16 February 2004	Monday	24 Zilhaj 1424

KARACHI, Feb 15: A three-day All Pakistan Music Conference concluded at the Hindu Gymkhana on Sunday evening. At least 20 classical musicians, including Sitar maestro Ustad Rais Khan, performed during the conference.

The Karachi chapter of the All Pakistan Music Conference, which was formed 45 years ago in Lahore, organized the event. President Pervez Musharraf, who inaugurated the conference, surprised the organizers as well as the audience by turning up at 3am on the second day of the conference.

On the inauguration day of the conference, ie on Feb 13, Dr Ghazala Aziz, chairperson of the Karachi chapter, delivered the welcome address. The President spoke about the importance of entertainment in today's high-strung life and the need for the revival of cultural activities in the city.

The evening's performers were tablanawaz Ustad Bashir Khan and Nazir Khan who presented beautiful jugalbundi and were greatly applauded. They were followed by Abu Mohammad Farid Qawwal, Ustad Imdad Husain on the sitar, classical vocalist Ustad Naseeruddin Sami whom one can rate as one of the most melodious classical singers of Pakistan, and veteran ghazal singer Farida Khanum.

For the lovers of classical music a sort of history was created that evening. The president and members of his family members sat through the evening.

The president even sent a number of requests for compositions (bandishain) of Hazrat Amir Khusro. He asked Ustad Fateh Ali Khan to join Farida Khanum for a few duets, including the famous pia naheen aaye, in raag Kalawati.

At the programme's end the governor announced financial assistance for the All Pakistan Music Conference as well as for the artistes - Rs500,000 each from the President and the Governor for the APMC and Rs 500,000 for the artistes.

A monthly lifetime stipend of Rs5,000 was also announced for those senior artistes who were ailing or in dire financial straits. The second day of the conference saw the presence of a very appreciative audience of more than a thousand people, ready to applaud every nuance of the art.

They listened to each performer with rapt attention and one can say that this was the most disciplined audience for a sophisticated classical art.

The high point of the evening was the sitar recital by the indomitable Ustad Rais Khan and his brilliant son Farhan. The duo's one-hour sparkling presentation of raag Joge was beyond description.

What is greatly heart warming is that Farhan is fast catching up with his great father in the art of sitar playing. The other performer who greatly impressed the audience was Zulfiqar Ali, shagird of the late Ustad Manzoor Ali Khan.

He, along with his brother Nazar Husain, presented raags Hameer and Sohni in the difficult taals of Dhamar and Aara Chautala. Zulfiqar is not only an accomplished singer but a musicologist and teacher of classical music. Ustad Merajuddin of Hyderabad was on the tabla with Zulfiqar Ali.

There were other praiseworthy presentations: solo tabla recital by Ustad Bashir Khan, rendering of raag Peelo by Ustad Zafar Ali Khan, Raag Darbari on the sitar by Sajid Husain and, of course, Bhatiar, Gandhari Tori and Thumri Bihari by one of our senior-most artistes, Ustad Fateh Ali Khan of Hyderabad.

February 15, the third day of the conference, again had an impressive line of performers: Mohammad Fakir and Party who sang folk numbers, Deedar Husain and Mohabbat Ali who presented Bhopali and Kafi, Murtaza Niazi who sang thumri, ghazal and geet, Nafees Ahmad and his brother Raees Ahmad who presented a lovely jugalbandi on sitar and violin, Saadat Ali Khan who sang Nut Behag and Tilak Kamod, Noor Zehra Kazim who played the Veena, Perveen Nazar who sang Kafi and Thumri, Mehnaz who also sang Thumri Geet and Ghazal and finally Ustad Naseeruddin Sami and Ustad Fateh Ali Khan of Patiala gharana presented raags with remarkable aplomb.