KARACHI: They stood by the door looking for the perfect view, as he spotted two seats — third row centre and tugged at his wife’s red handbag. The couple settled in their seats 20 minutes before Sangat, a night of classical music, started at the National Academy of Performing Arts on Thursday.

As soon as Nafees Ahmed, the head of music department at the academy, announced the first performance, the couple put their phones away, held hands and was ready to be enthralled. The opening act for the two-day musical event at Napa was performed by four students of the academy — Waqas, Sabir and Babar on the tabla and Gul Mohammad on the sarangi. The performance started with Gul Mohammad playing the sarangi, while the three others joined in one by one, setting a rhythm that was enjoyed by the audience.

Next up was Akbar Ali, a singer and musician from Lahore who had learnt from some of the best teachers including Ustad Mubarak Ali, his uncle. Akbar’s raag was supported by Ustad Bashir on the tabla and Idrees sahib on the harmonium.

He started slow and sweet, the audience was quiet at first and then a round of applause was echoed in the auditorium. As his raag grew intense those sitting in the first row could not help sway to the recital. For 30 minutes or so, all eyes and ears in the Napa in-house theatre were glued to the stage.

Ustad Salamat Hussain, a faculty member and renowned flautist, performed next. Ustad Hussain, who received his training from Ustad Mushtaq Hussain and Ustad Guchan Khan, said he was performing at Napa after a very long time and hoped the audience would enjoy what he had prepared for them. Accompanied by Waqas on the tabla, the flute maestro then mesmerized the audience for the next 15 minutes.

Talking to Dawn, Mr Ahmed said organising musical nights such as this was important. “It is an effort to reclaim classical music,” he said.

A sitar-player himself, Mr Ahmed said it was important to show the youth that they could still learn the art. “I was quite excited about the event tonight, especially by the performance of our students,” he said. “It is like watching your own child performing on stage. We taught them everything — from how to keep one finger on the tabla to playing an entire set. I am very proud of them.”

Discussing Friday’s (today) lineup, Mr Ahmed said it would be a mixture of music from across Pakistan and the United States.

Published in Dawn, August 28th, 2015

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