The dancers and musicians kept the audience entertained. PHOTO: EXPRESS
Concerted footwork while making swift swirls enthralled the audience that came to witness a musical evening here at a local hotel on Sunday evening.
“A night of mysticism”, organised by Mausikaar, celebrated Pakistan’s culture and heritage through Sufism.
A black velvet backdrop embellished with mirrors glistened as neon lights flashed on stage. A local dance troupe, Mohammad Azeem Haidri and his team of four dancers dressed in white added character to the theme of the event.
While performing, men dressed in shalwar kameez and women in flowy-gowns danced with their eyes closed, twirling their heads aggressively while spinning like whirling dervish.
As the dance performance picked up the pace of the evening, electrifying singing performance by Chand Khan and Suraj Khan of Patiala and Sham Chaurasi gharanas maintained the momentum until the last performance. Strapping high pitch vocals — a mix of Sufi poetry and classical ghazals of Buleh Shah and Shah Hussain — supported by harmonium and tabla were energetic and refreshing.
While the claps of the audience added rhythm to the performance, Suraj Khan from the Patiala Gharana hopes that the classical music would go beyond elaborate events and its preservations and promotion be taken over by the government. Speaking to The Express Tribune, Khan said that classical music was promoted by just a few private organisations and there was barely any support from the government.
He suggested that the government should make institutions where leading classical musicians can teach music. He said that some big names in music were struggling to make ends meet today. He said that the government should provide retirement packages to artists who have spent their lives promoting culture and heritage.
Khan, a trained classical singer, belongs to the fourth generation of the Patiala Gharana. He said that while families were struggling to pass on the legacy, those in the business were now experimenting with new ventures in order to keep the heritage alive.
Speaking about his own experience, through recent collaborations with Hungarian artists, Khan has managed to create a new market in the international sphere for classical music with different genres.
“If we do not commercialise our music, we cannot make a living,” He said.
“Classical musicians in Pakistan were struggling to pass on the legacy, but as the upcoming generations are finding ways to incorporate this style with what’s being demanded, new space is being created,” he added.
Suraj Khan said that century’s old music is still being appreciated. “It is not just older people who understand poetry and respect classical music. It gives me great pleasure to see youth participating in such gatherings.”
“It was a wonderful evening, I brought my children with me just so they can see and hear what belongs to our country,” said Saleem.
The evening was well attended by music and art enthusiasts.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 20th, 2014.
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