GHULAM Ahmed Parvez (1903-1985), scholar and founder of monthly magazine Tulu-i-Islam, was a versatile person. His life history was comprehensively described by Nadeem Paracha (Sept 21). But an interesting aspect of his personality is known only to those who were close to him. He had a great interest in listening to ghazals and classical music rendered by top musicians of South Asia.

Before K.L. Saigal became known to the world, he would visit Parvez in Delhi to get singing tips from him. At that time Parvez was working in the home department and Saigal was a timekeeper in the railways.

Mehdi Hassan was also known to Parvez long before he was introduced to the public. Allama Iqbal’s poems, sung by Mehdi Hassan, would be played at Tulu-i-Islam’s annual conventions.

Bundu Khan, the ace sarangi player, would regularly perform at Parvez’s residence in Karachi. On Bundu Khan’s death in 1955, Parvez handed over the recorded tapes to his son, Umrao Bundu Khan, for getting a long play record of sarangi recital made by HMV. Once Umrao had given a solo performance of classical singing at Parvez’s residence in Lahore. Since I was also there, I saw Shareef Khan Punchwaley, the famous sitar player, amongst the audience.

Renowned actor and singer Inayat Hussain Bhatti once told me he had asked Parvez the difference between ‘neki’ and ‘badee’, i.e. a good deed and a bad deed. Since Parvez knew Inayat, he told the latter that when he would go off-track (‘baisura’) while singing, it was a ‘badee’. Inayat was quite amused with the answer.

Parvez Rahim

Karachi

Published in Dawn, October 26th, 2014