Darbari: The Royal Raaga

“A monumental raga, unmatched in Hindustani raga space for its gravitas, difficult in its swara-lagav, and profound for its emotional impact on the innocent and the illuminati alike.” 

– Rajan Parrikar

Kuch Ajab Khel Kartar ke- sings Shafqat Amanat Ali in this track from his album, Tabeer.  It is, according to him, his own interpretation of the age old Darbari bandish that has been passed on from generation to generation of the Patiala Gharana.

The original bandish is in fact said to have been one of the over 5000 bandishes that were passed on to the Patiala Gharana founders, Ali Baksh and Fateh Ali Khan by the great Ustad Tanras Khan of the Dilli Gharana- the very well known musician in the court of Bahadur Shah Zafar, the last Mughal King. He is the one who is said to have polished the Khayal singing of the two cousins to such an extent that they became the most formidable names in the whole of Northern India at that point in time

( Read in more detail about Ali Baksh, Fateh Ali Khan and how the Patiala Gharana came into being in this article

Another very famous bandish in Darbari which is attributed to Ustad Tanras Khan is based on the very famous tarana by Amir Khusro called “Yaar-e Mann beya” - Sung here by Ustads Salamat and Nazakat Ali of the Sham Chaurasi Gharana. 

A popular version by the Mekaal Hassan band of Pakistan

The most stately and distinguished of the Raagas, Darbari is said to have been created by none other than Mian Tansen, the legendary musician at King Akbar’s court. A Raaga performed at late hours of night, belonging to the Asavari thaat of the Bhatkande system of classification, Darbari is considered a difficult Raga to master. It is considered a gambhir Raga.  

The majesty and somber nature of this raga mandates its singing in the mandr saptak or lower octaves and in a slow tempo or the vilambit laya. The swaras Ga, Dha and Ni are komal or flat. In fact it is believed that the Dha and Ga swaras are not just komal but ati komal in Darbari. Another striking feature of the Raga is the use of andolan - the oscillation or swinging of the komal Ga and Dha which adds to its beauty and this is demonstrated in this short clip that demonstrates the aaroh and avroh of the Raga

Raaga Darbari- Aaroh, Avroh

But coming back to the Patiala Gharana and Kuch Ajab Khel , here is the bandish in its classical form being rendered by Ustad Amanat Ali and Ustad Fateh Ali Khan

Some More Darbari by the Patiala Gharana

First a short clip by Ustad Ashiq Ali- the son of Fateh Ali Khan one of the founders of the Patiala Gharana., who was “widely regarded as the ultimate statement of ‘tayyari’and ‘layakari’ by most of the vocalists of the Punjab region.” (read more about him here) http://www.sadarang.com/Ustad%20Ashiq%20Ali%20Khan%20-%20Saqib%20Razaq.htm

Next the very famous- Anokha Ladla, khelan ko maange chaand by Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, who also happened to be Ustad Ashiq Ali’s disciple

A beautiful ghazal by Ustad Amanat Ali Khan

And this  superb rendition by Ustad Fateh Ali Khan 

Ustad Fateh Ali Khan along with Zahida Parveen in this Darbari composition for a film

And the very popular duo of Asad Amanat Ali and Hamid Ali sing a tarana in Darbari

An interesting anecdote related to the raga is about Ustad Hafiz Ali Khan- the great Sarod maestro and father of Ustad Amjad Ali Khan. Apparently when he was at Rashtrapati Bhavan to receive his Padma award, the then president, Dr.  Rajendra Prasad asked if there was anything he could do for him.  The only request the latter had was that the President do something to save the Raga Darbari as he felt that people were taking too many liberties while performing it and since it was a precious creation of Tansen, he wanted it to be preserved in its purest forms for generations to come. The President was at a loss of words, recalls Amjad Ali Khan, who had accompanied his father for the function, but promised to look into the matter. A triumphant Hafiz Khan returned home to declare to his wife that the President would now be taking steps to save the great Raga!

NoorJehan, who is fondly remembered as Mallika- e – Tarannum; the Queen of Melody, also owes this title to Darbari it seems. Here in this video she recalls how it was singing the song Bulbulo mat ro yahan, based on Darbari for the film Zeenat in 1944 that earned her the title that stayed with her throughout her life and even after.

Talking of Darbari in Hindi films, there are scores of songs composed in the Raga

One top of the mind song is O duniya ke rakhwaale from Baiju Bawara. And here is the beautiful rendition of the sargam of the Raga by Ustad Amir Khan from the movie

And if there is one artist who has brought out the beauty of this Raaga in various moods in  Bollywood music ever so beautifully through his songs it is Manna Dey

He brings out the beauty of the shringar rasa in this Shankar- Jaikishen composition

Bhakti/ Vairagya in this very beautiful one created by SM Tripathi.. Ud ja bhanvar Manna Dey, which is supposed to be classic demonstration of the -'ati komal andolit gandhar'- a hallmark of Darbari

And surprisingly the raaga known for its serious demeanor used so beautifully for comic / humorous mood in these two songs

Pyaar ki aag mein  by SD burman

Lapak Jhapak from Boot Polish, composer: Shankar- Jaikishen

The Darbari has been beautifully used by AR Rahman for a couple of his projects:

Acid Darbari , 127 hours

Raaga’s dance : This one was composed by ARR for Vanessa Mae’s  album Choreography

Passion from The Last temptation of Christ , composed by Peter Gabriel, has Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan rendering some heartfelt Darbari

And lastly Shafqat’s most recent Bollywood song, Ras ke bhare tore main based on Darbari for the movie Satyagraha, though perhaps not  quite as impactful as the other Darbari that he sung.

Kuch Ajab Khel Ke Katar ke, Shafqat says, is a kind of a complaint or a shiqwa to the Almighty for His ways which are seemingly unfair…  and it is the Raag Darbari that makes sure that this plaintive, disconsolate plea reaches right up to Him in the heavens

The Legacy (II) -Ustad Fateh Ali Khan

“There is a difference between a 'competent singer' and a 'great artist'. The former is a jaankar; sings in sur and laya ; understands raag and taal; and, knows how to connect with the audience. The latter is one who has led a full life; one who has been through life's ups and downs, experienced love and betrayal, dealt with friends and enemies, survived poverty and abundance, and tried to make sense of all that life encompasses.” ~ Ustad Fateh Ali Khan

A living-legend in the true sense of the word, one of the most prominent representatives of a great musical lineage, the doyen of the great tradition of the Patiala Gharana… Ustad Fateh Ali Khan.

It is hard to talk about the music and achievements of this stalwart, who has spent more than 6 decades in the field, in just a few words. And that’s the reason why I have been stuck with writing this post for weeks now.

My engagement with the music of this great artist happened because of my admiration for Shafqat’s singing which has set me on a path of exploration of the Patiala Gharana legacy. And experiencing his singing has just reaffirmed my belief that music in its pure classical form is as divine as a heartfelt prayer.

And the one thing that I feel hasn’t changed about him over the years- a thing that I noticed over a period of time as I watched video after video of his performances on YouTube- is his child like enthusiasm every time he sings. The pure joy on his face as he renders the difficult ups and downs of the musical scale reminds me of the expression on the face of a child who has just entered a candy store. This purity of his singing is what makes an instant connection with his listeners and then it that stays on  with them forever.

Raag Aiman with nephew Amjad Amanat ali Khan

Born in 1935 in what is now the Indian Punjab, Fateh Ali Khan recalls his childhood in an interview- He would go to school like the other children but unlike them he would neither be interested in studies nor the games and play. Instead he would run away to the nearby fields and sing to his heart’s content.  He began his professional musical journey along with his elder brother Amanat Ali Khan when at the age of 11 he sang raag Aiman at the All India music conference at Calcutta.

Though he received his formal musical training from his father Ustad Akhtar Hussain, Fateh Ali Khan gives a lot of credit to his mother, too. She was the daughter of none other than Ustad Pyare Khan of the Gwalior Gharana and sister of Ustad Umeed Ali. Dr. Anjum Altaf, Dean of the LUMS recalls ..

“Ustad Fateh Ali Khan once gave me an interesting insight into this (children growing up in musical families). He said that a child at riyaaz in such a family can quite expect a shout from his mother, cooking chapatis in the kitchen, that he had missed the pancham by a shruti. In all likelihood, the mothers themselves are daughters of musicians and while not performers themselves are quite fluent in the language”

The partition in 1947 saw the family’s fortune fall as they had to migrate to the newly formed Pakistan leaving behind all material belongings and a luxurious lifestyle which they had enjoyed under the patronage of the King of Patiala.

“Amanat and I came to Lahore sitting atop a train. Even now, when I travel by train, I always look at the roof and bitter memories come back to haunt me.”- recalls the Ustad

 It was difficult to make two ends meet and his father had to resort to giving private music lessons. Thanks to the popularity of classical music on radio and later, with the advent of television the duo of Amanat and Fateh Ali Khan slowly captured the hearts of music lovers. They dominated the classical music scene in Pakistan right through the 50’s and 60’s when they took Khayal and thumri singing to new heights while performing as a Jodi

The year 1974 brought a great setback personally and professionally for the young musician who lost his brother and singing partner.The Ustad remembers the tragedy...

“I lost my brother when I was forty years old. My father had trained us in complementary portions of khayal. Amanat Ali Khan used to focus on aalaap and behlava. My specialty was taan and tayyari. His death dealt me a double blow. I lost a brother and my partner in music. This happened two years after the death of my father. His death paralyzed me emotionally and I was unable to sing for a long time.”

Fateh Ali Khan listens to his nephew singing Insha ji Utho- a Ghazal which his brother sang originally- He breaks down in the middle as he remembers his departed brother…

It was his mother, who pulled him out of this grief that left him numb. “She helped me practice Amanat Ali Khan's portion of khayal and, with her encouragement, guidance and prayers, I was able to start performing again”, says Ustad Fateh Ali Khan

The Ustad speaks of the Patiala Gharana with great pride and about how it imbibes the greatness of so many legendery singers under whom the founders Ali Baksh (his grandfather) and Fateh Ali Khan trained. He talks especially of Tanras Khan,  of the Dilli Gharana who apparently passed on more than 5000 bandishes to Aliya-Fattu.

Here the Ustad renders one of those bandishes which had been composed in the honor of the Mughal Kings. Just the thought that you are hearing something that was originally composed and performed so long ago is so very exciting for a classical music lover. It also illustrates how this ancient art that has stood the test of time and is as alluring and magical today as it was then.

And here he sings in praise of ‘Kernail’ Fateh Ali Khan-the "Taan Kaptaan"

His Khayal and thumris delight the connoisseurs but here he sings a Ghazal in his inimitable style.

And this one is a gem in Darabari Kannada from a Pakistani movie which he has sung with Zahida Parveen

He hasn’t shied away from experimenting, either. His coming together with Jan Garbarek, the famous musician and saxophone player from Norway, produced the magnificent Ragas and Sagas- an album which fuses the sounds of Jazz beautifully with the notes of Hindustani classical music. Such a wonderful example of music reaching out beyond boundaries. This one also features Deepika Thattal alias Deeyah, his student

Described as a large hearted and generous teacher by his students, Fateh Ali Khan continues to teach music and pass on the wisdom and the rich musical heritage of his Gharana. I wish him good health and long life and hope that the legacy that he so proudly guards and propogates will be carried forward by the next generation of his family and his pupils.

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Some of the references for this post come from a superb 3-article series on Ustad Fateh Ali Khan written by Ally Adnan- A must read for fans of the Ustad and the Patiala Gharana.

Links...

Part I

Part II

Part III

The Legacy (I)- Ustaad Amanat Ali Khan

Ustaad Amanat Ali Khan

“A sweeter voice than Amanat Ali Khan’s we are privileged to hear but once in a blue moon” 

 ~ A. Hamid, distinguished Pakistani Urdu novelist and short story writer

There’s a Chinese proverb which says- “Tiger father begets tiger son”. Today is Shafqat’s birthday and there couldn't be a  better day than today to pay a tribute to Ustaad Amanat Ali Khan, his father, and one of the greatest influences on his music.

My first brush with the Patiala Gharana singing happened years ago and I wasn't even aware of it. It was the 1980’s…a small hill cantonment tucked away in the mountain ranges in  north India.- a place where the only television everybody  loved to watch was PTV from across the border. There were some great stuff on air and the music was different and exciting. One of the many songs that I got to listen was the very famous“Ae mere watan Pyare watan” by Ustad Amanat Ali. I didn't know who he was back then, but the beautiful song and its beautiful rendition stayed with me.

Years later, it was his son’s singing that set me on a path of discovery of the music of this legend who took the Patiala Gharana tradition to new heights.

Born in 1931 in Patiala, India, Amanat Ali Khan was the eldest son of Ustad Akhtar Hussain and the grandson of Ustaad Ali Baksh, one of the founders of the great Patiala Gharana. Shafqat in an interview reveals that his father was a child who began talking rather late.Scientific research shows that some of the late talking children grow up to be exceptional minds with special abilities in areas that involve analytic skills. And music, after all , is nothing but the arrangement of the seven swars into countless permutations and combinations.

Amanat Ali debuted in the music world with a public performance along with his younger brother Fateh Ali Khan when he was barely into his teens and after that there was no looking back.

As I searched for some information on Ustaad Amanat Ali Khan I chanced upon an article on the band called RagaBoyz, which is formed by Amanat Ali’s grand nephews, the sons of his youngest brother Hamid Ali. It gave me some insight into the man and what his music meant to him. 

It describes an incident about how the Amanat- Fateh duo were on a flight from Dhaka to Kathmandu while their plane hit an area of severe turbulence. A scared and worried Fateh Ali was surprised to see a calm Ustad Amanat Ali humming to himself – he seemed to be almost in a trance. “Aren't you scared?” asked the younger brother. “Hush,”said the elder one. “Listen to what I just composed”. It was one of his very popular thumris, Kab Aaogey, in the Raag Bhairavi. 

I was beginning to get intrigued, when I found another article written by a friend of his, for a Pakistani daily in which among many other anecdotes, the writer, A. Hamid recalls a particular day with Amanat Ali…

“Amanat and I …sitting in a Government College hostel room … Amanat is dusting an old harmonium with his handkerchief. The instrument is untuned, but that does not deter Amanat from unravelling a raag in that beautiful voice of his. He loved the raag JaiJaivanti and he used to say that there were nights when he was able to physically invoke the presiding goddess of that divine raag.”

This spiritual connection that he had with his music comes through in another article published in the Gulf news in March 2003, written by Shoaib Hashmi, that reminiscences of Lahore in the 1960’s…

“In the Lahore of the sixties, Amanat Ali and Fateh Ali Khan sang their way into legend. Amanat Ali especially had a voice of such sweetness; a style of the delicacy of the tread of fairies; and to boot, he had a countenance of such beauty that when steeped in his music, he shone like an other-worldly being and you couldn't look him in the eyes” 

Though he was primarily a Khayaal singer his versatility is wonderfully showcased in the thumris, ghazals and the memorable patriotic songs that he has sung. A.Hamid remembers him as “handsome”, “a natty dresser” and “a man wit superb taste in literature”. The Pak Teahouse in Lahore often crops up in connection with Ustaad Amanat Ali- the traditional hangout for writers, intellectuals, and literary personalities. The Ustaad is said to have been especially fastidious about the correct rendering words, especially when he sang Ghazals, and would often discuss the exact pronunciation of words with the poets whose works he sang.

I love whatever I have had a chance to listen in his voice but I am particularly fond of his Ghazals. Here are some of my favorites

1) Bringing Ghalib to life… a soulful rendition of  “Ye na thee hamari Kismat...”

2) “Hothon pe kabhi unke mera naam hi aaye” - One of his best

3) “Aa mere pyaar ki khushboo”- Darbaari delight!

4) Hua so hua…

5) Yaar ko mainey, mujhe yaar ne sone na diya…

6) Ek Khalish ko Hasil-e-Umr-e-Rawan Rehne Diya

7) Mausam Badla Rut Gadrayi

8) Insha Ji Utho- Saving the best for the last. Some songs are just made for some singers...some singers, just for some songs!

In 1974 at the age of just 42, this legendary artist succumbed to complications of an appendicitis attack, leaving behind his music which continues to live on in the hearts of his admirers

"Are we not like two volumes of one book?"-wrote Marceline Desbordes-Valmore, in reference to the father – son relationship.

I hope that Shafqat will seriously consider re recording some of these gems… The Ghazals by Ustad Amaant Ali certainly deserve a second volume!

This is first in the series of posts on the beautiful legacy of music that is the Patiala Gharana- the tradition to which Shafqat Amanat Ali belongs.

Jingle Bells, Soap Bubbles & Other Such... (III)

Keeping the Music Alive..

This one talks about the songs Shafqat has sung as a tribute to various artists- musicians and composers

"The only thing better than singing is more singing" ~ Ella Fitzgerald

Noor Jehan

In a radio interview an RJ asked Shafqat Amanat Ali, "Who is the one female singer in Pakistan that you would choose to sing a duet with?" "Madam Noor Jehan," was his instant reply. The legendary singer, who enthralled generations in the sub-continent with her sweet and melodious voice, the one who was aptly conferred the title of "Mallika - e- Tarannum" is the pride not just of Pakistan but of music lovers across the subcontinent.

Here is Shafqat paying her a tribute by singing one of her songs. This was when he was a part of the Fuzon band

And this is the original by the legend herself 

The closest thing that can help one to imagine how Shafqat would have sounded if he sang with Noor Jehan  would be  this duet of hers for a Pakistani film which she sang with  Shafqat’s father, the great Ustad Amanat Ali.

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Ustad Amanat Ali Khan/ Asad Amanat Ali

 

Shafqat maintains that one of the greatest inspirations for his music is his own father who enjoyed a great amount of popularity and respect among the music lovers in the 60’s. Not only was he an accomplished classical vocalist, he is also ranked among the finest Ghazal singers of all times.

Shafqat recalled a very interesting anecdote related to his father in a TV interview recently. In the 60’s there was a particularly bad year in Pakistan where the monsoons had been much delayed causing a lot of woe, especially to the farmers. The great Ustad, a firm believer in the power of music, suggested to one of his radio producers that they should compose a prayer to God requesting him to end the plight. Legend has it, that as the song was being aired on the radio, the first drops of the monsoon actually began to fall…

Here’s Shafqat singing the same song

He sings one of his father’s ghazal  here and also pays tribute to his brother Asad Amanat Ali, another star of the family.

Hothon pe kabhi unke mera naam bhi aaye- is one of the most popular ghazals rendered by Ustad Amanat Ali and one of my favorites. And Kisi aur gham mein itni khalish e niha nahi hai would probably make it to the top 3 of my all-time favorite ghazals

Here are the original renditions by the maestros

Both the brothers have paid a tribute of their father by singing one of his songs together.

The original

You can see that both the brothers have inherited their father’s singing traits. While Asad has more of the khanak, the joyful tinkle in the voice and the ability to play with the notes, Shafqat has inherited the calmness, the sukoon, the ease, as well as the ability to explore and pursue the notes to their ultimate height or depth!

Read about and hear Shafqat’s rendition of Asad Amanat Ali’s famous Punjabi song Umra Langiaan- in this blog post 

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Mehdi Hassan

"He had a very mellow and melodious voice with an immense command on diction at the same time. You don’t need anything else to make an outstanding singer,"- Shafqat Amanat Ali about the Mehdi Hassan after the passing away of the Ghazal King

Here's Shafqat singing his "Zindagi mein to sabhi pyaar kiya kartein hain"

And Mehdi Hassan’s live rendition 

And here he sings a Mehdi Hassan song composed by the great composer Sohail Rana

The original

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Sohail Rana is also the composer of the very popular Aaj Jaane Ki zid na karo- read more about Shafqat’s rendition of the song as a tribute to the composer here

Jagjit Singh

One of the most popular Ghazal singers, ever, whom we lost not so long ago… and when the industry joined hands to pay him a tribute , Shafqat Amanat Ali was there, too, with this ghazal of his

The original

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Bollywood retro

And when I hear Shafqat sing..

Lata Mangeshkar ‘s Allah tero naam

Hemant Kumar’s Ye Nayan dare dare

Rafi’s Ajhun na aaye balma & Din dhal jaaye

Kishore’s tere bina zindagi se koi ( towards the end of  this video) 

http://ibnlive.in.com/videos/244220/wish-i-had-sung-tere-bina-zindagi-se-koi-shafqat.html

And above all  Saigal's (unfortunately only on a TV promo, and thus very briefly)  main kya jaanu kya jadoo hai
(for  a show on Geo TV- if someone has a video of it please do share)

I start thinking that Shafqat should formally sing some of the golden classics from Bollywood for an album. I even have a wish list…

• Kasme wade pyar wafa  by Manna Dey
• Koi sagar dil ko and Man re tu kahe na dheer dhare by Rafi
• Wo sham kuch ajeeb thi by Kishore
• Sajnwa bairi ho gaye and Kahin door jab din dhal jaaye by Mukesh…and the list could go on and on…

As they say... if wishes were horses... :)