Classical singers enthrall audience at PNCA

Event held to mark 70th Independence Day sees singers from Kasur, Sham Charasi and Delhi gharanas of music

It can best be described as a night when music lovers were enraptured and mesmerised by a coterie of classical singers considered to be the best in Pakistan at the PNCA on Friday night.

The classical music night was the opening event of a three-day National Music Festival organised to mark the 70th Independence Day of Pakistan.

Prominent singers including Ustad Mubarak Ali Khan, Ustad Badar Uzzaman, Ustad Muhammad Akhtar Khan, Habib Ali, Ustad Ejaz Twakkal Khan and Nina Syed captivated the diverse audience on the occasion while the musicologist Shiraz Haider conducted the show.

Ustad Mubarak Ali Khan is a living maestro in the realm of classical music. His third generation is serving the music industry in Pakistan. He has his own style in the classical singing including its all forms. The audience long waited to see his performance.

Ustad Badar Uzzaman is the recipient of the President’s Pride of Performance Award in classical singing. He belongs to Kasur Gharana of singers. He has developed innovative ways of presenting Khayal, the most popular form of the classical music. He has to his credit authentic books on classical music. Many of his disciples are also contributing their efforts in the promotion of traditional music.

The show began with the performance of Ustad Muhammad Akhtar, a representative singer of the Sham Churasi Gharana. Ustad Akhtar is the celebrated Khayal singer who is known for playing with interludes and intervals of the music nodes. Habib Ali is known for the semi classical singing that he learned from the Ustad Barkat Ali Khan. Retired from the government department, Habib Ali is at the best in presenting Thumri and Dadra – the lighter forms to present the raga.

Nina Syed is the only woman engaged in the singing of the pure classical music. She is the disciple of Ustad Badar Uzzaman. Belonging to Delhi Gharana of music, she is at her best in singing the light classical music. Speaking on the occasion, the PNCA Director General Syed Jamal Shah said the government was putting its best efforts to promote traditional music. Nevertheless further more needs to be done to patronise the music, musicians and singers.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 6^th, 2017.