‘Dekh to dil ki jaan se uthta hai/ye dhuan sa kahan se uthta hai’ – Hariharan spends a few extra seconds on the word ‘dhuan’, almost like lingering on the lover’s doorstep, playing with the notes such that one feels like they can see the word going up in smoke. When he sings ‘Aisa na ho kabhi ki palat kar na aa sakun/har baar dur jaake sadaaein mujhe na do,’ he pauses to explain why he softens on the word ‘aisa’. There’s fear – a dread that there might come a day when the beloved shall call, and the poet doesn’t turn back, not anymore.
It was an evening of ghazals with Hariharan, on day two of Bandish, a three-day tribute to legendary composers presented by the NCPA, supported by HSBC India. The focus was primarily on compositions by three maestros, Mehdi Hassan, Ghulam Qadir Khan, and Nazar Hussain. Asked why he chose the particular compositions, Hariharan said, ‘I have been learning and singing ghazals for forty years. These compositions were very prevalent in the style I practise, and have inspired me. Mehdi sa’ab is like a guru to me.’
The beauty of a ghazal concert, from the small mehfils of yesteryears to the large audiences of today, lies in the idea of the shared sense of space, a community. In today’s times of heightened isolation, such evenings bring people together – in the shared shouts of ‘waah’s at the same moments, or in cajoling the artist to sing their favourite ghazals. One truly understands how timeless some of these compositions are when an ‘Aaye kuch abr’, a ‘Patta patta boota boota’, or the eternal favourite ‘Ranjish hi sahi’ continue to receive excited cheers from the audience. Ghazals, always a friend to our ‘dilon ke uljhane’.
Speaking to Ind.igenous about the timelessness of the ghazal form, Hariharan said, ‘Ghazals are about conversations with the beloved, and the beloved can be anybody, which is why it is so timeless. And a lot of excellent, young singers today continue to grow the genre, which I’m really happy about. This genre takes time and patience to be nurtured. It is like a fragrance – it spreads very slowly. But then it stays. It is a way of life.’
