Music- the vast and deep ocean… and the listeners- people by the ocean side… some just driving past it, barely paying attention,some looking at it wistfully and thinking- maybe someday; others taking a moment to stop by, admiring it from a distance.
Then there are some who actually take some time off and step onto those sands. And when they walk towards it, they feel the wind in their faces and hear the roar of the waves. But it’s only the slightly adventurous ones who actually take off the shoes, walk up to the shore, and dip a toe in the water. The ones having most fun, however, are the ones who have waded deep into the waters and are one with the joyful rhythm of the waves
Some time off in the last couple of years and a break from a 9-6 job routine was my moment of stopping by the ocean and gazing at it at leisure. Taking a leap of faith about a year ago I even signed up for vocal lessons in Hindustani classical with my daughter’s music teacher- my dipping of a toe in the waters. I also rediscovered my immense respect for Shafqat Amanat Ali as a singer and extended it to the entire Patiala Gharana by exploring and writing about their music here in this blog.( the blog has now extended beyond the Patiala Gharana now)
I had no doubt in my mind about the beauty of classical music but ever since I started learning it, I became even more aware of that invisible wall that exists between an average music lover and this genre- too difficult to understand, slow, not exciting enough are some of the reasons given by people who are “not into it”. Getting to learn the basics of it ( am still in the toe dipping stage, mind you) also made me aware of the fact that THIS is the real deal. I had a strong urge to dispel some of the myths surrounding it. It was also about an image- serious looking musicians performing long winding pieces…audiences sitting in stiff reverence or stifling a yawn…the spotlight needed to be on the heads nodding in approval, the fingers drumming on the knee, the smiles the artists exchange when they engage in a competitive jugalbandi… yes, the joy it evokes needs to be the focus and nothing else
And then I got an opportunity to at least try and break down a bit of this invisible wall when I volunteered to organize an event around Hindustani classical music in a university. The target audience was mostly young students. My music teacher very generously agreed to a performance and even managed to rope in a sitar player and tabla and harmonium accompanists. A bunch of very enthusiastic faculty members, all very passionate about music, came on board to help with the organizing. After a whole lot of to and fro exchanges a 2- day program was chalked out .
Sitting in the organizers seat for once I realized how difficult it is to do a balancing act between the expectations of performers and audiences.For example , the artists suggested a one hour vocal and instrumental performance each and when concerns were raised about the time being too long for people to sit through, we had to negotiate hard and settle for 45 minutes each with a tea break in between!
And with our target audience in mind we decided to hold a “Raags in Hindi Film music” themed music workshop on day 2. A singing competition for neighboring schools and colleges was also scheduled for the afternoon on day 1
Here are some highlights
A short tribute to Indian Music- Swaranjali!
Late morning mood set with Miya ki Todi
A Khamaj thumri enthralls all in audience
It’s noon now and time for some Brindavan sarang on Sitar
This is Venge Mor gharer chabi nie jabi ke Amare Rabindra Sangeet inspired by a Baul song… Dekechi rupsagore Moner Manush …
Afternoon …..and it is time to hear the youngsters
Well if you thought that Hindustani classical music is dying; or that the younger generation only sways to Honey Singh songs; or talent flourishes only in big places with all facilities, please listen on.
When one participant sings this, surely it has to be written about on this blog. And the cherry on the cake, the performance wins a prize, too.
And this was what was happening at the workshop in the morning, the next day
The day ended with a special musical evening where musicians and students collaborated to present 7 chosen raags to the audience. A classical demo of a raag was followed by a performance of a Hindi film song based on that raag
Patdeep it is here…
We are hoping to follow this event with many such and more…Please do say Amen to that
(Most of the quoted poetry and references in this post were taken from these 2 books)
A childhood fantasy that I refuse to grow out of is about time travel – going back into history and meeting people whose work fascinates me.
Kabir for instance, for his deep insights into spirituality…
Leonardo da Vinci for lessons on creativity…
Shakespeare for his sharp wit… Tansen for his musical genius…
Or I could experience all that in just one go… by getting transported to the Delhi of the 13th century and asking for Hazrat Amir Khusrau.
A poet, a musician, a historian, an inventor, a soldier, a patriot… master blender of languages & cultures -versatility in his work so great- from devotion, to romance, humor.
An accomplished poet, his fame traveled far beyond India and earned him the title of “tooti-e hind” He is said to have written close to 400,000 verses in Persian. He also wrote in Arabic, Turkish and Hindvi (the spoken language in and around Delhi at that time)
Listen here to ghazal queen Iqbal Bano render his Persian ghazal
“Khabaram raseeda imshab, ke nigaar khwaahi aamad
Soue-mann fidaa-e-raahey ke sawar khawahi aamad”
My life rests on my lips, come, and make me live again
For it would be useless if you arrived, after I am dead
Combining more than one language in a verse is Khusrau’s specialty… as if expressing a thought in rhyme isn’t difficult enough, he does that in more than one language.
His pahelis – so popular and have been passed on for generations, also include a few in both Farsi and Hindvi ,where he plays with words which have different meanings.
Sample this –
Koovate rooh cheist? (What does the soul seek)
Pyaari ko kab dekhiye? (When should one glance at his beloved)
Answer: Sada (Persian- Voice/Sound ; Hindi- always)
Here’s his famous ghazal which is written in a mixture of Persian and Hindi- a rare version sung by Mukesh and Sudha Malhotra for a private album called the Genius of Amir Khusrau composed in 1960s (or 70s?) by Murli Manohar Swaroop
And another great version by Chaya Ganguly sung for album Husn- e Janan by Muzaffar Ali
Continuing with the album of Murli Manohar Swaroop, which has this Khayal sung by none other than Pt. Jasraj … beautiful words by Khusrau and incidentally Amir Khusrau is credited with the invention of Khayal as a genre; as well as this Raag called Zilaaf ( formed by a combination of the Irani Shahnaaz and the indigenious raag Khat)
The ultimate tribute to his musical genius came from the legendary musician, Tansen, who is said to have composed a Dhrupad in his honor.
“Taansen ke tum bhu nayak Khusrau
Karat stuti gun gayo re”
Listen to Khusrau’s popular Yaar- e- Mann Beya set to Darbari ( a Raag created by Tansen) sung by Kankana Banerjee
Hindustani classical as we know it today owes a lot of its existence to Amir Khusrau. His experiments of fusing Irani music with the existing Indian templates produced Raags like Aeman (Yaman), Hijaaz, Nauroz etc. In addition, he is supposed to have invented the singing styles like Qual , Tarana, Naksh, Gul, and Suhela . He is also believed to be (though some researchers contest that ) the inventor of several instruments- Seh Taar (stringed instrument with 3 strings) that later transformed into the Sitar, the Tabla , and even the Dholak . He is also said to have been a brilliant singer himself. The clear cut branching of Indian classical music into Hindustani and Carnatic, as per historians, probably started only after Amir Khusrau’s experimentation and contribution to the music traditions.
Here’s Shujat Khan , playing the instrument( probably) invented by Khusrau and singing his words ever so beautifully.
Qawaali ( dereived from word Qual, which means the word of the prophet) is a genre which was developed by Khusrau- words of the Prophet were mixed with other Sufi poetry and given the shape of a song by setting it in a Raag and singing it in Tarana style by a group of singers. It was often sung in Sufi gatherings where the attendees would be so immersed in the music and verse that they would enter a state of trance.
Listen here to Fayaz Ayaz render his Na Mi Danum (I don’t know…)
Qalbana was a variant where different parts of the verse were set to different rhythms,
Here’s the famous Qual, Man Kun To Maula sung as a Qalbana
Another facet of the poetic work of Khusrau was the spiritual one- an ardent disciple of Hazrat Nizamuddin , the songs and ghazals he wrote were often tinged with his devotion for his guide, and his desire of unison with the divine.
Khusrau calls out to the Sufis with this couplet
“Ae sufiyaan mast yake rakse aashikan,
Ta eiin kubood kuhna, bisat shama kaneem”
O entranced Sufis! Sway to the music like lovers
Let the old blue sky transform into a dance floor
His deep love for Nizammuddin Auliya is expressed in Tori surat ke main balihari, rendered here so effectively and beautifully by Abida Parveen
Another one that has been popular with qawaals is Chaap tilak sab cheene… sung here by the inimitable Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, who sang a lot of Khusrau in his glorious career.
And Main to khwaja se naina- sung here by Munshi Raizuddin, a well know Pakistani qawaal
In this, and many other verses Khusrau refers to the follower as a female in love, and to the spiritual guide as the male lover or groom.
Talking of weddings, there are several of his wedding songs that remain popular till date- beautiful expressions of sadness of a newly -wed leaving her father’s house or a married woman’s longing for her father’s home
Here’s my favorite version of the very famous kahe ko byahi vides by Kajjan Begum and Mehnaz
Mehnaz does a happier Khusrau wedding song here
And the lament of a young married woman missing her parent’s house – Amma mere baba ko
These songs are just a few examples of Khusrau’s wonderful work in the language of the masses and are testimony of the love he had for the culture and traditions of his homeland, India. Writers have described him as a great patriot – a fact well reflected in his words like..
“Kishware hind ast bahishte bazmi “
The Land of Hind is heaven on earth
And
“Tarjihe mulke Hind wa aklaz hawaein khush
Barrumi ,bar Iraqo – khursaano – Kandahar “
The climes of India are better than Rome, Iraq , Khurasan and Kandahar
Secularism is a much debated concept today in our country but Khusrau lived by it and wrote about it so effortlessly and naturally. It might have been something to do with his being brought up at his grandfather’s house, where Hindu traditions were upheld and followed, because his grandfather was a Hindu who converted to Islam. Khusrau was accused both of being biased towards Islam, and of being too accommodating of Hindus. The former could have been because of the fact that Khusrau lived and worked under 7 different Islamic rulers. He was the court poet and often had to say things that pleased his patrons. But he also continued to write in praise of the land and its people and when the hardliners taunted him, he wrote
“Khalak bhi goyad ke Khusrau but parasti bhi kunad
Aare-aare bhi kunam ba khalak wa duniya kar neest”
The world accuses Khusrau of having turned into an idol worshipper
Yes, yes I do worship idols….I am not interested in dealing with the world
The Sufi Basant festival, one of the symbols of this secular tradition was started by Amir Khusrau, as well. Legend has it that Nizamuddin Auliya was in a long mourning after his nephew’s passing away .To cheer him up Khusrau sang some verses impromptu on seeing some Hindu ladies walking with offerings of yellow flowers on occasion of Basant Panchami. This made Nizammuddin Auliya smile and since then Basant celebration has been a tradition and continues till date at his shrine.
Some attribute this one to Khusrau but the others say this was actually penned by Bahadur Shah Zafar. In any case, it captures the essesnce of Basant so beautifully
Sakal ban phool rahi…
And the post would be incomplete without a reference to the singer to whom this blog is dedicated. Here is Shafqat Amanat Ali singing Khusrau and talking about the color basanti
And if we talk of Khusrau, and rang, it would be sacrilege to omit his Aaj Rang hai re ma.. I love Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s version but here I plug in Kavita Seth’s version from Trance with Khusrow- a modern take on the age old composition
Any write up about Khusrau would be incomplete without mentioning his keen sense of humor and his wonderful talent of word play which is seen in his paheliyan, keh mukriyan, nisbatein and dhakosle. Most of them are written in Hindvi because they were usually lighthearted and meant to tickle the imagination of the masses. But his subtle intelligence shines through even these and you can’t but chuckle with glee as you read them. His having composed this extempore dhakosla / anmeli ( a funny verse without any real meaning)rhyme on the demand of four ladies filling water at a well, each of whom gave him a different word to compose a poem with.
Kheer banayi jatan se aur charkha diya jalay
Aaya kutta kha gaya tu baithi dhol bajaye
Making the rice pudding required effort, for it even the spinning wheel was set alight
A dog came and polished all of it off, now you sit here playing the drums
Another one, a riddle, makes me laugh at such an amazing use of pun
Syam baran ki hai ek naari
Maathe upar lage pyaari
Jo manus is arath ko khole
Kutte ki wo boli bole
A dark complexioned lady
Sits prettily on the forehead
The one who will guess this
Is the one who will sound like a dog
Answer – Bhaun ( Eyebrow; also the sound of a dog)
From this childlike joviality, to complex questions & answers about the being and spirituality- just the sheer range of his thinking as a writer, thinker, creator is so fascinating and makes you admire the man more and more each time you think about it.
Over the last 8 centuries he has inspired, excited and won over so many hearts. Ghalib of the 19th century pays him a tribute and calls him his idol
“Ghalib mere kalaam mein kyun kar maza na ho
Peeta hoon dho kar Khusrau –e- shireen sukhan ke paanv”
O Ghalib , why wouldn’t my verses sound wonderful
Afterall I am the loyal worshipper of the greatest poet, Khusrau
The urdu poet Iqbal of the 20th century has this to say
Rahe na Aibak aur Ghori ke marke baaki
Hamesha taaza va shiri hai naghme- e Khusrau
The marks left behind all greats slowly fizzled and disappeared
But the words of Khusrau remain so fresh and relevant till date
And since this blog is about music I’d like to end this one with Amir Khusrau’s take on the age old debate (yes, they were talking about it even 8 centuries ago) What is more important The Music /Singing or The Lyrics?
“ O arguers!You who know about singing and music, don’t really comprehend poetry & verse; and those of you who have some expertise in poetry, don’t quite fathom the music and singing. Then how does your judgment matter? Yes.. you should ask me, for I am expert in both”
That’s Khusrau for you….
There has never been and there can never be another Khusrau. And we don’t really need that because Khusrau never did go anywhere… he still lives on!
EverythingShafqat 