My Stairway to Heaven

“ There is no better way of getting closer to God, of rising higher towards the spirit, of attaining spiritual perfection than music..”.

-Hazrat Inayat Khan

My first brush with religion and music probably happened at the same time. One of my earliest and most beautiful memories is of me sitting next to my grandfather as he performed his morning puja- the daily ritual of invoking the Gods. And my most favorite part was the Arti- the song in the praise of the Gods, that is sung every day in millions of Hindu homes.  He sang it in a very different tune and style compared to the traditional version. This version of “Jai Jagdish Hare” that he sang, I found out later, was composed and sung by Pandit Vishnu Digambar- one of the greats of the Hindustani classical music traditions- the one who  is credited for bringing the classical music out of the courts and palaces to the masses. He is also the composer of the very popular, and Mahatma Gandhi’s favorite- Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram

Music is inextricably linked to religion the world over- there’s music in the ringing of the temple bells… in the muezzin’s call, in the organ playing in a church, in the Buddhist chants… It is just one of the many, and for me the best way, to connect to the higher power up there. So devotional and Sufi are genres of music that I feel a natural affinity for, and there are only a few voices  that have the kind of effect on me that Shafqat Amanat Ali's voice has in this genre.

“Only the flint of man's soul can strike fire in music”, said Beethoven.  The voice that connects me to God must definitely belong to a person who has already established that connection. We get glimpses of Shafqat’s own spiritual beliefs through his interviews. In a very interesting radio interview of his he is asked about the connection of his music to religion and he mentions how his riyaaz, the daily practice of music, always began with reciting the name of “Allah” as that would be the only way to get a perfect round “aaaah” for his alaaps. In another interview he talks of the spiritual influences that inspire his style of music and also the kind of power the Sufi music wields when it comes to matters of faith and love.

The bond between his music/singing and his spirituality shines through in this very powerful and divine rendition of the kalaam of Allama Iqbal by Shafqat and Sanam Marvi

The color of devotion or bhakti is the strongest of all colors.Once you experience it, there's no escape. Like Kabir says...

“Lali mere lal ki, jit dekhu tit lal.

Lali dekhan main gayi, main bhi ho gayi lal.”

Amir Khusro talks a lot about this color that consumes you and makes you one with the Lord...

“Bal bal jāūn main tore rang rajvā

Apnī sī kar līnhī re mose nainā milāike"

This Amir Khusro creation, from the album Tabeer, talks of the desire to get colored and absorbed in devotion. Tabeer showcases beautifully the Sufi aspect of Shafqat Amanat Ali’s music. Sung very differently from the way in which Khusro is normally sung, this song still does what it is meant to do, i.e. converse with God

After the glimpse and the igniting of the desire to be one with Him, begins the search, often guided by madness, a passion. And the search is hard and long ; it tests the patience but the journey is a joy in itself, and the passion to travel on the chosen path is what will eventually lead to its logical end …

Paagalpan- inspired by a Sindhi folk song, again from Tabeer, is a prayer to keep that passion intact…

And while you journey the path of devotion, sometimes the longing to be one with the Supreme is so strong that the thought of not having reunited with Him causes pain and some sadness. Rohi- a Kafi, originally sung by Zahida Parveen , adapted so beautifully by Shafqat for Tabeer, is that yearning..

And the only way to overcome the sadness is surrender to His will- the surrender can be joyful where you happily say – I leave it up to you to guide me.- I go, where you lead me- Naukar Tere, from the album Kyun Dooriyan

Or you surrender sometimes in despair and with the hope that it’s He alone who can redeem you..

Manqabat from Tabeer

And to the fortunate ones He reveals Himself- it is that one moment that when the soul finally becomes one with the Supreme- Raanjha ,Raanjha karti ni main aape Raanjha hoi - and that’s when the soul  celebrates and calls the world to applaud the culmination of its journey….

Aao saiyo ral deyo ni vadhaai. Main var paaya raanjha maahi… the inimitable Bulleh Shah sung by the inimitable Shafqat Amanat Ali…

Bathe me in thy color divine

Keep intact, this passion of mine

I shall yearn, I shall pine

I'll bow to thee , to your will , I'll resign

Then the glorious moment, when the light shall shine

This is the essentially what spirituality means to me...

It’s Shafqat’s voice and his music that takes me through every stage of this spiritual voyage right from desire, to excitement, to the craving, the pain and the final ecstasy-and it transports me to a higher world, each time.  His soulful, Sufi singing is certainly my stairway to heaven!