened the show with his ghazal “Dil ki chautoon nai kabhi chain sei rehnay na dia.”
As the ustad made his way to the stage, many in the audience clapped and hooted, excited to be able to witness the maestro’s magic. “I’m glad the place is less crowded, it creates a cozy ambience which is just perfect to enjoy the performance,” stated a visitor who had come with her husband and friends.
Sarangi in hand, Khan started off with Ameer Khusro’s “Dasso gi mein ki karan.” His vocals resonating dream-like quality managed to captivate the audience from the first note. Many could be seen closing their eyes and moving to the soulful beat of the tabla and his powerful voice.
With a performance lasting a full 30 minutes, Khan’s command over his vocals knew no bounds, from low-pitched to high-pitched, the ustad rendered raag after raag with perfect execution and finesse. By the end of his performance many had slumped into their seats in a trance-like state. “I’m enjoying each beat,” said Tainaz, reclining in her seat, eyes closed.
“Kaisay bataoun tum bin sayyan moray neend na aye” by Nishrat Kumar, which was a slightly more upbeat performance, lifted everyone’s mood. Audience members besieged him with requests throughout the evening. Moving on to kafi, he sang, “Zulf-e-pachan ke kham sanwaro” which was equally well-received. He didn’t even take a sip of water throughout his non-stop two-hour performance, a feat that only a singer from a legendary house of musicians could have pulled off.
In the end, the small crowd that had managed to make it to the event happily made its way to their cars with the memory of the maestro’s vocals etched onto their minds.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 1st, 2013.