Music in Pakistan

#20 by Banjaara
I do not have a problem with Sajjad ALi using his family bandishes. Godknows how many times I have played Bade Ghulam Ali Khan`s Bandish of raag Jaijaiwanti, and have recieved praise for it. But never have I forgoten to tell the people that this Bandish belongs to Bade Ghulam Ali Khan. So, Sajjad should also give a little credit to these giants, if he uses their stuff. Seems to me he is ashamed to admit that he is from a musical family.

sameerJB # 14
[Ustad BaRe Ghulam Ali Khan did not come from big gharana and his children are not at the level of their dad.

Ustad Munawwar Ali Khan was a great, talented, and famous classical singer of his time. He was respected and loved by all who knew him. He was the son of Bade Ghulam Ali Khan. Patiala gharana and it`s exponents have always been famous musicians.

>>. They “use” classical music but never mention that this piece is composed in such and such raag. <<
nusrat fateh ali khan frequently announced what raag a certain qawwali was in.

banjara mian -- jubh bhi mujh ko tera kheyal aayaa -- teyri ruswaiee ka sawaal aaya:-) --

good to see your erudite post -- after long time.

I have been on the Chowk battlling the windmills of our dimwit President`s Don Quixote` of Texas -- regarding his mission grab-Iraq --

where have YOU been -- long time no see -- as usual yours was an illuminating post about Pakistani heritage of classical music --

what do you think? -- the situation is as critical as Hamid describes?

dost-mitter -- is in India these days -- he is sorely missed -- and we missed you too --

how is ur Peshawar doing these days under the triple M -- Mulla Mulla & Mulla government -- burying music deeper in the ground? --

any comments?

In recent times, musicians have tried to introduce Western instruments into (South) Indian Classical music. There are credible players of Classical music on the guitar, mandolin, saxophone and clarinet. And of course the violin and harmonium have been in use for a couple of centuries. Maybe the use of Western instruments might attract a few more people to Classical music.

re: classical music in the subcontinent
It is no use bemoaning lack of govt support or public interest in Classical music in Pakistan. The scenario is similar in India. There has to be an individual or private effort to revive and preserve old traditions, be it music or something else.
In this regard, i read about an organisation called SPICMACAY (Society for the Preservation of Indian Classical Music And Culture Among Youth). The name sounds like a corporate body but was really founded by a group of IITans (in Delhi) in 1977 or thereabout and has spread its wings all over the world with chapters in USA, UK etc. It is this kind of effort which goes a long way in preserving and popularising classical music rather than any govt support. Go to the following URL for some details. A search with the name SPICMACAY will yield good results too.
http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/mp/2002/09/04/stories/2002090400380100.htm
Sridhar

sameerJB # 14
[Ustad BaRe Ghulam Ali Khan did not come from big gharana and his children are not at the level of their dad.]
Patiala Gharana boasts of some of the greatest names of the north Indian classical music.Ustad BaRe Ghulam Ali Khan,Ustad Barkat Ali Khan, Ustad Amanat Ali khan,Ustad Fateh Ali Khan, Ustad Allah Rakha (Tabla nawaaz),Farida Khanum and a host of lesser luminaries. Which other Gharana boasts of bigger stars than these? Kirana Gharana might come a close second with Ustad Abdul Karim Khan,Roshan Ara Begum,Pandit Bhimsen Joshi et al.Patiala Gharana can only be termed as a great gharana ,interms of its ``gaaiki`` and its exponants.
Hamid_81.
[ late evening raag, and Sajjad has actually “stolen” the tune from a Thumri of Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, “Saiyan Bolo Tanik Mosay”]
You are probably aware of the relationship between BaRe Ghulam Ali Khan and Sajjad Ali.(Sajjad is his maternal grandson).If he is using the
compositions of the late ustad,it is a continuation of the ``gurukul`` or shall we say ``guru-shishya`` tradition.

nasah #19
Where have you been? muddat hui hai yar ko ruswa kiye huay;)
Lucky you.listening to Ustad Amrit Khan.Where is dost-mittar??

dear hamid - great piece -- I personally know shaffaat from his boyhood I am an admirer and friend of his father Amrit Khan the great and perhaps the only credible surbhar player of the subcntinent -- and the brother of that legendary Sitar player Ustad Vilayat khan saheb -- you are in excellent company.

ur acoount of Pakistan`s classical music is quite dismal -- just look aournd and find out what the Indians have done with the classical music without its prime patrons -- the rajas and the nawabs since Indpendence --

why the Pakistanis can`t do the same --

as far as the average citizen who loves the film music in India -- there is a similar aversion to classical music in India as it is in Pakistan --

classical music is faring so well in India -- becaue partly it is patronized by the film industry -- and mostly because the private organizations, academicia as well as governmental agencies actively promote its literacy among the people --

love for classical music is an acquired taste in most cases -- it has to be actively cultivated --

the MMM savages hate music because -- if they hear darbari, malkauns, shudh kalayan or bhairvi -- it has an uncommonly soothing effect on them -- may start to mellow them down -- and may make them a little normal and civilized -- and that is the last thing they like to do -- or become -- but it will come to pass -- so don`t lose heart.

please continue to write for a refreshing change from politics and religion on chowk.

Hanif sahib: Thanks for an informative article that provides a fresh look at Indian classical music and how it provides the basis for many popular songs. I dont think there is any fear of music dying out in the frontier, just as there is no fear that the birds will stop singing out of deference to some ideology. We have too many music lovers in Pakistan, too rich a tradition of folk music, and too rich a tradition of arts and music in neigboring countries, for that to happen. In Bangladesh, girls are in fact expected to be able to sing and dance, and I believe the same is true for many parts of India.

#12 by amit

Amit Sahib!
You are very right! I agree that it is not that difficult. And till the time I was in Pakistan I was giving free concerts for Sampurna in Karachi, just to help them promote the cause of Classical Music. Now, what i do is that I help them by donations, and I try to inculcate a sense of Pakistani Classical Music in my western friends and shagirds. Here i have started to do soemthing a little different, and that is Fusion Music. Fusing my sitar with violin, fule and guitar and make all of these instruments play a compostion in a raag. I know that the revival will be difficult, but not impossible. But I think that the first step should be really to intoduce music as a subject at school level. Then we can start with music universities and institutes for serious music lovers and help them make a career.

#13 by ahmadzai
Dear Ahmad Zai Saheb!
The classical musicians have been keeping their knowledge in secret because the people don`t want it. If the people want the knowledge they should go and ask for it. If then they don`t get it then I can understand that it is the fault of classical musicians. But it has never happened that a person has been turned down by a classical musician. These people want to come out and tell people about their music. But they donot find the appreciation amongst the common folk to get the courage to do so.
About the books:
I agree strongly with you that it is the fault of musicians that other than a few very old ones, they have not come up new, beter and more comprehensive ones.

As I mention before, the promotion or marketing of a product using dedication and various smart techniques play definite role in acceptance of that product. The promotion is perhaps a bigger problem than families` connections, relations and nepotism. With the promotion comes marketplace wherein quality of the product is more important than the nepotism.

The family connections and relationships play a positive role too. The younger generation of these families do have an edge from experience at home. In every area, family connections are used to advance certain causes, economic and power being the topmost. Look at the power of Nehru family. What is the source of their upper class livelihood? Just yesterday, I was reading the connections of some high ranking PAF officers who were killed in a plane crash. Most of them have relatives in high positions with in military. Three cousins of Akhtar Abdul Rehman of Zia era are generals now with his son a minister. Airforce chief was brother-in-law of DG Rangers, a general in the Army. Perhaps when late Mushaf Mir was married, he was a Squadron Leader of Flight Lietanant and his brother-in-law a Major. Given the fact that very few make it ot upper echelon, a large number from related families do mean family connections playing role along the way. Another AVM was the son and brother of another AVM and the husband of Oracle corporation chief in Pakistan. At the time of marriage all of these people were just like average Major or Squadron Leaders. same is true about gharanas but exceptions are always there. Ustad BaRe Ghulam Ali Khan did not come from big gharana and his children are not at the level of their dad.

The classical music is one of the few areas that is least affected by nationalistic, religious and language politics. Different ragas developed at different times at different places in subcontinent have been accepted by all cultures without bias or politics. The popular music can not claim this. The language politics is definitely there in popular music but in classical, the language of lyrics is not at all important. It is ragas.

Brilliant topic!

I appreciated the author`s intro to a very interesting issue. I would very much like to read dialogues on classical South Asian music on an ongoing basis on Chowk.

Hamid Sahib,
You have brought up a topic that is very dear to my heart - Classical Music. I believe that classical music is one of the most beautiful accomplishments of the entire subcontinent, a divine gift. It has amazing depth and breadth, and if performed properly, can literally mesmerize you. It is sad to hear that Pakistan is giving up on this art, when muslims were the leading patrons as well as performers of classical music for centuries. My all time favorites are Ustad Abdul Karim Khan followed closely by Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan and Pandit D.V. Paluskar.
The good news is that classical music can be revived quite successfully in Pakistan, just as it has been revived in India. The first step is to separate classical music from the seedy elements, the kothas etc. and bring it to the drawing room. Secondly, classical music has to be accessible to ordinary people. The ustads tend to limit their students to people from their immediate family and treat outsiders like dirt. In India, Pt. Vishnu Digambar Paluskar started the Gandharva Mahavidyala system, where clean, wholesome and affordable classical music schools were opened catering to the ordinary people. The objective was to create ``Kaansens`` rather than ``Tansens`` i.e. people who could appreciate and support classical music instead of becoming maesteros. Once middle class people saw the value of these schools, they responded very positively. In a similar vein, Pandit Bhatkhande created a notation system and transcribed popular raag compositions, so as to make it easier for people to follow and understand. In fact, he created a structured syllabus for people to learn classical music at different levels of sophistication.
For the young crowd, an organization called SPIC-MACAY started by Prof. Kiran Seth at IIT Delhi, has done wonders. They typically bring in classical music maesteros in a cozy setting with college students, where they have an interactive session called ``lecture-demonstrations``. These are very popular and drive up the interest in this art. The government backing in India has actually lagged behind these individual efforts. It is only now that public interest has increased, that government has stepped up its involvement.
A few years back Pt. Jasraj of India was performing in Lahore. After the concert, someone from the audience came and told him - ``Aaj aapne hume Allah ka Ahsaas karva diya``. So the apetite for classical music exists in Pakistan. It is simply dormant and below the surface. Instead of criticizing the new generation, a better strategy is to create the process of bringing classical music back into the mainstream. It is not as difficult as you may think.

Hamid Mahmood:

The problem comes from:

1. our classical music ghiranas keeping the teaching and training very secretive and confined.

2. like some body suggested, unavailability of books.

3. lack of initiative from the classical musicians themselves to explore all the avenues of publicity. This is perhaps due to their lack of education or something. In this respect, it is good to see you write something on this aspect of our culture. It was really nice to know that some of the songs that we humm all day long have classical Raag scales.

Music is a window into many aspects of human behavior.

No matter what the Mullah says, Pakistanis love their music.

Rock on Pakistan!

Ras