Eastern beauty: A delightful performance of classical dance, instruments and vocals

Highlight of the evening was a performance by singers of Gwalior Gharana.

ISLAMABAD:

Decked in traditional clothes, members of Mausikar were treated to an evening of classical dance, instrumentals and vocal performances at Marriott on Wednesday.

The evening began by a dance performance by Rabia Qanwal, followed by an instrumental with Mazhar Shaggan on rubab and Javaid on tabla. Dispelling a common misconception about rubab, Mazhar said it is in fact a classical instrument which is often misunderstood as a folk one.

As the performance picked its pace, the audience could be seen fully captivated into the upbeat frenzy of the beat and rhythm of tabla and rubab.

The highlight of the evening was a performance by Qadir Shaggan and Muslim Shaggan, the son and grandson of Ghulam Hassan Shaggan, a renowned classical singer of the Gwalior Gharana.

The duo, which performed the raag purvi, dedicated their performance to Raees Ahmed Khan, a famous violinist who was also present in the audience.

Muslim said he had just taken his matriculation exams and had specially come to perform with the hope to receive blessing and prayers for passing with flying colours.

While the majority of the audience was lost in melodies, some could be seen socialising and mingling with each other. “I come to these events just to meet people I have come to know through membership of Mausikar,” said a lady at the gathering.

Seema Khan, one of the organisers, said, “Whether to enjoy music or to create a community, Mausikar is reputed to hold some of the best classical events in the city.”

She added that they plan to hold more events in 2012.

Mausikar, a non-profit volunteer organisation, aims to promote and preserve classical and traditional art.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 27^th, 2012.