Portrait of a gifted composer
1 Nov 2012 10:08 PM GMT
India has been getting all kinds of melodies from the other side of Radcliffe Line since it came into existence. We have seen legendary khayal singers like Ustad Salamat Ali Khan and Nazakat Ali Khan coming to India and winning laurels on different stages of historical importance. Ustad Mehdi Hassan and Ghulam Ali have been the most popular ghazal singers in India. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan set a new trend of sufi singing in India. Playback singers like Salma Agha and Reshma also made space for themselves in Hindi cinema. Ustad Tari Khan earned his reputation as an accomplished tabla player. But, with no intention to offend any name mentioned above, one must admit that the most versatile performer that we have ever got from Pakistan is Ustad Shafqat Ali Khan.
Shafqat is the most sought after sufi singer for all stage of repute including Jahan-e-Khusrau festivals in India. He is the able flag-bearer of the famous school of Hindustani classical music Sham Chaurasi gharana and is considered as the most promising exponent of khayal. He is one of the most authentic ghazal singers among his contemporaries. Shafqat has a very committed fan following for his folk numbers as well. He is a gifted composer and a renowned playback singer. His composition and singing in a Bollywood film Dus Kahaniyan captured his brilliance. In his mode of meditation, he takes the audience to a different world altogether through his blissful rendition of bhajans. And all that he does with his tunes reflects his command on all these genres.
Shafqat is a worthy son of a worthy father Ustad Salamat Ali Khan, who had no parallel in powerful khayal singing in recorded aural history. His singing genius was recognised by Satyajit Ray, who used his voice for his famous film Jalsa Ghar in early 50s’, which also featured artists like Begum Akhtar, Bismillah Khan, Roshan Kumari and Waheed Khan.
Shafqat learnt little nuances of Hindustani classical music under the tutelage of his father Ustad Salamat Ali Khan and uncle Ustad Nazakat Ali Khan. This family belongs to Sham Chaurasi gharana, which traces its ancestry to Ustad Chand Khan and Ustad Suraj Khan, the contemporary duo of Tansen, who graced the durbar of Emperor Akbar. Since Salamat Ali Khan was considered the doyen of classical music and artists from all spheres of life adored him, Shafqat had the opportunity to learn different genres of music from the most authentic names in the field. These names included Ustad Mehdi Hassan, Niaz Hussain Shami and Tufail Niazi.
Shafqat has a great fan following in India and city visa rule of India-Pakistan does not restrict him to shuttle between Delhi and Mumbai, which is the usual route followed for artists from Pakistan. His melodies captivate the whole landscape of music in India and so much so that he was invited to perform in the land of Carnatic music, Chennai. Kalakshetra Foundation and Amir Khusro Sangeet Academy invited him to perform in Chennai, which was followed by honouring him with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the academy for his consistent effort to propagate the authentic Hindustani classical music. A similar award was presented to him by All Pakistan Music Conference, which is considered as the most prestigious award for any musician in Pakistan.
Shafqat has been a child prodigy. His first public performance was at as early as seven years of age when he sang on the death anniversary of Miyan Karim Bakhsh, which was organised by Punjab Art Council at Lahore in 1979. In this performance, he was accompanied on tabla by legendary Miyan Shaukat Hussain. Before he could cross his double digit of years, he was tagged as an accredited artist for both the premier mass media organisations of Pakistan – PTV and Radio Pakistan. And, by the time, he entered his teens his first classical album was released in 1985 by Lok Virsa, Islamabad, a premier institution of culture in Pakistan. In this album, he was accompanied on sarangi by Ustad Allahrakha Khan and on tabla by Ustad Ghulam Abbas. He has about 35 albums by now in various genres of music from various music companies of India, Pakistan, Europe and USA.
Shafqat is a thinking artist. His relentless pursuit of making good music keeps him humble, as he considers music a language that has been gifted by the almighty to the mankind to stay connected. His latest endeavour for his upcoming film Mother Express is bringing back lori in a new format. He is also using the format of nautanki for another composition in this film, apart from a sufi number.
Considering his abilities, offers from the Indian film industry are not overwhelming. The Indian film industry gave a lot of preference to mediocre singers of Pakistan over genius of Ustad Mehdi Hassan and Ustad Salamat Ali Khan in the past. We certainly hope that history does not repeat itself and the audience gets a chance to get back the real melody, the forte of Shafqat. InshaAllah!
Akhilesh Jha is a government servant. The views are his own
Shafqat is the most sought after sufi singer for all stage of repute including Jahan-e-Khusrau festivals in India. He is the able flag-bearer of the famous school of Hindustani classical music Sham Chaurasi gharana and is considered as the most promising exponent of khayal. He is one of the most authentic ghazal singers among his contemporaries. Shafqat has a very committed fan following for his folk numbers as well. He is a gifted composer and a renowned playback singer. His composition and singing in a Bollywood film Dus Kahaniyan captured his brilliance. In his mode of meditation, he takes the audience to a different world altogether through his blissful rendition of bhajans. And all that he does with his tunes reflects his command on all these genres.
Shafqat is a worthy son of a worthy father Ustad Salamat Ali Khan, who had no parallel in powerful khayal singing in recorded aural history. His singing genius was recognised by Satyajit Ray, who used his voice for his famous film Jalsa Ghar in early 50s’, which also featured artists like Begum Akhtar, Bismillah Khan, Roshan Kumari and Waheed Khan.
Shafqat learnt little nuances of Hindustani classical music under the tutelage of his father Ustad Salamat Ali Khan and uncle Ustad Nazakat Ali Khan. This family belongs to Sham Chaurasi gharana, which traces its ancestry to Ustad Chand Khan and Ustad Suraj Khan, the contemporary duo of Tansen, who graced the durbar of Emperor Akbar. Since Salamat Ali Khan was considered the doyen of classical music and artists from all spheres of life adored him, Shafqat had the opportunity to learn different genres of music from the most authentic names in the field. These names included Ustad Mehdi Hassan, Niaz Hussain Shami and Tufail Niazi.
Shafqat has a great fan following in India and city visa rule of India-Pakistan does not restrict him to shuttle between Delhi and Mumbai, which is the usual route followed for artists from Pakistan. His melodies captivate the whole landscape of music in India and so much so that he was invited to perform in the land of Carnatic music, Chennai. Kalakshetra Foundation and Amir Khusro Sangeet Academy invited him to perform in Chennai, which was followed by honouring him with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the academy for his consistent effort to propagate the authentic Hindustani classical music. A similar award was presented to him by All Pakistan Music Conference, which is considered as the most prestigious award for any musician in Pakistan.
Shafqat has been a child prodigy. His first public performance was at as early as seven years of age when he sang on the death anniversary of Miyan Karim Bakhsh, which was organised by Punjab Art Council at Lahore in 1979. In this performance, he was accompanied on tabla by legendary Miyan Shaukat Hussain. Before he could cross his double digit of years, he was tagged as an accredited artist for both the premier mass media organisations of Pakistan – PTV and Radio Pakistan. And, by the time, he entered his teens his first classical album was released in 1985 by Lok Virsa, Islamabad, a premier institution of culture in Pakistan. In this album, he was accompanied on sarangi by Ustad Allahrakha Khan and on tabla by Ustad Ghulam Abbas. He has about 35 albums by now in various genres of music from various music companies of India, Pakistan, Europe and USA.
Shafqat is a thinking artist. His relentless pursuit of making good music keeps him humble, as he considers music a language that has been gifted by the almighty to the mankind to stay connected. His latest endeavour for his upcoming film Mother Express is bringing back lori in a new format. He is also using the format of nautanki for another composition in this film, apart from a sufi number.
Considering his abilities, offers from the Indian film industry are not overwhelming. The Indian film industry gave a lot of preference to mediocre singers of Pakistan over genius of Ustad Mehdi Hassan and Ustad Salamat Ali Khan in the past. We certainly hope that history does not repeat itself and the audience gets a chance to get back the real melody, the forte of Shafqat. InshaAllah!
Akhilesh Jha is a government servant. The views are his own
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