Music in Pakistan

Nice Hamid, really enjoyed reading it :)

To the author:

Your last paragraphs deserve their own thread lest their force find insufficient expression. I agree that the opposition to music prescribed by so many Muslims is a tragedy. It has warped Pakistani culture considerably. But all Muslims suffer somewhat under this yoke, if only because such blind opposition to music engenders much hypocrisy and ruin.

Though music may be a matter of taste, so that beauty is in the ear of the listener; beautiful music cannot be denied by the one who knows it. So the opposing listener must harden his heart to that beauty and to the joy which follows. Opposing the source of that joy, the listener curses himself by refusing to admit the joy to his heart, and curses others by teaching a distrust of that joy.

One result is the virulent hypocrite who listens avidly in private and craves the very joy he so vociferously condemns in public. The other is the bitter and equally accursed heart that perversely reacts to joy with loathing. The first encourages the curse on the second. The latter in their numbers enforce the curse of the former.

What of those who hear the beauty and refuse the craven paths of the hypocrite and the ruined, but instead profess the joy of music as good? Such a person may blame his faith, when what that person really has is proof that those persons who claimed to be guides had lost their own way.

But I think that the advocates of extreme opposition to music face an ever-growing backlash from those who see in such proscriptions reason to oppose all of the extremists’ positions. It will be a good day for Pakistan when such extremists are forced from the fore.

***********************

When I was a college student, I met non-desi Americans who were fans of ``Indian classical music.`` They did not like Hindi movie music because they saw it as too commercial. They preferred their Indian music a bit too dry for my taste.

We could find common ground in Western music, but I think it would have been fun to explore then our musical tastes in Indian and Pakistani music in the way that you have done.


whistler#47
Trishul was a great movie! ;-)

tahmed32#46
Blue Eyes had an aura, but his lack of regret does not do him credit if you know much about his life. Now Dean Martin on the other hand, well, he sang from the ache in his soul.

``Pundit Ravi Shankar would be nothing without GURU Ustad Alimuddin of Calcutta.`(whistlingwoman)

u mean Ustaf Allauddin Khan -- hope ur not blaming him for Nora Jones

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nasah #45 I have no regrets. More accurately, I should say, as the Frank Sinatra song goes:
``Regrets I have had a few,
But then too few to mention...``

tahmed

so do u regret not sowing wild oats all over USA, Canada - Egland and the Subcontinent - or u regret -- not one of urs became Nora Joes?:-)

Bangladeshi Rocker Studying in America
*********************************

By TODD DVORAK, Associated Press Writer

GRINNELL, Iowa - Back in Bangladesh, he has a hit rock
album.

But at a small, liberal arts college in the middle of
Iowa, 23-year-old Yasir Mehboob is studying economics
and computer engineering, hoping for a job that will
keep him in America.

As a senior at Grinnell College, he is far removed
from the emerging music scene in Dhaka, where he began
playing nightclub gigs with adult bands in his early
teens.

``My mother never liked that part of it,`` jokes
Mehboob, who began playing keyboards at 11 and joined
a band three years later. ``She didn`t like that I was
hanging out with adults and getting exposed to alcohol
and all that stuff.``

With his bookish looks and polite demeanor, Mehboob
hardly fits the rock `n` roll image. Even in photos in
his band`s CD, he`s the one without the dark
sunglasses and tough-guy look.

nasah #34 After reading of the sexploits of musicians Ravi Shankar and Ustad Ali Akbar Khan (per hamid #40 below), I do believe I have developed a sudden interest in becoming a musician myself.
As my friend in college used to say, instead of majoring in the business admininstration, we should aim to become poets or musicians or artists. We could then screw women in every town. And if someone questioned us, we would give that wild-eyed-genius look and quietly say, ``I am an artist. This is what I am expected to do in my free time.``

hamid_81 #40
It only shows that we should not try to make gods out of ordinary human beings. Both Indians and Pakistanis have a tendency to find a hero and than idolize him/her as possessor of all virtues.
Ravi shankar is a great musician. He will not become ``greater`` musician by claiming part of her ``daughter`s`` fame. Still majority(all?) of south asian news papers sang eulogies to him by writing about his connections to Norah Jones.
Same tendency also results in everyone demonizing same heros if they fail on any count.

harimau at # 36:

``Quite a few universities in India offer degrees in music, meaning Classical music. None of this is due to pressure by Classical musicians. It is the duty of the universities to offer diverse programs of study to the student body.``

I was writing from the point of view of an educational system failing to give due respect to performing arts. In Pakistan an example can be drawn from environmentalists. Pakistan`s educational system now includes courses or at least topics of environmental conservation. This is due to the efforts of WWF, IUCN, Pakistan Conservation Foundation, etc. who constantly lobbied to get the field covered in one way or the other in Pakistan`s elementary and secondary level of education.

Another example is envronmentalists` successfully lobbying to get a Masters program started in Environmental Engineering at NED University, Karachi.

#37 by Saminasha
Samina Shah Sahiba!
Pandit Ravi Shankar and Ustad Ali Akbar Khan are extremely notorious of having children in every part of the world. Wherever they went on tours they made sure to impregnate a woman. Anoushka and Norah know each other very well. If you go to this website, www.anoushkashankar.com, you will find some pictures of them together. It really amazes me how Panditji finally settled down to teach Anoushka. He has hardly ever spoken to any of his other siblings. I guess it is the need in him to emphasize upon the world how great a musician he was after he is gone, in case it forgets.

MIELD FARSHAL EXPOSED

Our resident field marshal quotes this guy as a symbol of neutrality, unbiasedness yada yada ...... And this charlatan is BRIAN CHOUGLEY.
GENTLEMEN, OPEN YOUR EYES AND READ THIS PIG BELOW AND ....



http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_26-2-2003_pg3_2

Pakistan is on a winner’s wicket. India has courageously refused to back the Bush war. So, obviously, President Pervez Musharraf must join the war party. His price should be an immediate demand by the US that all Kashmir should be ceded to Pakistan. (Get it in writing.) Not only will Mr Bush teach India the lesson that “You are with us or against us” but his action will add enormously to tension in the subcontinent and probably cause major conflict. Cool and awesome.

Ref Androscoggin #33

[27 by jay on February 24, 2003 7:09am PT
Norah Jones takes Grammys by storm

WASHINGTON: Sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar’s American daughter Norah Jones won a record-equalling eight Grammy Awards on Sunday to lend the music world’s biggest night a light Indian note
-------------------------------------------------------------------

ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF INFLATED BOOK KEEPING HABIT OF HINDIANS.

Everything is Indian .........when only 2/3 of india is BHARAT ...... ]

Hasn`t the other 1/3 defined itself to be ~India? So why this late realization that Pakistan is also historically part of the land called India?

Jaya Sahib,

Actually Norah Jones and her sister are the stuff of high mythology; two sisters who are the daughters of a renown genius, both very talented and enjoying some degree of success. Ravi Shanker`s daughter born into wedlock is distinguishing herself as a sitarist while Norah has said that her father has not been any presence in her and her ma`s life really...Shankar Sahib has not handled this one well...I wonder if the two young women have met?

Ref ahmadzai #35

[Also, I believe that if the classical musicians were united in their cause, they could have easily made representations for including classical music in the course offerings in one of our universities.}

Quite a few universities in India offer degrees in music, meaning Classical music. None of this is due to pressure by Classical musicians. It is the duty of the universities to offer diverse programs of study to the student body. In fact Classical music is likely to attract less than 1% of the students that Engineering attracts but that hasn`t prevented universities from offering both.

Hamid Mahmood at # 16:

``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. ``

I regret responding to your message with delay.

I think that the people who want the knowledge are approaching the classical musicians. Tina Saani has done it in 80s and Raheem Shah has done it in this century to give you two examples. My point was that classical musical schools have not been opened by any Ustaad in visible areas to get public attraction. I mean if I am interested in learning guitar, why should I have to look in nooks and corners of residential streets to learn it. On the other hand, there are pop music centers that can be seen in crowded business areas to attract folks.

Also, I believe that if the classical musicians were united in their cause, they could have easily made representations for including classical music in the course offerings in one of our universities.

27 by jay on February 24, 2003 7:09am PT
Norah Jones takes Grammys by storm
CHIDANAND RAJGHATTA

TIMES NEWS NETWORK[ MONDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2003 12:00:12 PM ]

WASHINGTON: Sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar’s American daughter Norah Jones won a record-equalling eight Grammy Awards on Sunday to lend the music world’s biggest night a light Indian note
-------------------------------------------------------------------

ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF INFLATED BOOK KEEPING HABIT OF HINDIANS.

Everything is Indian .........when only 2/3 of india is BHARAT ......

``My wife loves ghazals. And I love my wife, so I sometimes switch on to ghazals when she is not around, but only to remind me of her

and (not because I really care about ghazals)``(tahmed)

tahmed, u don`t like gazals!? -- now THAT explains your occasional quirkiness:-)

Jay#27,
Please stop trying to bask in someone else`s glory.

Norah Jones is an American. Ravi shankar never even met her till she was 18 year old. (It appears that he was quite adept at fathering kids outside wedlock). Norah Jones never mentions her father (or her father`s country) in any of her biography.

#29 by sac
Mister SAC! Cut the crap. If you don`t know anything about something try to avoid writing stupid responses and spare everyone your load of bullcrap!

``A rag ``. It is a raag, not rag. A rag in the English language is a torn piece of cloth. I hope this helps you build your vocabulary!

sac #29 At last, we have someone striking a discordant note on this board. There was too much singing of praise, too much chorus of ``Yay``s (Jays expected basking in the reflected glory of a talented 23 year old doesnt count, since he is a nutcase), too many violins being played to mourn the lack of interest in classical music, too many ``Hallelujahs``, and Hymns to the Lords of Music on this board. So thank you for cutting it all out with the magic words ``bullshit``.
Having thanked you for introducing a discordant chord, let me therefore add to this by telling you off on Aguillera vs. Mozart. Far from switching over to Mozart when company is expected, I switch it ON when I am all by myself in the car or in the house. Because my kids are similarly misled like you regarding the beauty of classical music (one of them is coming around to appreciating it though). My wife loves ghazals. And I love my wife, so I sometimes switch on to ghazals when she is not around, but only to remind me of her and not because I really care about ghazals. And never in her presence otherwise we would have nothing but ghazals around the house.
There is definitely no snob appeal in classical music.
Note to Hamid Sahib: Just joking here a bit sir. I loved your article and the discussion.

What kind of bullshit is this? A rag is simply a rendition of musical sounds in (hopefully) pleasing manner. The author`s contention that contemporary artists should pay homage to their influence is like saying one should preface each work in English language with a note of thanks to Shakespeare!

The problem with classical music everywhere is that it has a certain snob appeal. Some of us will hide away our Aguillera CDs and replace them with Brahms or Mozart when we have guests over. Too bad they`ll still be in cellophane wrapping. Music is eternal and what we enjoy has nothing to do with being highbrow or not. If that were the case, all the background music on major hollywood productions would be hip-hop or rap. Music tastes evolve with time. There is no essentially *higher* form of music. If classical music is dying, well so are drive-in movie theatres and cotton candy. Deal with it.

Like most majors in college dealing with *social* sciences, music and dance majors are simply there because they`ve been around for a while,serve as employers for a lot of less than gifted no-gooders and allows one to get a four year degree without feeling guilty about wasting our parent`s money. When was the last time anyone gifted came out of these programs? The ones that did actually dropped out before finishing school. The rest were either writing html code till a couple of years ago or were writing a treatise on the joys of macrobiotic food.

later
-sac

Norah Jones takes Grammys by storm
CHIDANAND RAJGHATTA

TIMES NEWS NETWORK[ MONDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2003 12:00:12 PM ]

WASHINGTON: Sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar’s American daughter Norah Jones won a record-equalling eight Grammy Awards on Sunday to lend the music world’s biggest night a light Indian note.



Jones, 23, a debutante by entertainment industry standards, outshone a galaxy of music luminaries as she won individual Grammys for Best New Artist, Album of the Year (for “Come Away With Me”), Record of The Year (for the song “Don’t Know Why”), Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, and Best Pop Vocal Album.

///Music has to be in the blood, it has to reflect the values of the society. Instead of trying to rebrand indian music as pakistani, the effort should be to develop some jihadic music and that will be in tune and with and galvanise the emerging pak society.

Banjaara and hamid_81 re: baRe Ghulam Ali Khan
I guess I did not make term gharana clear in the context of my previous post. I agree with both of you about Patiala Gharana and Ustaad belonging to it. But that is like a schooling and following a style. I was mainly concerned about family tree and gave example of higher military officers relationships to each other. His father was not a famous musician and for a while Ustaad did not get respect from peers for that reason. He was even snubbed few times for not coming from elaborated family. Here is an excerpt from an article about him:

[At times, even an apparently innocuous and casual remark, or an
insignificant incident, leads to an event of far-reaching
consequences, leaving indelible imprint on the annual of a
particular discipline. An unintentional jibe by a singing duo
aimed at a musician in the late 20s culminated in the birth of
one of the brightest stars on the melodic firmament of the Sub-
continent, whose glow spread all over the area. He commanded
ungrudging respect from professional musicians and also won the
hearts of millions of music buffs, both in Pakistan as well as
India and Bangladesh. He was the late Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan.
The late Qazi Zahurul Haq, in his book, Muallamul Naghmaat, has
written that the famous qawwals Mubarak Ali Khan-Fateh Ali Khan
Jallandhari (father of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan) were once invited to lunch by the late Bade Ghulam Ali Khan. The qawwals, who were known for their melodic erudition and skill in rendering classical asthai-antras (compositions), declined the invitation with the insinuation that they could break bread with a classical singer, but not with a sparda (an
accompanying musician with a female singer). Ghulam Ali Khan
then, was a sarangi accompanist of a well-known classical singer
of Lahore, Inayat Bai Dheroowali). The cutting edge of the remark
of the qawwals hurt young Ghulam Ali so much that there and then
he decided to give up sarangi-playing and resolved to practise
the art of classical vocalisation so that he could not be derided
by anyone any more.
That was how a great artiste was born. And what a classy singer
he ultimately turned out to be. Those who have heard him singing
(in person or through audio cassettes) will readily agree that he
was one of the most accomplished singers. His mellifluous renditions of
classical compositions, and the variety of effects his unique and
pliant voice could create, hypnotised his audiences for about 30
years during his life, and continue to cast hypnotic spells on
initiated listeners through his recorded music.

Born in Kasur in the year 1902 (some say in 1903) in a family of
professional musicians, that melodist of inimitable virtuosity
was initiated into instrumental music by his father, Ali Bakhsh.
For about 15 years, it is said, young Ghulam Ali Khan played
sarangi before he turned to classical singing. During his youth,
he had been trained by his uncle Ustad Kaley Khan, (a disciple of
the legendary Mian Taan Ras Khan) who along with his friend Fateh
Ali Khan, founded the famous Patiala gharana of kheyal singers.

Before partition, he used to visit the princely states, like
other melodists of that era, to present his music in the darbars
of the Nawabs and Rajas, but he was not attached with any
princely state such as Patiala, as claimed by Manjri Sinha in his
book Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan (Lotus Collection, Roli Books).
In Patiala darbar, Ustad Akhter Husain Khan (the father of Amanat
Ali Khan-Fateh Ali Khan duo was employed who, along with his
singing sons, migrated to Pakistan in September 1947.
Musical gharanas are recognised only for their stylish contribution to kheyal singing; their different aesthetic approaches to this genre of
classical vocalisation; their innovative additions to kheyal
singing; their peculiar methods of voice production and taking
taans (flights), and their known endeavours to preserve kheyal`s
serenity, beauty of its form with their creative fancy. The
mentors of Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan were the followers of
Patiala gharana kheyal traditions. And he himself, at one time,
received training from Ustad Ashiq Ali Khan of Patiala.]

#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

Nissar Ahmed awarded Sahitya Puraskar

DH News Service BANGALORE, Feb 22

The First Bhageerathi Bai Narayanarao Mane Sahitya Puraskar was presented to noted Kannada poet Prof K S Nissar Ahmed today. At a function organised by BNM Educational Institutions here, noted litterateur Vyasa-raya Ballal presented the award to Dr Nissar Ahmed.

Speaking after receiving the award, Dr Nissar Ahmed said that he was not a critics poet and said that there was no greater happiness than being called a people’s poet. Great poets like Kuvempu, D R Bendre and K S Narasimha-swamy were people’s poets.


////This reminds me of the front page article in Dawn when Abdus Salam was honoured by the pakistanis. A nation that can denigrate a noble laurette deserves only music of the hell, the sound of the cluster bombs punctuated with the big bang of the daisy cutters to the chanting of pakistan ka matlab kya, ......kashmir banega pakistan lilaha ...illaalla....

Barring miracles, the Pakistanis are in for an eternal conflict:

Is our cultural base South Asian or Arabic?

Is democracy the total will of the people or it is bound by the religious scripture?

What is the status of Music, Art and drama in our lives?

Has the partition benefitted the people or has it caused further problems?

And so on.

This debate will continue while we keep trundling into the future, downhill, with these basic unresolved issues. BAD.

I think the writer of this essay has an extremely poor comprehension of contemporary music.


The writer has completely failed to understand the fact that raags are only methods of composition.... the difference between contemporary popular music and the classical music is that of PRESENTATION of that composition and not the rules of the composition.


A melody in ``raag bhimpalasi`` presented in classical style, is too heavy for a contemporary teenager. The same raag if presented in the modern popular style, appeals to the youth! A raag is not classical music. It is only a METHOD that is followed by both contemporary and classical styles of music. Its the PRESENTATION that is different.


The writers` comprehension of the subject matter is extremely poor and erroneous. A Raag is not classical music. It is only a method of composition, and you can follow the method to compose a Naat. The MMA government in NWFP will not call such a Naat illegal. They may however declare a contemporary music video with a sexy bimbo, based on the same Raag, illegal! This is because they disagree to the PRESENTATION of the melody, and not the melody itself and its base raag!


Mature presentation covers up even the weakest of melodies. The future of popular music in Pakistan is dark if they continue with the cheap presentation. Haroons and Faakhirs are playing a definite role in taking us back to the stone-age! (Not the ``cave-age`` as termed by the honorable author)

FarooqA #2
Classical music has tremendous cachet in America. Teens are more into pop, like everywhere, but they teach Western classical music in almost every school. I have attended some awesome performances by school music groups and individual kids.

The author is right in lamenting the loss of one`s heritage, one`s culture.

If he finds greater appreciation for Classical Music in India, that is due to the fact that there is no religious prohibition against singing; in fact, the Hindu religion requires that the priest sing to the gods. Thus, when a properly trained priest offers a puja reciting the 108 names of the god installed in a temple, you can here the musical tones. In addition, there is the tradition of waking up the gods in the morning to music.

The younger crowd in India listens to film music and ignores classical music. But parents do make an effort to teach their children the arts. After being reviled for centuries as a thin cover for prostitution, classical dance has revived in the last 70 years and middle-class parents take pride in sending their daughters off to dance classes. The latest casualty to this craze for Bharatha Natyam is someone named Zakir Hussain. The review of his dance performance in the local paper mentioned that it was a special one dedicated to praise of Nature. I wondered if Zakir Hussain had a problem dancing to some of the more traditional pieces such as songs that pay homage to Siva as Nataraja (Lord of the Dance). I have also heard of a bearded Sikh who learnt Bharatha Natyam -- at least, he wouldn`t have to wear a wig if he was going to take the role of a `rishi` in a dance drama!

AR Rahman of Indian fim music fame is well known for using dashes of classical music in some of his songs. Some 10 years back, there was a weekly program on TV in Madras that showed film music and its classical basis by having a musician briefly sing a raag and then playing a film song based on that raag. Now, I see a program that showcases film songs but the captions at the bottom of the screen show the raag. These may be ways to spread the appreciation for classical music.

Just 12 hours back I was on the beach in Chennai and a small group of 4-5 students were chatting among themselves nearby. When they fell to singing film songs and sang `Alaipayude` from the Tamil film of the same name, I wondered how many of them knew who wrote that song, when it was written and what raag the song was in.

The larger business houses in South India have made it a point to employ classical musicians -- most of them have a professional education in accounting or some such field -- but grant them generous leave so that they can travel out of town for performances, in much the same way some of them used to employ sportsmen. This has encouraged people to take up music seriously. I know of a girl who finished her degree in Electrical Engineering but who is now aiming for a full-time career as a concert musician.

Re Pakistani musicians, I remember a musician friend of mine recommending that I listen to Dagar Brothers (I think that is the name; he always referred to them as the Pakistani Brothers) if I want to listen to true Dhrupad music. Coming from someone who has spent his professional career in Madras 1500 miles from Pakistan, that is high praise indeed.

hamid,

i agree that music ought to be compulsory.

in south india, it is now common for someone in every family to learn
vocal or an instrument or even classical dancing. art is so important.

if you happen to watch sun-tv which is madras based, then every sunday
they have dance program(more commercial) like lip singing with dance
sequels. even though it is crass to watch, atleast it gives students from all
economic background to participate and appreciate music.

in the united states, it is difficult to graduate high school in good grade unless the student gets to know/masters atleast one musical instrument.
it doesn`t matter which one.

//...What about the 1000 year old traditions of muslim sufi music .......Why are we so ashamed to admit that these are our traditions and this is our music?...//

It is all about ``Purity``. For the Land of Pure - music, art etc brings in impurity of the worst kind. Sufism is for cowards, it is some sort of Hindoo stuff. Don`t you see - the names of Raags you have mentioned - ``Bhimpalasi`` , ``Bageshri`` - these are all hindoo-sounding names. These stuff has no place in today`s pakistan which claims to derive its culture from Arabia/Central-Asia rather than from the subcontinent.

I am sure this is not only reason, but it does play a greater part for rejection of classical music in Pakistan.

I second what #1-sameerJB wrote. I`m not a big fan of classical music. I dont understand raags. I like to sing. My initial fascination with 90s Indian film music & pakistani pop-music was based on copying indian/pakistani singers. Usually they were all so very easy to copy. Except maybe Ali Azmat(Junoon), in some of his difficult songs.
Then I started with indian film music of yesteryear. Kishore Kumar didnt prove much of a challenge ... plus the majority of his songs had the commercial feel to them. Soon got bored of him. Rafi, in the end, proved to be a treat ... and still is. Slowly and gradually going over Talat Mehmoods` work right now.

``If we hate music so much then why do we recite naats, hamds and qirat? I can tell you hundreds of naats and hamds, which have been composed in raags. ``
I actually was present at one such occasion where the naat was sung to the tune of Mohammad Rafi`s classic `Awaaz dae ke humein tum bulao, muhabbat mein itna na humko satao`

I could`nt agree more with Sammeer, a major reason why we do not appreciate the classical music is that we do not understand it. All these nuances of ragas and thumries, and the classical lyrics in ancient Urdu or Hindi are a bit too difficult to comprehend. I personally have alwyas been enthralled by semi-classical music but if you ask me on which raga a certain song is based, I would`nt be able to tell. As far as the interest in classical music in the West is concerned, here in UK I have hardly ever seen a teenager who is into it, may be with the exception of serious music students. I have never seen a teenager who likes Mozart`s symphonies.
In Pakistan you can still find a large number of people who love Mehdi Hassan, Lata and Rafi songs, that is the closest they can come to appreciating the classical music. Afterall, not everybody comes from a music gharana.

I think, somebody should write a book in Urdu or English to explain the differences between various raagas in easy to understand language and possibly with couple of CDs containing renditions of famous ragas. All I know is that most songs are sung in thumri or dadra. I have no idea what it really means.