The Magnificence of Malkauns

"I rule over the emotions. I cause the deepest and gravest feelings to swirl slowly around you just as the Milky Way with millions of stars moves imperceptibly around a central point."

~ Malkauns -What the Ragas Told Me,Vasudev Murty

'Pyaar nahin hai sur se jisko'- Shafqat recorded this while he was part of Fuzon and this remained unreleased after the band broke up. It’s a favorite because of so many reasons : the words that would touch any music lover; the superb singing, but above all Malkauns!

Malkauns is an Audav (pentatonic) raga of the Bhairavi Thaat under the Bhatkande system of classification of Hindustani classical music. Re and Pa notes are omitted from this Raga. Ga, Dha and Ni are Komal. Its vadi (most prominent swara) is Ma and samvadi ( second most prominent) is Sa.

This video demonstrates its basics-

Performed late in night this ancient Raga is said to have been created to placate enraged Lord Shiva as he performed Tandava- the celestial dance. As Vasudev Murthy mentions about the  Raga- “ Komal Dhaivat gives peace, calm and order to the troubled turbulent mind.”

Considered a serious Raga it’s beauty is more pronounced when performed in vilambit (slow) taal (tempo) and Meend is a technique often used by artists while performing this Raga.

“The movement between notes is slow and gradual, like an elephant bearing me as I survey my Kingdom of lesser Raags. Each note blends into the next without breaking”

Another interesting aspect about the Raga and what makes it a unique one is (mentioned here )  that it is a Raga where all its swaras are nyaasa swaras- nyaasa swaras being the notes on which a phrase or a line of a composition in the Raga can end . And the more the nyaasa swaras in a Raga, the more is the scope for an artist for elaboration. Malkauns thus overcomes the disadvantage of restrictive elaboration space that is usually seen with pentatonic Ragas.

Beyond Boundaries

The talk of Malkauns, in a relatively modern Indian musical context, could never be complete without the mention of this beautiful, landmark song created by Naushad for the movie Baiju Bawra. A prayer to Lord Krishna- Composed by a Muslim, written by a Muslim and sung by a Muslim, a perfect example of music breaking all barriers.

Here Naushad talks about the making of the song and gives all credit to the great raga- Malkauns

Malkauns and the Patiala Gharana

Bade Ghulam Ali Khan sings a beautiful Malkauns composition-  Mandir dekh dare Sudama-

And for those who don’t know the connection between Bade Ghulam Ali Khan and Shafqat- it is the same Gharana of course, but also the fact that Shafqat's grandfather, Ustad Akhtar Hussain, who was his first teacher, also happens to be one of the Ustads under whom Bade Ghulam Ali Khan trained. (read about it here)

Malkauns has been extensively sung by the Patiala Gharana members. Here are the doyens, the brother-duo of Ustad Amanat ali Khan and Fateh Ali Khan, creating magic with it.

Dhan Dhan wa kaarigar ke jisne ye sab khel racho hai

Another beautiful rendition of the same composition by Asad Amanat Ali and Hamid Ali 

 -  Tu hi , Tero naam .. sab ka palanahaar - Ustad Amanat Ali Khan and Ustad Fateh Ali Khan

Piya ghar aaye more devo badhayi - AsadAmanat Ali and Hamid Ali

The Malkauns legacy created by Ustad Amanat Ali, yes he was he one composed Pyar nahi hai sur se  jisko, is now being carried on by the younger generations.

• Ustad Fateh Ali Khan's rendition 

• Asad Amanat Ali gives it a delightful twist in the middle and takes it some place else

• A young ,Shafqat performs it in an attire and format that not many have seen him perform in

• Salman and Ali Amjad, Ustad Amanat Ali’s grandsons singing 

The range of genres  for which the raga has been utilized is amazing – from Khayal and Thumri to Ghazals, Bhajans and Fusion

Listen to the beautiful Shehnai of Ustad Bismillah Khan - the tune that we are all so familiar with...

And  here’s another which breaks barriers - Ghulam Ali and Anup Jalota collaborate on a delightful Malkauns composition

A shabad, sounding lovely in Malkauns

Malkauns and Fusion 

So I decide to add this subheading after getting pointed to or reminded of (thank you ) some awesome compositions without which the post would be all but incomplete.

So under this we already had -

This Jazz version  by Shankar Jaikishen from their album "Ragas Jazz Style"

And this one by Charanjit Singh form his album "Synthesizing: Ten Ragas to a Disco Beat"

And this, relatively recent, from the very popular CokeStudio Pakistan- the very heady and beautiful Kangna

But you havent heard anything yet if you havent heard this one from an album called Composer's Breath by the one and only Ilayaraja- one that features flute by Hari Prasad Chaurasia

This ethereal, primarily Malkauns/ Hindolam ( Hindolam being Carnatic equivalent of Malkauns) based piece is guaranteed to sweep you off your feet and take you to some place else.

And if you know Shankar Mahadevan only for his Bollywood songs , the ones that he sings or composes, you should know that his real awesomeness lies in his Carnatic renditions. Listen to this one if you want proof.

And last but not the least- this one by who else but Shafqat Amanat Ali. It marks his journey into exploring Fusion as a genre, where he collaborates with  the immensly talented Amir Zaki for a Channel V production. The awesome alaaps are Malkauns based, I am told

Get it in better quality here

"Easy for the beginner and challenging  for the most accomplished artist...," that's how Ramshreya Jha, a distinguished Hindustani Musician and scholar, describes Malkauns; "..as pleasing to the ears of a listener who has just begun to appreciate it, as it is for a music connoisieur" 

And that is why it is the magnificent Malkauns...

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!

When Tradition Treads the Paths of Tomorrow...

“From our ancestors come our names, but from our virtues our honors”

In all his interviews Shafqat Amanat Ali is inevitably asked a question about the great musical legacy of the Patiala Gharana that he has inherited from his forefathers. And he takes a lot of pride-(and rightly so) in talking about the great musical tradition of the family, where every child born into the family is raised on a daily dose of musical intricacies and nuances.-Training so rigorous, that it builds not just their knowledge of music but even teaches them a thing or two about life itself.

“Learning classical singing is not a time bound process, it is life long- that’s what was drilled in right from the beginning by our elders,” says Shafqat Amanat Ali. “When you begin learning by keeping this in mind it gives you a lot of inner strength.”

The tradition of Gharanas- the different schools or styles- in the Hindustani classical music fascinates me. The concept of a guru passing on his wisdom to his students, who then carry forward the unique style and interpretation, and the specific techniques of rendition, is intriguing and very interesting.

The timeline of the Patiala Gharana boasts of many a great name and their glorious achievements. But if there is just one thing that could sum up this tradition of inheriting, preserving and passing on music, it has to be this video

Salman Amjad and Ali Amjad are Shafqat’s nephews, the sons of his eldest brother the late Amjad Amanat Ali, who himself was an accomplished classical vocalist. And here they sing the composition of their grandfather’s grandfather. It’s heartwarming to watch the young duo sing what was composed almost 200 years ago by someone who established the tradition which they grew on.

The Patiala Gharana founders were Ali Baksh and Fateh Ali Khan, formidable names in the singing circles of the North India in the nineteenth century. They were referred to as Aliya-Fattu. Such was the prowess of their voices, that they were awarded the respective titles of General and Colonel by Lord Elgan, Viceroy of India, in recognition of their contribution to music. So Aliya -Fattu are also commonly referred to as Jerneil and Kerneil… some even called them the Sur kaptan- the captains of sur.

Ali Baksh’s legacy was furthered by his own son and disciple, the very accomplished Ustad Akhtar Hussain. Whereas Fateh Ali’s son Ashiq Ali was guru to disciples who formed the Kasur branch of the Patiala Gharana that boasts of bigwigs like Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan.

Akhtar Hussain enjoyed the patronage of Patiala’s King but had to shift to Pakistan after the partition in 1947. 

Recordings of Ustad Akhtar Hussain from Pakistan radio:

Desi Todi

Bihag

His sons Amanat Ali and Fateh Ali made a very successful musical debut in 1945. Fateh Ali remembers in an interview how he and his brother sang in a gathering of some of the most distinguished names and at the end of the recital he was bewildered when instead of congratulating the singers they all rushed to embrace and compliment their guru and father.

Young Amanat and Fateh Ali singing Raga Bihag : 

Shafqat, the youngest son of Ustad Amanat Ali started his training in music at the age of 4. His grandfather, Ustad Akhtar Hussain, formally began his training as it was tradition for the head of the family to introduce every child in the household to the music of the Gharana. Unfortunately both his grandfather and father could not live long enough to guide him in his musically journey. His chacha, Fateh Ali, therefore donned the mantle of his mentor as he was for the rest of the children in the family. In a household so full of potential stars Shafqat often felt that his own skills were sidelined and not encouraged as much. But music was his calling and he was determined to chart his own course in the territory on which his family had ruled for generations. Struggling over the years and often asked by his uncle and elder brother to take up another profession, Shafqat found his calling in fusing the age old musical wisdom that he had inherited from his forefathers with the sounds and beats and arrangements which came from the west.

Shafqat maintains that he is not the first to take a slightly different course from the traditional path. “Classical music too has various forms… one of the earliest forms is Dhrupad which is still there but relatively rare now. After that Khayal gayaki took the front seat and Khayal was what our Gharana started with mainly and made a name with. Thumri followed and was again sung by us, then Ghazal was popularized by my father and brother Asad, who also experimented with pop.”

Shafqat is right when he says he is not the first one to travel down a different path. Even if we talk of fusion, he wasn’t the first in the family to do it. Ustad Fateh Ali Khan’s collaboration Ragas and Sagas with the Norwegian Jazz saxophonist, Jan Gaberek was hailed as perfect blend of the east and the west.

Even singing for films is not a first by Shafqat. His father Ustad Amanat Ali has done playback and Asad Amanat Ali also sang for many Pakistani films in the 80’s. Many might not know that he has even lent his voice for a Bollywood song.

Shafqat might have taken a slightly different route than the usual but his commitment to carry forward  his inheritance of the musical wealth is very evident in his own music. He has understood that changing times require changing strategies. Audiences in general today do not have the time or patience to sit through mehfils and respond much better to live stage concerts, for example. So he cleverly has packaged some of the gems of his elders and presented them to the music lovers in a new form.

Let’s take his Khamaj for instance, one of his most popular songs till date and my absolute favorite. This is adapted from a traditional thumri ,also sung by his father, and uncle. Shafqat just took it and in his own words “made it more contemporary”. He added more words to give it the shape of a song and whether he did justice to this gem is for everyone to see, or rather hear.

His Kartar in Darbari is another one that is inspired by an old Patiala Gharana asthai, sung earlier by Ustad Amanat and Ustad Fateh Ali Khan. “I wanted people to hear it from my perspective,” says Shafqat. So the scintillating orchestra  arrangement is Shafqat’s addition and tribute to this beautiful piece!

“Pyaar nahi hai sur se jisko”- a beautiful composition by Shafqat’s father is like a gentle reprimand and more than that an invitation to people who haven’t realized the importance of music . Sung by many members of the family, this song gets a modern feel with Shafqat’s version for Fuzon, before the band broke up.

Shafqat's classical rendition

And the Fuzon version

“One who walks in another's tracks leaves no footprints”

Charting a new path, like Shafqat has done, in the world of music is always fraught with risks. On the one hand you have the purists, who will always examine the work under a microscope, and on the other, are the average masses who generally have low tolerance level for something that is too intricate and difficult to understand- A double edged sword if you will; or a tight-rope walk where balance is the key. So far Shafqat Amanat Ali has done well in maintaining that balance. The double-edged sword has enabled him to carve a special niche for himself , which allows him to stay true to the tradition of which he is a torchbearer, and also showcase his versatility. He currently is in a position where he has competently covered everything from (Raga) Eeman to (Playback for) Emraan Hashmi

“I believe in adapting to the changing times but without forgetting my roots and the roots still are and will always be in the classical music. Those roots are my identity and I cannot be separate from my identity," he says.

As his fan I look forward to a possibility of Shafqat considering a pure classical album at some stage in his career. But at the same time I remain equally excited about his forthcoming album and his future Bollywood numbers which will showcase his own ingenuity that was nurtured by the age-old tradition of the Patiala Gharana. 

Saagar- The High Tide That Refuses To Ebb

“For East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet…”- wrote Rudyard Kipling in his Ballad of the East and West-maybe because he never got a chance to listen to Fuzon’s  Saagar- the perfect example of the east and west reaching out, and embracing each other .A perfect blend of two styles, the coming together of two very different musical traditions, to create something so unique and magical that it satiated music lovers in a way like never before

“Still listening to this in 2012”- reads a YouTube comment on the song Aankhon ke Sagar from this album; and it was this comment that inspired this post. In this day and age pop albums in the subcontinent are hardly getting produced, and even if they are, they have a very short shelf life and are easily forgotten, for they have to compete with a monster of a song factory called Bollywood.

What is it then that makes Saagar sound so fresh, so endearing till date, a decade after its release? An intriguing question, indeed, and I had to search the answer.

Beautiful compositions, for starters, which combine the delicate nuances of the Hindustani classical with the energy of western sounds and beats… Easy to remember, catchy lyrics, which talk of the universal themes of friendship, love, romance, separation, yearning, pain …

But above all a voice- the voice so pure that it connects its listeners to the emotions of the songs instantly. A voice so strong that it takes over your being and transports you to another world altogether. It feels more than it sings, and brings the music not just to your ears but straight to the heart.

The voice of Shafqat Amanat Ali!

Here I pick my top 5 favorites from the album that I just cannot get over.

1. Khamaj- The Heart Calls Out..

“Beautiful heart-rending song, it almost touches the soul with its bare hands”

- a YouTube comment

If I had to hear one last song before I died, this would be the one! The melancholy, the longing and a kind of resignation, too… For the world, it might be the lament of a lover, for me it is a call to the divine-the desperation of a soul to meet its maker, an appeal to end the long wait before the two reunite! Titled after the beautiful raga that it is based on, this song in my opinion is synonymous with perfection…

2. Aankhon ke Saagar- The Ultimate romance!

“I could elope with his voice” – A Shafqat fan, on twitter

This song is every woman’s dream come true-The impassioned urge of a lover in a voice that sounds like that- what more could one ask for? And lines like-Palkon ko aise, Palkon se chchoo le…Ke jab dil mile, toh manzil mile” are simply to die for!                                                                                                                                                                      

3. Madhbanti – Yearnings of the night!

Another raga based composition, which brings to life the mood of the night. As night falls, and the shadows lengthen, the pain of separation seems to increase manifold

Purwa Chalay Kuch Aisi/Khushbu Teri Ho Jaisie

Sham Dhallay Kuch Aise/Palkain Jhukaye Tu Jaise

The wind blows such/ like your fragrance floats around

The night falls/ as if you slowly lower your gaze

4. Malhaar- Singing in the Rains!

My favorite season, one of my favorite ragas and my favorite for life singer… when they got together, I became hooked forever. I think I’ll be playing this song every monsoon season that I live to see.

5. Akhiyan- The first flush of love

The feeling of falling in love is incomparable- and the excitement, the attraction, the energy that it creates is beautifully captured in this folksy, fast paced number. The passion, the power and the pace makes you want to tap your feet and dance to it even today!

It’s hard to sum up how I feel about this album- but a line borrowed from a music review of the album does some justice to my reaction to it- the first time that I heard it and every time that I hear it…

“Fuzon's vocalist Shafqat Amanat Ali Khan, one of Pakistan's most distinguished classical pop vocalists, is at his very best... a formidable achievement, every glorious second of it.”

Malhaar -The Music of the Monsoons

The monsoons arrive every year but I can never get tired of waiting for them each time. The fragrance of the damp earth after the first showers, the mystery of the dark overcast skies, the flash of lightening followed by that short moment of anticipation before the thunder rumbles and echoes above, raindrops gliding off the leaf blades of ecstatic plants that seem to be dancing in the rain- ever so grateful for the pouring heavens from above- the magic of the rains could ever cease to amaze me!

No wonder then, that for centuries poets have been inspired by this magical season in our part of the world. Some have talked about the romance of it and some are overwhelmed by its sheer beauty.  There are some for whom the monsoons are a reminder of the power and glory of the creator and that also fills them with a certain kind of grief of being separated from the supreme and a longing to be one with Him. Tulsidas says –

“Ghan ghamand nabh gartjat ghora/ piya heen tarpat man mora”

The thunder echoes in the overcast sky/while my heart pines for my dear one….

Raindrops often become an analogy for the tears of “virah” or separation. Like Surdas wrote:

“Nisdin barsat nain hamare/Sada rahat pavas ritu hum par/Jabse Shyam sidhare

Tears flow constantly/like the never ending rains/ever since my beloved walked away

The rains have also inspired our music. The ragas of the Malhaar group are born form the parent Raga Megh and present different aspects of the rain. So we have, for example, the DhuliyaMalhaar that is about the start of the monsoons, when the first breeze carrying the rains blows over the parched lands marking the end of the dry summer.  And then there is Mian ki Malhaar, created by the maestro Tansen himself, which is inspired by the heavy downpour and the sonorous sounds of the thunder.

If there is any popular song of our times that captures the essence of the rains for me it has to be Shafqat Amanat Ali’s Malhaar from Fuzon’s album Sagar.

   

The powerful voice connects you to the Divine as it laments about the distance between the eternal lovers- the soul and the Supreme…

Raiin Na jaaye, ab din nahin aaye/ tum bin kucch nahin bhaaye

The long night refuses to end, the dawn never breaks/ Everything pales into insignificance, without you by my side

Barkha rut hai shor machaye/kahe yeh mujh pe yoon jal barsaye

Door ho tum mere pas nahin ho/koi use samjhaye ….

The downpour creates such a din/ why does it leave me drenched

You are so far away from me/ why doesn’t it understand

The wonderful blend of modern beats and rhythms makes the perfect package to present the timeless Malhar to the current generation. Just like the magic of the monsoons never fades away and remains a subject of fascination for people of all ages, our musical legacy- of the ancient, season-inspired ragas and such- will also continue to enthrall music lovers in all age and times. And we have artists like Shafqat Amanat Ali to thank for that.

Umra Langiyaan

"Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music”

-  Sergei Rachmaninov

I have to say that my becoming and admitting to being a diehard Shafqat Amanat Ali fan is a pretty recent happening. I have admired his voice and work in since his debut album Sagar as a part of the Fuzon band and I welcomed his entry into Bollywood with the very endearing Mitwa, like any other music lover, but it’s only recently that I realized what a beautiful body of work he has managed to do in the past few years both in Bollywood and outside it.

What is it that makes Shafqat's voice and work so special for me? And before I put forward my reasons I would like to add the disclaimer that I am no expert in critiquing music. I talk like a lay person, an average music lover, who can attribute the ear to music to many a winter evening spent with my granddad- him playing his harmonium and singing his favorite folk songs. He was a good singer and his enthusiasm was infectious. Or could it be my dad? Two walls of his room are lined with his massive collection of music tapes, the titles of which include pretty much all the greats of  the Hindustani classical music. The tapes would be played religiously each morning and evening for hours (I even protested, sometime) and the music still reverberates inside me.

Coming back to the reasons why I think Shafqat‘s voice is special: the number one of course is his rigorous training in classical music. And then there is the spiritual element of his personality which gets reflected in the words that he writes or the music that he composes. And last but not the least is his ability to keep up with times, to experiment, fuse and reinvent his music to make it more in tune with the times- The way he chooses his songs when he sings for the others in Bollywood also reflects that. While the latter two might become topics for later blogs, for this one I want to stick to his background in classical music.

When I searched for his non Bollywood music, I stumbled upon this video. 

It sounded interesting – both the words the music. And then it led me to discover the other star of his family, the much loved Asad Amanat AliKhan, his elder brother who passed away, relatively young in 2007. This was one of his most loved song. A Punjabi song written by Mazhar Tirmazi interspersed with some lines of Ghulam Farid. The YouTube comments and the reactions of the audience say it all. But more than everything it’s the joy on his face while he sings which reflects the passion that this family has for their music.

It is not fair not compare the two renditions as the one by Shafqat is done on request in a live concert, impromptu, with a rock band as an accompaniment, while Asad Amanat Ali performs in a studio mehfil with traditional instruments. The quality of sound and video are also vastly different (Shafqat’s is probably captured on phone)

But the point is that these two stars come from the same family. They were taught and polished by their grandfather, father and uncle who are stalwarts of music. Both the brothers’ singing has the ability to surprise. While Asad’s voice for me is like a playful mountain brook which can make you marvel at its ability to change its course at will, Shafqat’s comes across as a placid lake that makes you wonder what is coming out next from its depths. That’s the power of classical discipline, the might of the musical genes! It gives a singer the authority and the control that sets him apart form an untrained voice.

"Umran Langiyaan", when translated form Punjabi, means “lifetimes have passed”. It definitely takes more than one lifetime for listeners like me to even begin to grasp the might of this music which has transcended through generations in this musical clan…