Tehzeeb Festival: Progenies outshine the maestros

"We deny classical music is a dying art, it is a living tradition and we plan to keep it alive," says Sharif Awan.

KARACHI: Students overshadowed their teachers with spellbinding performances at the Tehzeeb Festival, which was held under the auspices of the Tehzeeb Foundation of Pakistan at the Arts Council Auditorium on Sunday evening. Sharif Awan, general Secretary of the organisation said, “We deny that classical music is a dying art, it is a living tradition (and) we plan to keep it alive.”

The event was hosted by Rahat Kazmi and began with a performance by Asad Qizilbash, a sarod nawaz who played the raag “Bageshree”. Qizilbash has received basic training from his father KH Qizilbash, but is the disciple of Ustad Amjad Ali Khan of Delhi. He was joined by tabla player Ejaz Hussain and together they put on a captivating piece.

Next senior classical vocalist and recipient of Tamagha-e-Imtiaz, Ustad Naseeruddin Saami, sang raags “Khambavati” and “Ghor Saarang” while his two sons, Urooj Saami and Rauf Saami accompanied him.

Pride of Performance Award recipient Ustad Rais Khan’s son Farhan Khan performed raag “Jog” phenomenally and then the father and son performed together. Kazmi called the duo’s awe-inspiring performance “history in the making”.

Next was Ustad Fateh Ali Khan who sang the raag “Kausni Kanra”. Khan is a recipient of the Sitara-e-Imtiaz and Pride of Performance awards and belongs to the Gwalior gharana. He was accompanied by Afzal Khan on the harmonium, Bashir Khan on the tabla and Gul Muhammad on the sarangi.

Pop singer Fariha Pervez made a return to classical music and was accompanied by Bashir Khan on the table. Pervez sang thumris like “Yaad Piya Ki Aaye” and “Jag Pari Mei To”, two classics by Noor Jehan and Iqbal Bano’s “Bhichwa Baaje Re”.

The last performer of the night was by 1994 Grammy Award winner, Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt from India, who performed the raag “Jog Kauns”. He was accompanied by his son Salil Bhatt. Malahat Awan, the president of the Tehzeeb Foundation said, “Panditji and his son Salil Bhatt’s performance was magical and electrifying. The kind of artistic intensity that was exhibited in their performance can also be seen in Ustad Fateh Ali Khan’s singing.”

At the end of the performance Pandit Bhatt and Salil Bhatt came down from the stage and touched the feet of Ustad Rais Khan and said that it was their dream to perform in front of such a legend. At the end of the night, the federal minister of culture Pir Aftab Shah gave Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt the Tehzeeb Award for Classical Music of the Subcontinent.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 7^th, 2010.