KOCHI: Kozhikode’s love for ghazals runs quite deep. Musician M S Baburaj, popularly known as Babukka, feels this in his blood too. He heralded the Ghazal wave by introducing the genre to Malayalam playback music. He is also one of the pioneers who brought mehfils and soiree to Kozhikode’s shores.
Even as the cultural scene of the city went through plenty of metamorphoses over the years, the legacy of Ghazal lived on. Fast forward to now, three brothers hailing from Elettil in the Calicut district, have taken it upon themselves to promote the music and popularise it among the new generation. 14-year-old Sayed Aban, 12-year-old Muhammed Najad, and nine-year-old Muhammed Yamin have been making waves on social media with their singing skills.
Sayed effortlessly sings Ghazals of Ghulam Ali, Mehdi Hassan, Jagjit Singh, Umbaaye and Baburaj with perfect diction, all while skimming his fingers on the harmonium keys with perfection. Najad joins the ensemble, heightening the mood with his amateur, yet divine Tabla rendition. Meanwhile, Yamin waits patiently, catching up with the melody created by his brothers, awaiting his turn to shake the gipsy. The trio indulged in Ghazal during the first lockdown.
It was Sayed who caught the wave of Ghazal songs first, though he was too young to comprehend the complexities of most songs. “My father is an ardent Ghazal fan. At home. He plays the music or the least hums most of these songs, and that is what made me fall in love with Ghazal,” says Sayed. “Not just at home, we play Ghazal even in the car when we are travelling. This must-have influenced their young minds. Later Sayed wanted to pair his rendition with harmonium and tabla. Seeing his interest I got them both. Since the first lockdown, all three of them have been practising,” says Dr Muhammed Basheer, their father.
Once the instruments came home, the youngsters became all the more interested. “Though the instruments were brought for Sayed, we both also wanted to try. Ghazals captured our attention as well, it intensified after seeing our elder brother’s enthusiasm,” says Najad. Soon the trio took the aid of YouTube tutorials and learnt how to play instruments. Sayed can now play the harmonium and sing simultaneously. “None of us have any formal training. But when I hear the music, my hands automatically play the keys,” says Sayed.
According to the boys’ father, being amateurs are helping them improvise and get creative with their music. “If they aspire to learn music professionally, I will support them. But that might also lead to them getting influenced by the style of their teachers,” adds Basheer.
Starting with poetry, Sayed attempted other genres too,. But Ghazas stayed with him. “When compared to other genres of music, Ghazals have a way of soothing our hearts. It touches our souls. The meaningful lyrics will make you want to sing more,” he adds. The younger siblings also share the same opinion.
With the little practice they have had, the trio can sing and play percussion to Ghazals of any type, be it Hindi, Malayalam, or Urdu. The youngest prodigy Yamin also concentrates both on instruments and singing. “Umbaayi’s songs had influenced me a lot. Though I play gypsy now, I want to move on to other instruments as well,” he says.
Both Basheer and his wife Nubla claim the kids’school, GMUP school Elettil, has been very encouraging of the kids’talents, and that the school always supported them.“We identified Sayed’s potential in music when he sang a the maupila songs effortlessly in the first grade.The teachers of the school were able to recognise my son’s potential,” says Muhammed Basheer. The trio aspire to get trained in music and want to perform together on stage.