Goodbye 2012, Hello 2013!

It’s that time of the year when you sit and look back at the best moments that made the year so special. Every TV channel , radio station, every blogger is doing their top 20, top 10….so I decided to follow suit and relive all those memorable moments that made this year special for all Shafqat fans like me.  Here goes…

Bollywood Songs

Six Bollywood songs this year- each sung brilliantly, as usual…each one different from the other.The year started with the soulful Darmiyaan, went on to a very exuberant  Tu hi mera and then there was a less noticed but very well sung Ya Maula which belonged to the genre that Shafqat is a master in.

Phir le Aaya was just wow! Only a beautiful frame is worthy of displaying a beautiful picture- and this was a song that showcases the wonderful talent like never before.

Zindagi se chura ke struck a chord with the masses and then Tera Mera naam, a soft and mellow number came right towards the end.

My top 3 Bollywood songs

3. Tu Hi Mera (Jannat 2) – buoyant, joyful …perfect for a day when you are feeling happy for no specific reason

2. Darmiyaan- (Jodi Breakers) – It’s the lyrics by Irshaad Kaamil and the heartfelt singing by Shafqat which do the trick in this one.

1. Phir Le Aaya – Redux (Barfi)- What do I say about this one…I had a full post on it …so go read it here.

Collaborations

Shafqat got together with some other musicians to create some fantastic musical moments…

3. IIFA Rocks performance with Ehsaan - Khamaj and Mitwa unplugged…What a rocking and memorable performance

2. 'Manmaniyan' with Ranjit Barot on MTV unplugged- Some of his old songs were rearranged on this acclaimed show but the bonus for his fans was a brand new number called Manmaniyan- A track created by Ranjit Barot and lyrics by Shafqat - the gelling of the Punjabi Sufi words with the western beats and arrangement was hard to imagine but his singing made it work; and so beautifully at that. read more about it here

1. 'Let Go' with Fin Greenall and Salim - Sulaiman – A beautiful collaboration for the opening episode of the Dewarists Season 2. The song saw some really inspired singing by Shafqat and left everyone mesmerized. This is what Fin Greenall had to say about working with him…

“Shafqat, well, he is just a legend. His skill set is ancient and wow, he can sing! He has a gift for sure and to work with him and have him do his thing as a singer I definitely felt a little star struck."

Concerts

From Dhaka to Dubai, from Delhi to Toronto the live concerts were happening everywhere. He sang at Mosaic, a south Asian Music and cultural festival in Canada; at the Delhi edition of the popular NH7 Weekender; at the Times Festival in Hyderabad; and at the Tri Nations Music Fest at Dhaka.

Here are my top 3 Concert moments for 2012

3. Singing with Strings and Mika at Intensity concert in Dubai

2. “Ye nayan dare dare” at the Quli  Qutab Shahi Tomb in Hyderabad for the Times Festival

1. A tribute to Bahadur Shah Zafar at the Red Fort for the Urdu Heritage Festival

TV/ radio appearances/ Interviews

Among several print and TV interviews- most of them still stuck with the oft repeated – How did you start your musical journey or How did you enter Bollywood …to the ill researched- Why did you leave your band “Jal” (what???)  or Can you please sing my favorite song of yours – Rangrez from Tanu Weds Manu ( huh??) to the let’s see in how many different ways can you answer each time we ask you this- What do you think about Indo- Pak relations- these were the 3 that stood out for me

3. Shakhsiyat with Samina- A dignified and pleasant host who managed to give us a glimpse of the influence his illustrious family has on his music

2. Geo Shaan Se- The host, who featured in the very popular video of Khamaj, explored various facets of his personality. It was also worth a watch for some interesting anecdotes narrated by the man himself (my favorite was about him meeting a fan who was upset with him as she believed he had married four times!J)

1. Agenda Aaj Tak – He appeared alongside Kailash Kher and Ali Zafar to talk about music beyond boundaries. His rendition of Saigal’s Main kya jaano kya jaadu hai after he spoke about how each song he  listened to in his childhood was a part of his training in  the technical nuances of singing...his singing bits of some melodious Punjabi numbers of Noor Jehan and Mehdi Hassan to illustrate what kind of Punjabi he grew up with-all this and more made this event a must watch for his fans.

  'सरहदों की दूरियां मिटाता है संगीत': AAJ TAK: Video

And top 3 reasons to feel excited about 2013

3. A live concert in a city near me has to happen this year...

2. Bigger and better in Bollywood- more music directors, more hit numbers

1. A new album is on the way… 2013 will be special just because of THAT!

That Special Connection...

I have a theory…it’s about a special connection, a special fascination, that Shafqat Amanat Ali has, which inspires him to create the music that he does- and the theory emerged after watching some of his recent television appearances.

First, the opening episode of the season 2 of The Dewarists- on which Shafqat along with the music director duo of Salim- Suleiman and Fin Greenall created a song called “Let Go”. And then there was MTV unplugged, again into its second season, where Shafqat featured in the 2nd episode and sang, along with a few of his very popular hits, a brand new song called “Manmaniyan”

Let go

“Akhiyan wich wasda…nazar ni aaunda/Samajh ni aaundi karamat , teri

Hai yeh kaise mujhme sohbat teri…Akhiyan nu de de aasra

Suna tu hai vaade de khara ve…Akhiyan nu de de aasra

Sab toh sona, tu mere ch rehnda /Hai ae kaisi ajab sajavat teri

Hai ye kaisi mujhme banavat teri..Akhiyan nu de de aasra”

In my eyes you dwell, yet remain invisible- just can’t fathom this enigma

You are within, one with me… Just reassure my eyes

You are true to your words, so I’ve heard- Reveal Yourself and soothe my eyes

You, the most beautiful, resides in me- how mysterious is this magnificence

You take my form and that’s why I am…Let my eyes, too behold this glory

Manmaniyan

The Video

“Jagde rehnde na saun, Kaanu vairi hue apne/Bas teriyan rahan te jam gey ne nain mere

Tainu labde ne nain, Phaven din phaven rein/Tainu har vele, kehn, jaaniyan

Das jaa ve dil jaaniyan/Kaanu karna hai manmaniyan

Laaye dere saatho door ve, Kaanu keeta ee majboor/Kinu aakhan dil diyan galaan,Tainu likh likh sanehe ghallan

Teriyan socha ch rehn, Nai thakde kamle nain/Na ik pal lende chein./Dukh tere has- has sehn”

The sleep eludes… my eyes, torment me/ Staring forever at the path you walked on

Searching, day and night/Asking you- Why do you never yield, never relent?You are so far away, and I feel helpless/ Whom do I confide into, have  tried reaching out to you

Thinking about you endlessly, they don’t tire, these crazy eyes/ Never resting for a moment, happily they endure this suffering…

So what’s common in both these songs, besides the fact that Shafqat sang them?

One of course is the genre and mood. Both the songs have the elements of Sufism. Then the lyrics of Shafqat’s portion in Let Go and of course the song Manmaniyan are both in Punjabi and both incidentally, have been penned by the man himself. (That Punjabi is the language that Shafqat has his conversations with God in, is another theory that I have, but let’s just stick to the present one for now)

So the one common thing in these two songs that struck me was that both the songs talk about- Eyes! And my theory is that Shafqat has a special connection and fascination with the word eyes and its synonyms too, when it comes to his songs…

“The eye through which I see God is the same eye through which God sees me; my eye and God's eye are one eye, one seeing, one knowing, one love.” - Meister Eckhart

This connection with the eyes is not really surprising because it is a well-known fact that there is a strong Sufi side to Shafqat’s personality and you can catch a glimpse of it in every song of his. Sufism often talks about eyes being the gateway to the soul. The eyes and the heart are the senses of the soul and all three are interconnected. We use our eyes to see the physical world around us but when we shut our eyes we start looking inwards.

“I shut my eyes in order to see”-said Paul Gauguin because when we close our eyes we start seeing what we are supposed to see- In an attempt to find an inspiration, in prayer or meditation, while experiencing something beautiful… Many singers, including Shafqat, often sing with their eyes closed… and we often close ours while listening to our favorite songs..

“Then love knew it was called love. And when I lifted my eyes to your name, suddenly your heart showed me my way”- Pablo Neruda

Shafqat also is, by his own admission, a hard core romantic. In fact Sufism is also a form a romance- the highest and the purest- where the soul romances the Supreme. But even for the mere mortal kind of romance the significance of the eyes can never be undermined. So poets and songwriters of all times have written about love at first sight, songs in praise of the eyes of the beloved, eyes shedding tears of separation, eyes waiting for the lost love to return and so on…

“Eyes can only capture objects that are already seen in mind. And mind can only see things that are already written in heart.”- Toba Beta

Shafqat has written the lyrics for almost all the songs of his 3 albums so far. Fuzon’s Saagar was Shafqat’s debut album and the very first song composed for it was “Aankhon ke Saagar”. The other equally popular Khamaj talks about the lover who is silent and urges him to come back – “Nain teehari raah nihare, naino ko tarsao na”. And then there is another one which is called Akhiyan, pleading the lover never to be out of sight…

Probably the best song from his next, Tabeer, is Khaireyan de Naal and it talks about having found enlightenment through love… “Bund Aankhon se raah dikhe, Raanjhe who jot jagayi” It also has a song called Naina- about eyes that have forgotten to sleep as they are so lost in love…”Din mein na soyein bairi, raaton ko jaage, jab se ye paagal naina tere sang laage”

His last released  album was- Kyun Dooriyan, which has a beautiful composition in Pahaari that talks about  how a pall of gloom that has descended in someone’s world since their beloved abandoned them and how the tears from the eyes can never stop flowing…

“Humri Nagariya Chhayee Badariya/Naina Bahein Saari Rain

Aaja Sanwariya Teri Ye Bawariya, Jogan Ho Gayo Bhes”

Like someone has said- “If eyes are windows to the soul, then tears are heavens rain.”

And the mood continues in Mahiya…

“Har Vele Rehndiyan Ne Taanga Mainu Teriyan/Tak Tak Rawaan Akhan Thak Gayeeyan Meriyan

Akhiyan Nu Chaa Barha Channa Teri Deed Da/Ban Ke Tu Aaja Kadi Chann Jiven Eid Da”…

The eyes yearn to have one glimpse of you…appear before me; won’t you like the blessed Eid moon in the sky?

If I ever get to ask him, I am certainly going to ask Shafqat – what’s with you and the eyes? :) Because when Shafqat himself isn’t pursuing the eyes, they are pursuing him…look at the lyrics of some of the Bollywood songs that he got to sing…

Tere Naina –"Rab ki nemat hai teri nighaein"

Mitwa –"teri nigahein paa gayin raahein, par tu ye soche jaun na jaun"

Bin Tere- "Ajnabi se hue kyun pals nazar se nazar yeh milaate hi nahin"

Zindagi se churake- "Ab sath hain hum is tarah aankhon ke sang palken/Aa waqt ko ye baat hum phir ek baar kehde"

Tu hi mera- "Tere Ishq Me Dooba Rahe/Din Raat Yuhin Sadaa/Mere Khwaab Se Aakhein Teri /Ik Pal Na Hoye Judaa"

You might call this stretching the logic, too far: P…but then maybe you should have watched Shafqat at a recent TV channel event singing – “Main kya jaanu kya jaadu hai, inn do matwaale naino mein”- when he was asked to sing a memorable song that he grew up with. And then “Ye nayan dare dare” when asked what his most favorite romantic number was.

Convinced? Do you see the connection, now? For Eye  I certainly do… But  if you still don’t then I suggest that you put on your favorite Shafqat song, 'shut your eyes and  see  listen to the beauty…'