The First...& the Most Special

"The night came…and it brought the star(s) with it..."

Being a Shafqat fan is a joy for me…but the joy had always felt a little incomplete- reason being that I had not seen him perform live. A wish that had grown stronger with two very close missed chances of attending his concerts in the past.

My fascination for live concerts began as a child, years ago. It was when my dad bought our first tape recorder- the latest rage in the market at that point in time. And the first ever tape that he bought was titled “Lata in England” – the recording of the great singing legend in a live concert. It was absolutely amazing to hear the melodious voice speak directly to her audiences, the grand sounds of a live orchestra and the applause of the enchanted listeners- an absolutely different experience from hearing the recorded song on radio.

And over the years I watched many memorable ones- Have been a part of a massive crowd listening to Jagjit Singh on the Ridge at the famous Shimla Summer festival... Have listened and learnt a lot from the college and school concerts with many a bigwigs of Indian classical music as an active member of the SPICMACAY (names like Hari Prasad Chaurasia, Shiv Kumar Sharma and many more)... Have been a part of a small intimate gathering that kept requesting n number of songs and getting happily obliged each time by the great Ghulam Ali  (sat there till the wee hours of morning with no thought of food, water or any other insignificant thing even crossing the mind…)

But this one was really special…as it gave me a sense of totality as far as my admiration for his work is concerned.  Had booked my tickets well in advance and the fact that it was an MTV unplugged concert made me look forward to it even more as I love the concept of the show.

It was surreal to watch him walk up on stage and then after some small talk to break the ice, he started straight away in top gear with Khamaj… and with that I knew this was an evening that I wouldn't forget very easily.

The music flowed through the night…and so did the love …and the humor-Was pleasantly surprised to see the funny bone in him as he made his way around the table- nibbling at a snack from someone’s plate at one, playfully pretending to steal a whiskey bottle from another. He happily obliged people with big hugs and photo ops and even remained smilingly patient with the over enthusiastic ones. He also sang along with a few and gave them memories to cherish forever.

If Khamaj happened, could Aankhon ke Saagar be far behind? Ye Hausla, Kyun main Jagoon followed…interspersed with an impromptu Khaideyan de Naal on the request of a very vocal and persistent fan in the audience and  then Aaj Jaane ki zid na Karo- the anthem of music lovers in both countries, as he put it, happened...  and it was magical as it always is. Darbari from Tabeer was a surprise and Manmaniyan, the new song that he did for MTV unplugged India, was a treat to hear.

He also teamed up with Shilpa Rao, the other star of the evening for a very beautiful Bin Tere. And they both sang together and ended the show on a high with the perennial favorite- Dama dam Mast Qalander. It was such a delight to hear the two great voices, one earthy and mellow- the other powerful and divine, collaborate, improvise, and add a new dimension to the wonderful song, which, he said, wasn't just a song for him but an Ibadat, a prayer.

And I sat there in the audience (mouth agape all the time, I have to admit, sheepishly) taking down mental notes of little things… like his touching his ear to say sorry for slightly faltering at a note (which no one could  have known beside him), his bowing down to touch the floor of the stage each time he climbed back onto it after a round of audience interaction, his open-hearted introduction to, and generous compliments for the musicians accompanying him, his obeisance to  the spiritual master each time he sang the name of Ali in ‘Dum Ali Ali Dum ’

It was heartwarming indeed, to see that even in this day and age where music in live concerts seems to take a backseat to food, booze and cellphones he still manages to preserve some of the adab , the etiquette, of the great tradition of music in the subcontinent. I just wish we, as audiences, would learn to do a bit of the same, for that’s the least we can do to show our reverence for our artists and the art

So that’s that…my first ever Shafqat concert and hopefully not the last. And firsts are always special aren't they...

The first born of the family, the first step of a toddler, your first salary, the first ray of the sun on a brand new day, the first star you spot in the evening sky, the first time you fell in love…So this too was very, very special indeed!