By Riche Gupta - Delhi Newsline - New Delhi, India
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Abida Parveen returns with the swirling world of dervishes and ecstatic Sufi music
In the days of sahibs and memsahibs, former British resident Thomas Metcalfe’s castle at Mehrauli — Dilkusha — was the pleasure trove of the Raj. Today, the place will wake not to the sounds of White Mughals but to soul-stirring Sufi music as it plays host to the seventh Jahan-e-Khusrau festival.
The intention: transfer the denizens of the city of djinns to the swirling world of dervishes; to seek out mysticism that has materialised in the poetry of Sufis.
Conceived by filmmaker Muzaffar Ali, who was inspired by 13th century mystic Amir Khursrau, the three-day event at Quli Khan’s tomb in Mehrauli Archaeological Park, will give music lovers a chance to enjoy the deep, resonating voice of Abida Parveen, among others.
“There is a thirst for Sufi poetry, but only very few people can quench it,” says Ali, referring to Parveen whom he calls the “spirit of the festival”. What is it that draws this Pakistani singer to Jahan-e-Khusrau? “In true Sufi spirit, it brings the singer and the listeners together,” says Parveen. You want to believe in her when she says the pull of Sufi music is irresistible. “It is God’s gift and is blessed by Allah. You don’t need to understand the language to enjoy Sufi music,” she adds.
The theme of the festival is “Voice of the Woman” as a Sufi is believed to have the longing of a woman in love, but Parveen, 53, would rather not qualify her music as man’s or woman’s. “A Sufi’s spiritual world has no concept of man or woman,” says Parveen, who has moved beyond her forte of kafi and ghazal and lent her voice even to the traditional male qawwali.
Parveen, who has been regularly participating in Jahan-e-Khusrau, will be performing on two days. Can the audience hope for any new elements? “I’ll be singing the kalams of Hazrat Bedam Shah Warsi and Hazrat Sachal Sarmast this time,” she reveals. While Jahan-e-Khusrau will keep her busy for now, the singer has a lot on her hands. Following the success of her album Kabir by Abida, she has decided to bring out a second one.
While Parveen may be synonymous with contemporary Sufi music, the festival will also see a couple of newcomers from India and abroad.
The show will open with a modern dance performance by Wendy Jehlen from the US. “My choreography is called the ‘Moth’ which portrays a moth coming out of the cocoon and getting drawn into a flame,” she says.
Her performance will be followed by Meeta Pandit, a classical singer of the Gwalior gharana. “My presentation will be an amalgamation of classical Persian texts and Sufi music,” says Pandit.
Another singer is Sussan Deyhim, an Iranian who has been living in the US for over 30 years, but continues to be swayed by the poetry of Rumi, Sadr and Hafiz.
For somebody who grew up listening to Parveen, how does it feel to perform with her? “I had only heard her records so far and I am so happy that I will hear her in person. I even plan to ask her if she will give me a lesson,” says Deyhim.
And what does Parveen think of the new generation of Sufi singers? “Every artist has a distinct style. I like to learn from all,” comes the wise reply, almost Sufi-like.
Friday, March 30, 2007
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Friday, March 30, 2007
Blithe Spirit: voice of the woman
By Riche Gupta - Delhi Newsline - New Delhi, India
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Abida Parveen returns with the swirling world of dervishes and ecstatic Sufi music
In the days of sahibs and memsahibs, former British resident Thomas Metcalfe’s castle at Mehrauli — Dilkusha — was the pleasure trove of the Raj. Today, the place will wake not to the sounds of White Mughals but to soul-stirring Sufi music as it plays host to the seventh Jahan-e-Khusrau festival.
The intention: transfer the denizens of the city of djinns to the swirling world of dervishes; to seek out mysticism that has materialised in the poetry of Sufis.
Conceived by filmmaker Muzaffar Ali, who was inspired by 13th century mystic Amir Khursrau, the three-day event at Quli Khan’s tomb in Mehrauli Archaeological Park, will give music lovers a chance to enjoy the deep, resonating voice of Abida Parveen, among others.
“There is a thirst for Sufi poetry, but only very few people can quench it,” says Ali, referring to Parveen whom he calls the “spirit of the festival”. What is it that draws this Pakistani singer to Jahan-e-Khusrau? “In true Sufi spirit, it brings the singer and the listeners together,” says Parveen. You want to believe in her when she says the pull of Sufi music is irresistible. “It is God’s gift and is blessed by Allah. You don’t need to understand the language to enjoy Sufi music,” she adds.
The theme of the festival is “Voice of the Woman” as a Sufi is believed to have the longing of a woman in love, but Parveen, 53, would rather not qualify her music as man’s or woman’s. “A Sufi’s spiritual world has no concept of man or woman,” says Parveen, who has moved beyond her forte of kafi and ghazal and lent her voice even to the traditional male qawwali.
Parveen, who has been regularly participating in Jahan-e-Khusrau, will be performing on two days. Can the audience hope for any new elements? “I’ll be singing the kalams of Hazrat Bedam Shah Warsi and Hazrat Sachal Sarmast this time,” she reveals. While Jahan-e-Khusrau will keep her busy for now, the singer has a lot on her hands. Following the success of her album Kabir by Abida, she has decided to bring out a second one.
While Parveen may be synonymous with contemporary Sufi music, the festival will also see a couple of newcomers from India and abroad.
The show will open with a modern dance performance by Wendy Jehlen from the US. “My choreography is called the ‘Moth’ which portrays a moth coming out of the cocoon and getting drawn into a flame,” she says.
Her performance will be followed by Meeta Pandit, a classical singer of the Gwalior gharana. “My presentation will be an amalgamation of classical Persian texts and Sufi music,” says Pandit.
Another singer is Sussan Deyhim, an Iranian who has been living in the US for over 30 years, but continues to be swayed by the poetry of Rumi, Sadr and Hafiz.
For somebody who grew up listening to Parveen, how does it feel to perform with her? “I had only heard her records so far and I am so happy that I will hear her in person. I even plan to ask her if she will give me a lesson,” says Deyhim.
And what does Parveen think of the new generation of Sufi singers? “Every artist has a distinct style. I like to learn from all,” comes the wise reply, almost Sufi-like.
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Abida Parveen returns with the swirling world of dervishes and ecstatic Sufi music
In the days of sahibs and memsahibs, former British resident Thomas Metcalfe’s castle at Mehrauli — Dilkusha — was the pleasure trove of the Raj. Today, the place will wake not to the sounds of White Mughals but to soul-stirring Sufi music as it plays host to the seventh Jahan-e-Khusrau festival.
The intention: transfer the denizens of the city of djinns to the swirling world of dervishes; to seek out mysticism that has materialised in the poetry of Sufis.
Conceived by filmmaker Muzaffar Ali, who was inspired by 13th century mystic Amir Khursrau, the three-day event at Quli Khan’s tomb in Mehrauli Archaeological Park, will give music lovers a chance to enjoy the deep, resonating voice of Abida Parveen, among others.
“There is a thirst for Sufi poetry, but only very few people can quench it,” says Ali, referring to Parveen whom he calls the “spirit of the festival”. What is it that draws this Pakistani singer to Jahan-e-Khusrau? “In true Sufi spirit, it brings the singer and the listeners together,” says Parveen. You want to believe in her when she says the pull of Sufi music is irresistible. “It is God’s gift and is blessed by Allah. You don’t need to understand the language to enjoy Sufi music,” she adds.
The theme of the festival is “Voice of the Woman” as a Sufi is believed to have the longing of a woman in love, but Parveen, 53, would rather not qualify her music as man’s or woman’s. “A Sufi’s spiritual world has no concept of man or woman,” says Parveen, who has moved beyond her forte of kafi and ghazal and lent her voice even to the traditional male qawwali.
Parveen, who has been regularly participating in Jahan-e-Khusrau, will be performing on two days. Can the audience hope for any new elements? “I’ll be singing the kalams of Hazrat Bedam Shah Warsi and Hazrat Sachal Sarmast this time,” she reveals. While Jahan-e-Khusrau will keep her busy for now, the singer has a lot on her hands. Following the success of her album Kabir by Abida, she has decided to bring out a second one.
While Parveen may be synonymous with contemporary Sufi music, the festival will also see a couple of newcomers from India and abroad.
The show will open with a modern dance performance by Wendy Jehlen from the US. “My choreography is called the ‘Moth’ which portrays a moth coming out of the cocoon and getting drawn into a flame,” she says.
Her performance will be followed by Meeta Pandit, a classical singer of the Gwalior gharana. “My presentation will be an amalgamation of classical Persian texts and Sufi music,” says Pandit.
Another singer is Sussan Deyhim, an Iranian who has been living in the US for over 30 years, but continues to be swayed by the poetry of Rumi, Sadr and Hafiz.
For somebody who grew up listening to Parveen, how does it feel to perform with her? “I had only heard her records so far and I am so happy that I will hear her in person. I even plan to ask her if she will give me a lesson,” says Deyhim.
And what does Parveen think of the new generation of Sufi singers? “Every artist has a distinct style. I like to learn from all,” comes the wise reply, almost Sufi-like.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment