Dubai-based Malhaar Centre for Performing Arts will pay tribute to one of the greatest singers of the Indian sub-continent, Abida Parveen.
The legendary singer will join Malhaar Baithak, a monthly concert series, virtually from Pakistan to celebrate her birthday month.
Malhaar’s online Baithak will be streamed live on its Facebook and YouTube channels — MalhaarUAE — on Friday, February 26 at 6pm.
The 67-year-old mystic singer will reflect on various facets of her musical journey with the Malhaar Baithak viewers, while the Malhaar artists will perform some of her famous compositions during the concert.
Jogiraj Sikidar, Founder-Director of Malhaar said: “It’s a dream come true for me and our Baithak audience. Personally, I am a big fan of Abida saheba. If you see my playlist, you will find that majority of the songs in my top-10 numbers are Abida ji’s compositions. She moves her audience to a higher plane every time.”
Abida Parveen said: “Malhaar has invited and featured some of the finest artists of our sub-continent and I am delighted to be a part of Malhaar Baithak.”
Famous ghazal artiste Farida Khanum and Hindi film actress and daughter of renowned poet Kaifi Azmi, Shabana Azmi have been guests in previous editions of Malhaar Baithak.
“I will share some stories from my journey with Malhaar Baithak’s viewers when I celebrate my birthday with them,” the Sufi queen added.
Some of the timeless compositions that are part of Malhaar Baithak playlist, include ‘Jabse Tu Ne Mujhe Deewana Bana Rakha Hai’, ‘Teray Ishq Nachaya’, ‘Ji Chahe Tu Sheesha Ban Ja’, to compositions from her collaborative work with Gulzar on ‘Kabir — Man Laago Yar Fakeeri’ to compositions from Pakistan Coke Studio’s collaborative work ‘Aaqa’, to name a few.
The Sufi queen will also sing a few lines from her famous compositions such as ‘Chaap Tilak’ and ‘Man Kunto Maula’ for the audience during the show, said Sikidar.
“Abida ji is not merely a maestro of our sub-continent but also a musician’s musician. Both the current and future generations will learn from her music,” says Sikidar.
The performance will consist of poetry narrations, trivia, mellifluous singing, accompanied with live instruments and a lot more.
Abida Parveen is recognised as one of the greatest Sufi singers of all times. She has a wide-ranging repertoire of songs originally composed by Sufi poets and sings in multiple languages such as Urdu, Sindhi, Seraiki, Punjabi, Farsi and Arabic. Her passion for music exceeds all norms of mystical experience.
The virtual gig is free to attend and can be accessed through Malhaar's Facebook page and YouTube channel.
