Mera Waala Gaana

“Beautiful songs could sometimes take a person out of themselves and carry them away to a place of magic.”

This one is for Shafqat's youngest fan, my friend's six-month old, who apparently sleeps to the sound of this song every night :)

Ever wondered what song would you choose to listen if it were the very last song that you would hear, ever… Most music lovers would have a very hard time just thinking about it. But I, for one, have it all sorted out. Because I have this one song.. .my most favorite across genres, across singers, and across eras… And the song is ‘Khamaj’ from the album Saagar by Fuzon

What is about the song that appeals to me? Is it the lyrics, or the melody… or the voice, I have often wondered…

They say that in the brain there isn’t just one specific area that gets stimulated by music. In fact music is that one thing which stimulates and utilizes the most parts of the brain. Both the right and left hemispheres are involved in its interpretation because one makes sense of the lyrics and the other imbibes the melody.  But music is something beyond the words and the melody- it evokes memories, creates imagery that is capable of transporting you far away, introduces you to  new emotions and reminds of you some old and forgotten ones.

If I were to sum it up scientifically- At the heart of liking a song lies the pleasurable feeling that it evokes as a result of some complex electrical activity happening in the brain. And that’s what makes us play it on the loop and never tire of it…

Saying, that I LOVE the voice that has rendered Khamaj would be stating the obvious…  the song sounds wonderful each time he sings it. Be it the Fuzon original or the Coke Studio version or more recently on MTV unplugged.

Then there are the lyrics… The song is based on a Patiala Gharana thumri and Shafqat has given it the form of a song by adding more words and extending the composition…

The lyrics…

Sawan beeto jaye piharwa / mann mora ghabraye re...

Aiso gaye pardes piya tum / Chein humein nahi aaye

Mora sayiyaan mose bole na , Mein laakh jatan kar haari /Mora sayiyan mose bole na

Tu jo nahi to aise piya hum / Jaise soona aangana

Nain tihari raah niharein /Nainon ko tarsao na

Mora sayiyaan mose bole na…

Pyaar tumhe kitna karte hein /Tum ye samajh nahi paaoge

Jab hum na honge to piharwa/ Bolo kya tab aaoge...

I read the lyrics in a slightly different way than most people do.  Most may consider this a love song, a romantic number; but for me the words speak of a spiritual desire of a soul… its longing to merge with the creator

My transcreation…

Life goes by, my restlessness abounds

Since you abandoned me no peace I’ve found

Won’t you say something to me?

Pay heed…to my desperate plea?

Without you my soul feels bare

Expectant eyes, into emptiness they stare

My cries are but all in vain

Won’t you ever understand this pain?

The depth of my love, you won’t comprehend

How can I wait, till beyond the end?

And my love for the song led me to discover some amazing cover versions of the song on YouTube. There are hundreds and sifting through them wasn’t an easy task. But here’s my pick of the ones that touched me in one way or another…

Parivartan

This has to be the most “intelligent” cover version.. (no wonder then that it comes from the IITK music club - a pleasant surprise to see that the IITs have music geeks as well) It fuses Khamaj so beautifully with another Bandish by Ustad Abdul Rashid Khan and the two gel so well ….the synergies of the mood and the essence of the two creates magic. My absolute favorite!

And here's the bonus when they get to perform it for the man himself...

Navneet/ Pallav-

The simplicity, the sincerity, the serenity… also some lovely guitar playing and some interesting improvisation…

Sandeep Batra

This one has an amazing Video… just goes to show how this song inspires people in so many different ways. Some good singing as well

Agatha Singh…

Crystal clear voice, technically brilliant… The dedication, the practice, the hardwork…

The perfect choice for reality music shows..

Asad Abbas sings in Sangeet Icon Pakistan

Sniti Misra in Saregamapa

Shafqat’s nephew Ali Amjad renders it here. 

You can hear bits of the traditional thumri creep in – as it was sung by Ustad Fateh Ali Khan and Ustand Amanat Ali Khan.  Music certainly runs in this family…

H.W. Longfellow said…

“God sent his Singers upon earth

With songs of sadness and of mirth,

That they might touch the hearts of men,

And bring them back to heaven again.”

God Bless you Shafqat Amanat Ali, for I see my heaven in your Khamaj!