Classical concert: The sound of ragas echoing down the hall

Disciples of Salamat Ali Khan offer a musical retreat at PNCA.

ISLAMABAD:

Enthusiasts of classical music gathered for an evening dedicated to musicians of the famed Sham Chaurasi Gharana at the Pakistan National Council of the Arts on Tuesday. 

Through their renditions, they paid tribute to Ustad Salamat Ali Khan, a fountainhead of the gharana that dates back to the 16th century.

The session opened with a performance by Amir Hussain on sitar and Pride of Performance recipient Jari Shabir Hussain on tabla.

They performed the Aiman raga, intertwining notes from each instrument in soothing harmony.

The audience, in turn, gave plaudit at odd intervals, clapping and cheering to the ebb and flow of the melody.

Next up, the grandson of Ustad Salamat, Shujat Ali Khan performed the raga jog, introducing styles between performances and switching from one raga to the next with seamless ease.

Brothers and students of Ustad Salamat, Imtiaz and Riaz Ali performed the Malkauns and Kaafi ragas. Both had travelled from Lahore for the event and brushed aside the commentator when being signalled to end their performance after one song.

“We have come here to entertain the art lovers to the fullest,” said one.

Ustad Shaukat Manzoor and the maestro’s son Shafqat Salamat Ali also paid tribute to the mentor by performing the Kaafian and Khyal raga.

Television anchor Shiraz Bhatti praised the artists, saying that not only is the gharana one of the oldest, but it has also significantly contributed to the classical music of the sub-continent.

“Salamat Ali Khan was a renaissance man, there was nothing he couldn’t do; he put Lahori classical musical as a force to reckon with,” he said.

Other performers from the same gharana included Ustad Shaukat Manzoor and Tassuduq Ali Khan.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 2^nd, 2012.