Music—no matter the genre—and poetry have the power to appeal to the most stoic of demeanours. Artists have often, seamlessly, combined the two to bring to the fore an impressive creative expression that is an aural treat for the listener. Ghazal, a traditional form of poetry that’s known for its rhythmic cadence, is often described as a heavenly rendezvous of these two artforms. Delhi—the city of poets—has contributed to popularising this poetic form wherein feelings of loss and love play muse. To promote the tradition of ghazals, the Sahitya Kala Parishad (SKP)—it is the art and cultural wing of the Delhi Government that aims at furthering diversity across these domains—has organised a two-day Ghazal Festival. The enchanting event of poetic expression via soulful tunes commenced on Thursday at LTG Auditorium, Mandi House.
First organised in 1989, this Ghazal Festival—it was last conducted in 2015, wherein the show commemorated Begum Akhtar, one of India’s greatest ghazal and thumri singers who was dubbed Mallika-e-Ghazal (Queen of Ghazals)—is back with the mission to keep the spellbinding experience of ghazals alive. Talking to us on the opening day, Monica Priyadarshini, Secretary, SKP, shared, “This Ghazal Festival has been organised by SKP in Delhi after many years. The audience of Ghazal lovers has made this festival opening extremely beautiful.”
Packing a punch
Ghazal virtuoso Suman Devgn from Rampur and Poonam Chauhan performed on the first day of this festival. The former’s ensembles included Raza Amrohvi’s composition Halke Halke Suro Main Ghazal Chediye as well as Maan Mausam Ka Kaha by Indian poet Bashir Badr, among others.
Famous for her semi-classical and light music, Chauhan, who fell in love with ghazals as a child, mentioned that she’s been an ardent fan of this form of poetry ever since. “The depth of the shayaris and, of course, the language, Urdu, is what I love the most,” the artist shared. At the Festival, Chauhan enthralled the audience with her renditions of Iqbal Aleem’s Kuchh Aise Zakhm Bhi Darparda, as well as a few compositions by Meraj Faizabadi and Qamar Jalalvi, etc.
The artists who will take the stage today include Ustad Ahmed Hussain and Mohammad Hussain from Jaipur, and Roshan Bharti. Bharti, who is the 17th generation of the Senia Gharana, will be performing a few ghazals from his album Daagh. Talking to us ahead of his performance, the artist—Bharti who is the grandson of Ustad Jamal Khan, who is known to the world as Jagjit Singh’s guru—shared, “Ghazals may be mere words, but when adorned in music, its beauty increases manyfold.” Fans of this genre can expect a beguiling aural experience as the sound of sweet symphonies wrap around simple poetry.
With inputs from Parishka Gupta