Tribute: Music soiree for a Left guru

ISLAMABAD:

Noted classical singer Shaukat Manzoor and tabla player Ajmal Khan enthralled a select gathering at the residence of poet Farrukh Yar on Saturday evening.

Farrukh Yar had  arranged the musical soiree in honour of Ashfaq Salim Mirza, a well known writer, Left thinker and at present Director of South Asian Free Media Association (SAFMA) Media Centre.

Shaukat Manzoor who is a disciple of Ustad Salamat Ali Khan is a self-made singer in whose career publicity and public relations have played no role. He is an accomplished singer with a range,  dexterity and repertoire  as good as anybody else’s. This became evident when he struck the very first note of the famous ‘thumri’ ‘bazu band khul khul jaey’.  His ability to access the lowest notes impressed the select gathering of music buffs.

Noted tabla player of the federal capital Ustad Ajmal Khan was fluid with his fingers and gave an impressive account of his ability to match any singer’s  virtuosity. The thumri was followed by ‘khayal’ and a number of ghazals and verses of sufi saints Shah Hussain and Ghulam Farid. Shaukat also presented a composition of his own based on Shah Hussain’s ‘luddi’. Shaukat’s rendition of a ghazal by Perveen Shakir was greatly admired  for its complex construction.

Farrukh Yar is himself a crooner and is often asked to render his own poetry into song.  He sings Majid Amjad’s famous poem  ‘bus number 9’ with great pathos in his unique style. But that was for another day.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 4^th, 2011.