CLASSICAL and semi-classical music climbs up like an ever-flowing river, carrying rivulets of wide-ranging musical cultures to make it richer and colourful. This wave motion of music can best be described by the layers upon layers of rich hues that embellish a painter’s theme.
Observing Mansoor Zuberi’s brushes add strokes to the theme on the canvas, with the atmosphere alive with the melodic rainbow of Mehdi Hassan rich voice is an experience in itself. “I cannot work unless I listen to some heart-touching tunes from the likes of K.L. Saigal, Khursheed, Mohammad Rafi, Mehdi Hassan, the greatest singers of the subcontinent who had immense expression in their tremendous voices,” says Mansoor Zuberi.
Day in day out, working at the Coast Guard Mess in Karachi, he listened to and watched his favourite classic number, Diya Jalao, by Saigal, and believes that the memory of those beautiful days will remain in his heart and mind for a long time to come.
“I also felt the deep burning sensation of the Deepak Raag, as it mixed into my life-blood. You can notice that my brushes always pick dark colours to portray the intense emotions, so Deepak resonates in me. But, Tani’s Megh Malhar is also an intense sound, a gathering up of the elements, the clouds, the winds, the lightning, which is again a subject for an artiste. The elements gathered their forces to douse out the fire from Tansen’s body,” says Mansoor.
“Today, the musical training is simply absent. If we look at the past, many gharanas established institutions to develop distinct facets and styles of presentation and performance. These renowned artistes and musicologists from all over gave a new meaning to music discourses and performances: the thats, the dadras, the alaaps, the taal, they all create the magic of rhythm.”
Mansoor Z. adores Mehdi Hassan. His love for the colours and the music often makes him mix the two media on imagination levels when he listens to him. “Once I was sitting with Khan saheb, and I was watching his fingers running on the harmonium in a blur. He was busy setting the tones, and looked to be investigating melody in between the white and the black notes, and on my asking, he told me that he was interested in trying to find some notes in between the black and white panels! You can see his overall mastery in numbers like Ranjish Hee Sahi, Zindgi Mein Tou Sabhi Pyar Kiya Karte Hain and Gulon Mein Rang Bharey, which are wonderfully expressive, and have a special effect on the listeners,” he adds.
Mansoor Zubeiri has kept himself up to date. He listens to new music too, and specially enjoys Adnan Sami’s music. “The melodious songs of Sargam, directed by Syed Noor, still have the impact on music lovers. In these numbers, sitar, sarod, sarangi and violin are used by the musicians. Maestro Mahraj Kathak presented counter-rhythms in his dance postures to express his depth of imagination, while Asha Bhosle and Adnan Sami superbly adhered to the rhythmic patterns to sing Zara Dholki Bajao Gorio,” says MZ.
Mansoor understands the grammar of music, and feels that the fine arts convey the message of love and harmony to every home. “No doubt, today we close our ears when the channels show those bad remixes of the music giants. What a corruption of the purity of the note by our pop stars!”
Olden days were golden days, he asserts, and argues that if nothing else, “at least we had some good cinema to watch.” Mansoor unfolds his childhood memories when he had very few opportunities to watch movies. Dilip Kumar remains his favourite actor, and he fondly remembers the Metro theatre in Peshawar, where he first saw the movie Mela, starring Dilip Kumar and Nargis. A raw and fresh Nargis played one of her best roles in that film.
“Once Reena Roy and Mohsin Khan met me at the Karachi airport where I was to board a flight in connection with my cultural exhibition at the Bombay Jahangir Gallery in 1998. Through them I presented one of my paintings to Dilip Kumar that represented the culture of Peshawar,” he recalls.
As for his favourite films, they are Gopi, Aan and Mughal-e-Azam. “We miss such unforgettable acting these days,” he said.
Mansoor Zuberi did not get any encouragement from his father to paint, but he continued to strive, and now his palette communicates the hard life that he shared with his brushes and loneliness. He is a great admirer of Van Gogh, the great modern expressionist Dutch painter.
Mansoor remembers the days when his exhibition took place in Washington, where he had an opportunity to observe the expressions of other great painters. “My love for Van Gogh is immense,” he says. “His compositions are full of self-expression. The several still lives of sunflowers depicts the sadness and extreme loneliness of his life,” says Mansoor Z.
While talking about landscapes, still lifes, abstract art, he recalls those great sentimental, impressionist Emile Bernard, Paul Gauguin and Georges Seurat, whose brighter colours excited him a lot. Although horses are the main features in Mansoor’s paintings, sometimes he uses just running lines to give the impression of horses. It is some sort of a symbol with him. His injury in a car accident in early nineties makes it difficult for MZ to walk. “Painters’ psyche is different from others; they get less acceptance from the family, society and the state because they paint true life, using different mediums and impressions,” he says.
Sadequain’s paintings had a major impact on MZ, and he has followed the strokes of the legend in his calligraphic pieces. Mansoor’s compositions have been exhibited many times all over the country. Now, he plans to leave the country for better prospects in the West. “I do not want to live in tension,” he shakes his head. “Things are in a dizzy spin around me. My last exhibition will be in Karachi, at the Arts Council. I feel like having been for long in a dark lane somewhere. Like many other painters who live under the same haze!”
Talking of poetry, his eyes brighten as he remembers Joan Ailia, the intellectual voice that represents the ordinary man. “Joan Alia was too simple, yet powerful in his expressions. Whenever I met him, he looked different to me. Each of his verse has enormous depth, and I feel inspired by his thoughts. Like, for instance, Har Bar Mere Samne Aatee Rahi Ho Tum/Har Bar Tum Se Mil Kar Bhicharta Raha Hoan Mein.
CLASSICAL and semi-classical music climbs up like an ever-flowing river, carrying rivulets of wide-ranging musical cultures to make it richer and colourful. This wave motion of music can best be described by the layers upon layers of rich hues that embellish a painter’s theme.
