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A classical touch
The latest addition to the long line of ghazal, and not-so-long line of classical singers in our country is Dr Anjum Siddiqui. Although he has performed at a number of private gatherings in the past, he recently made his debut into the professional world of music by launching a CD titled Yaad.
PhD in Economics, Dr Siddiqui is a professor at the University of Toronto and York University, Toronto. He was in Karachi for a short time, taking the opportunity to launch the musical album he had been working on for a while. Student of the Shaam Chaurasi Gharana of music, the doctor has been greatly influenced by Ali Akhtar Khan saheb and has also taken lessons from the student of the maestro, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan and others.
At the launching ceremony of Yaad, hosted by Amateurs’ Melodies, a three-and-a-half year old organization that aims to encourage untapped talent in the field of music, Sultan Arshad played the role of master of ceremonies.
In true Pakistani style, the programme began an hour and a half late with the undisputed authority on music, Sultan Arshad giving a witty introduction of the new entrant into the world of professional singers.
Siddiqui then took the mike and after a short speech that ended on an emotional note, in which he mentioned that he was dedicating the CD to his late mother, he mesmerized the audience for almost two hours. Dispensing with the new trend of using western instruments to provide the melody to this highly eastern genre of music Anjum Siddiqui used only the harmonium, which he played himself, and the tabla as his musical companions.
Beginning with Ahmed Faraz’s ghazal, Jo bhee dukh yaad na tha, composed by the singer himself and therefore sung with a different tune, he rendered a number of ghazals from his album. Amongst the most memorable of his numbers was the touching poem by Fatima Hassan Kiya kahoon Ussay keh jo bath samajtha hi nahin.
With the weather just right for listening to a mellifluous voice singing romantic verses — it had been pouring all day — it was not surprising that the packed auditorium started sending in their requests to the singer, who only too happily obliged.
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