Tuesday, October 17, 2006

Baul songs, Sufi quawwali for a spiritual high

By Laxmi Birajdar - Pune Newsline - Express India
Friday, February 24, 2006

Puneites have a fine sense of Sufiana quawwali and that makes our job as artistes much easier. The city is oozing with culture and I have always enjoyed performing here,’’ says quawwal Mohmmaded Iqbal Hussain Khan Banda Nawazi. In Pune for the sixth time, he is part of Ruhaniyat, the five-year-old Sufi and Mystic music festival that will unfold on Saturday at Poona Club.

“Sufiana quawwali requires understanding of the shers and the music that accompanies it,” says Nawazi who, with his son Ateeq Hussain Khan, will present Sufi qalams (or writings) by Amir Khusro. ‘‘A sher is sung in a characteristic musical style,’’ he explains.

At the festival, voices of the fakirs from Hyderabad, Sufi songs by Nanak and Manak Brothers from Punjab, the African Siddhi Goma drummers, Baul songs by Parvathy Baul and Madan Vairagya from Bengal, Sufi Kalam and mystic compositions by Kachra Khan from Rajasthan and the Nizami brothers— Ghulam Sabi and Ghulam Waris from Delhi will be heard.

The festival that started in Mumbai is the brainchild of Mahesh Babu who plans to help them financially. “We will set up a fund for these Sufi artistes to help them showcase their talent,” he says. While most have performed in Pune, Parvathy Baul will take stage here for the first time. “I have heard about the city’s cultural and spiritual background and am looking forward to performing here. Each time, I try to seek a new dialogue with my audience through performance,” she says.

The festival has loyal listeners. For banker Sudha Ravi, a regular at Ruhaniyat, the experience is unusual. ‘‘You get to hear so many different genres of Sufi music. I had never known that the African Siddhi Goma drums were a part of Sufi music,” she says. For homemaker Anuradha Toshniwal, Ruhaniyat is a rich experience that transports her to a different world. “ One needs to understand the words and the feelings that are sung.”

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Tuesday, October 17, 2006

Baul songs, Sufi quawwali for a spiritual high
By Laxmi Birajdar - Pune Newsline - Express India
Friday, February 24, 2006

Puneites have a fine sense of Sufiana quawwali and that makes our job as artistes much easier. The city is oozing with culture and I have always enjoyed performing here,’’ says quawwal Mohmmaded Iqbal Hussain Khan Banda Nawazi. In Pune for the sixth time, he is part of Ruhaniyat, the five-year-old Sufi and Mystic music festival that will unfold on Saturday at Poona Club.

“Sufiana quawwali requires understanding of the shers and the music that accompanies it,” says Nawazi who, with his son Ateeq Hussain Khan, will present Sufi qalams (or writings) by Amir Khusro. ‘‘A sher is sung in a characteristic musical style,’’ he explains.

At the festival, voices of the fakirs from Hyderabad, Sufi songs by Nanak and Manak Brothers from Punjab, the African Siddhi Goma drummers, Baul songs by Parvathy Baul and Madan Vairagya from Bengal, Sufi Kalam and mystic compositions by Kachra Khan from Rajasthan and the Nizami brothers— Ghulam Sabi and Ghulam Waris from Delhi will be heard.

The festival that started in Mumbai is the brainchild of Mahesh Babu who plans to help them financially. “We will set up a fund for these Sufi artistes to help them showcase their talent,” he says. While most have performed in Pune, Parvathy Baul will take stage here for the first time. “I have heard about the city’s cultural and spiritual background and am looking forward to performing here. Each time, I try to seek a new dialogue with my audience through performance,” she says.

The festival has loyal listeners. For banker Sudha Ravi, a regular at Ruhaniyat, the experience is unusual. ‘‘You get to hear so many different genres of Sufi music. I had never known that the African Siddhi Goma drums were a part of Sufi music,” she says. For homemaker Anuradha Toshniwal, Ruhaniyat is a rich experience that transports her to a different world. “ One needs to understand the words and the feelings that are sung.”

No comments: