Treat: Sham-e-Ghazal enchants enthusiasts

Classical renditions draw crowd of Ghazal enthusiasts to ‘Sham-e-Ghazal’ at the Pakistan National Council of the Arts.

ISLAMABAD:

Classical renditions drew a crowd of Ghazal enthusiasts to ‘Sham-e-Ghazal’ at the Pakistan National Council of the Arts on Wednesday evening.

Traditional music instruments such as tabla, dhol, harmonium and flute rested comfortably in the center of the subtly lit stage. The night began with introductions followed by opening performance by Sahira Tahir.

Tahir, a gold medalist in music from University of the Punjab has had the opportunity to represent Pakistan at international platforms. She started off with ‘Kahan ho tum chalay aao muhabbat ka taqaza hai’, reaching high notes with ease. She then made a dip to a mellower mood to sing ‘Wo ishq jo hum se rooth gaya’ receiving applause from the jam-packed hall.

Maintaining the momentum of the evening, Nirmal Shah with her deep enriching vocals presented Iqbal Bano’s ‘Daagh-e-dil hum ko yaad aane lage’ and Noor Jehan’s famous “Dil dharakne ka sabab yaad aaya” amongst other classics.

The final performer, Adeel Barqi, mesmerised the audience with his rendition of ‘Main hosh mein tha tou phir uss pe mar gaya kaise’ and ‘Ku-ba-ku phail gai baat shanasai ki’. The winner of a number of awards, Barqi recharged the audience with ‘Chupke chupke raat din’ and ‘Mohe aayi na jag se laaj’.

The event was held in collaboration with the Ministry of Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 13^th, 2014.