Perhaps there wasn’t an expatriate from the Indian subcontinent who wasn’t emotionally moved every time Chitti aayi hai played on the radio during the days when we would rely on letters for communication with the near and dear ones back home.
The song, from the 1986 Bollywood movie Naam, still tugs the heart strings even in this age of WhatsApp and Skype when you don’t feel homesick anymore. And hearing it from the singer himself live at concert leaves you nostalgic.
Ghazal singer Pankaj Udhas brings out the pathos just as he did on screen in the Sanjay Dutt-starrer directed by Mahesh Bhatt.
His three-hour concert in Dubai on Thursday night was an aural treat for the maestro’s fans. The recipient of Padmashree Award, who began his singing career 35 years ago, presented some of his unforgettable ghazals and most-loved songs.
Explaining the difference between a ghazal and a nazm to the uninitiated, and explaining the subtleties of the lyric to better understand the nuances, Udhas makes the experience all too enjoyable.
His playlist included the soulful rendition of Aur aahista keeje baatein, Dukh sukh tha ek sabka, Jiye tho jiye kaise and Ye gam e zindagi kuch tho de mashwara; racy numbers Chandi jaisi rang tera, Na kajre ki dhar, Aaj phir tum pe pyar aaya and some ‘intoxicating’ ghazals such as Maloom mai sharabi nahi, Hui mahangi sharab ki todi todi piya karo and La pila de saakhiya.
A few fast-paced songs such as Main itna zor se nachi ki ghungroo toot gaye gave scope for the instrumentalists to display their talent. In particular, percussion artists Roshan Mustafa (tabla) and Nirmal Pawar (dholak) were at their best.
Flautist Ninad, keyboard player Vishal Dhumal, violinist Rajendra Singh and mandolin plaeyr Nasser Shujaat Hussain ably supported Udhas to make the evening at Dubai World Trade Centre memorable.
Though attendance was a bit thin, understandably due to the National Day holiday, the audience were mostly ghazal connoisseurs who expressed their appreciation for the artists with round of applause after each geet, ghazal or nazm.
