A fiesta of melodic ghazals

The tastefully decorated, beautiful auditorium of Finance and Trade Centre in Karachi, on November 26, 2004 served as the venue for an enjoyable fiesta of ghazal singing in which about a dozen senior and up-and-coming Karachi-based exponents of ghazal singing styles demonstrated their melodic prowess and potential. A joint presentation of music NGO Mauseeqar and the local Chapter of Pakistan National Council of the Arts, it attracted a large number of musically vivacious citizens of Karachi.
Entitled Chamanzaar-e-Ghazal, the presentation served as a curtain raiser for the mega event, the National (Melodic) Ghazal Festival scheduled to be held in the first week of February 2205 in Karachi. A brainchild of Raja Changez Sultan, Director-General, Pakistan National Council of the Arts, Islamabad, the management of the proposed festival has been entrusted to the National Planning and Supervisory Committee, consisting of professional musicians, musicologists and connoisseurs from Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi.
A hunt for new talent in the art of ghazal singing was launched by the Committee for the purpose of grooming budding artistes, which culminated in the voice testing of a large number of aspiring singers hailing from different regions of the country. The auditioning of ghazal aspirants was conducted in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad. A number of young artistes selected after the auditioning process are likely to participate in the three-day National Ghazal Festival along with their seniors in Karachi.
The National Ghazal Festival is being sponsored to create awareness among the people about the need to groom young vocalists. Another crop of seasoned vocalists will be needed for the replacement of senior ghazal singers, who are likely to vacate the centre stage of music as a sequel to old age and consequential senility as recently manifested by the crippling ailment of Ustad Mehdi Hassan.
Modern ghazal singing, which has assumed the status of a genre, is one of the proud achievements of the practitioners of melodic arts in Pakistan, which has earned them and the country international fame. Of the several genres of our musical heritage, this is the most sought after and enjoyable mode of melodic expression evolved, refined and popularised in the sub-continent by Muslim musicians in the 20th century. The recent Western cultural invasion of our melodic ethos, as a result of which a large number of youth have become enamoured of the fad of pop music has threatened this fine example of Muslim creative genius warranting urgent steps to bolster the melodic ghazal.
The task has become easier by the exhaustion of the repertoires of pop singers, who have seemingly fallen back upon the rich folk melodies of Pakistan, especially from different Punjab regions, so that they may remain in circulation in the world of entertainment.
The proceedings of Chamanzaar-e-Ghazal began with an introduction and the raison d'être of National Ghazal Festival by Amin-e-Ajam, Honorary Director, PNCA, Karachi, who briefed the invitees of the preparations currently being made by the organisers for presenting the mega event a couple of months later. His brief speech was followed by a succinct but scholarly discourse about the evolution of literary ghazal in the sub-continent by Mazhar Ali Arif. He urged singers to take into account such matters as correct pronunciations of words and a complete understanding of the thematic thrust and message the poet wishes to convey through his ghazal, before trying to make its melodic rendition. The chairperson of Karachi Arts Council's Music Committee and a renowned TV anchorperson Ms. Salma Baig compered the proceedings in an extremely professional manner. An equally competent host Syed Nusrat Ali replaced her midway of the proceedings.
Two ghazals each were presented both by the up-and-coming as well as inveterate practitioners of melodic ghazals in their cultured voices, who regaled the attendees with their different styles of singing.
Their styles of singing radiated nuances of the meter accented, thumri-dadra-tappa ang and the geet oriented ghazals of several classical and modern poets, which were appreciated and applauded by the knowledgeable audience. The cream of musicians from Karachi, including Qamar Allah Ditta (guitar), Muhammad Sattar and Ashiq Ali (tabla) and Babu Khan (harmonium) provided melodic and rhythmic accompaniments to the singers.
While wrapping up the proceedings of Chamanzaar-e-Ghazal, Muhammad Ali Durrani, Minister of State for Culture, Sports and Minority Affairs, Government of Pakistan, assured the organisers of all possible help, including financial assistance, for the promotion of melodic culture, which will result in the projection of a soft image of Pakistan.