KARACHI: It is not easy to compose Hazrat Amir Khusrau’s poetic kah mukurniyan (a particular kind of a set of riddle). But it happened on Saturday and Sunday evenings as renowned composer Arshad Mahmud presented a series of tunes based on Khurau’s diverse poetry, including kah mukarniyan, at an event titled Shaam-i-Khusrau.

The event was organised by Karwan-i-Hayat in collaboration with the music director at the Indus Valley School (IVS) of Art and Architecture as part of its 2025 fundraising activity to provide psychiatric care to the underprivileged

The musicians and vocalists on stage were led by eminent sitar player Ustad Nafees Ahmed. The concert started with Goondho ri malan, sung nicely by a young girl. Initially, there was a problem with the microphone in front of the singer but it was sorted a minute or so into the composition.

The Persian ghazal, which was the second presentation of the evening, was beautifully sung by one of the young male singers on stage. He sang with the kind of poise and calmness that’s required for the kalaam. His pitching (sur) was also very good.

Then the tempo of the gig was lifted a bit with the famous Ay re sakhi. The girls in the group did a fine, fine job keeping the playful tone of the lyrics in mind. The musical arrangement had a touch of experimentation to it with its change in rhythm. It was liked by the audience.

Then the mood shifted to the rather bitter-sweet track, Kahe ko biyahi bides. The vocalists and musicians did justice to the familiar composition and were acknowledged by the discerning attendees.

After that, as Mahmud told the audience, came the turn of kah mukarniyan. He mentioned the difficulty in setting them to music because of the exchange of lines or phrases in them. Once performed, his effort was thoroughly appreciated.

And how could an evening dedicated to Khusrau not have the popular bilingual ghazal Zihal-i-miskeen makun taghaful? It was thoughtfully executed.

Earlier, in his introductory speech, Mahmud talked in detail about the work and life of Khusrau. He said the poet and composer knew many languages and had served as a diplomat, too, because of his communication skills.

Published in Dawn, February 4th, 2025