BENGALURU: Ghazal maestro Padmashree Pankaj Udhas has it and he owns it. He does not shy away from talking about his “huge fan following” in Bengaluru or claiming to have inspired successful people to make life-altering decisions. He says that he has been to Bengaluru several times.
Pankaj says, “I performed for the first time in Bengaluru in the early 1980s. I mostly perform at Chowdiah Memorial Hall. While I was there for a launch of my album Afreen, tickets for my show got sold out a week before the event but there was huge crowd on the day of the show outside the auditorium. The organisers had to call the police to disperse them.”
He has also sung a song for a Kannada film Sparsha (2000). He proudly recalls, “The song is called Chandakintha Chanda. It was a chartbuster that year.”
He says he has a huge fan following all over Karnataka, not just Bengaluru. “I have perfomed in many places such as Belur and Hampi. My music transcends barriers and boundaries,” he adds.
Pankaj Udhas will be back to Bengaluru after a year for a concert. Ask if he performs impromptu like many singers, he says, “That’s a trend among the senior musicians. When we go to perform, we have no idea which song to start with. In my case, I don’t keep a detailed list of songs to sing. I also go by the mood of audience and it works well.”
However, he says the concert will be a mix of all music including popular Bollywood songs, his old favourites such as ‘aahista kijiye baatein’ and ‘chitti aayi hai’.
He says his all time favourite ghazal singer is Begum Akhtar. “I grew up listening to her songs and I still enjoy them,” he says.
But being a musician, he also enjoys all genres of music including Indian and international music. “Beatles is my all-time favourite.”
Music has seen tremendous change and Pankaj welcomes it, including experiements with ghazals. “They work most times,” he says. He believes the magic lies in poetry and singing, not in the increasing tempo of a beat. So, rock or metal won’t work with ghazals though, he adds, guitar and keyboard can enhance the beauty of a ghazal.
Pankaj has been in the music industry for four decades. He actively uploads his videos on YouTube. He says, “Digital platform is great to reach out to people. I am watched in Spain, Brazil... every body around the world. It is a boon to an artist.”
But, at the same time, nothing can match the euphoria one experiences during a live performance.One of his popular songs Chitti aayi hai has received several millions of views online. Pankaj talks of an Indian IT professional in Silicon Valley in the US. “He was earning 150 dollars an hour when returned to India after listening to this song. He wrote a book, dedicating it to me.” The book was about his experience in US and his return to India.
Ghazal night
Listen live to the ghazal singer sing Chithi aayi hai, Na Kajare ki dhaar, Jeeye to jeeye kaise, Chand jaisa rang hai tera, Ahista and more at The Forum Mall Koramangala on September 2, 7 pm.