“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:
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.
