KARACHI: Classical music lovers thronged to the Karachi Arts Council on a chilly Friday evening, where the Tehzeeb Foundation of Pakistan held the 10th Tehzeeb Festival.

Different genres and styles of traditional music — Kheyal, Thumri, ghazal and folk — were presented by musicians of Pakistan, India and Afghanistan. The evening was an auditory delight with brilliant performances, and a well-organised event which greatly added on to the delight of the audience.

The Tehzeeb Festival, held since 2009, aims to celebrate life through literature, fine arts and music. Malahat Awan of the foundation expressed her delight at keeping the tradition of classical music alive in the city. “It is only because of the constant support from classical music lovers that this tradition has sustained over the past 10 years. Any performer requires appreciation to be motivated and the crowd in Karachi has never let us down,” she said.

The three day festival showcases senior classical performers, including Ustad Fateh Ali Khan who belongs to the Gwalior Gharana. Ustad Raza Ali Khan from India, and the grandson of the legendary Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, is also part of this year’s festival. The third day will feature the performance of the Patiala gharana’s most respected name, Ustad Hamid Ali Khan. There is also a young artist, merely eight years old, who will also be performing in this year’s festival — Izzat Ali who performs with his father, Ustad Fateh Ali Khan.

The first performance of the night was a jugalbandi; Gul Muhammad on the sarangi was the star of the performance and delighted the audience by playing the instrument beautifully. Gul Muhammad is one of the few sarangi players in Pakistan and in a short time he has made a mark in the country as well as on international forums. He was accompanied by Waqas Gulab on the tabla.

Rakae Jamil’s performance, with the tabla maestro Ustad Khurshid Hussain, was a spectacular showcase of the sitar and warmed the crowd up for the rest of the evening. Rakae Jamil teaches music in Habib University; he performed the raag Brindabani Sarang and within moments transported the audience to a whimsical place where only the sound of the music mattered.

The Patiala gharana was also represented by Imran Ilyas Khan on the first day; taught by his father Ustad Ilyas Khan, his performance on the first day was of the raag Bageshri and was much appreciated by the audience.

The 10th Tehzeeb Festival is open to public and the final performances will be held on Sunday.

Published in Dawn, December 16th, 2018