The Hindu : An evocative event

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Nov 23, 2003

International

International - India & World

An evocative event

By Shanthi Murali

Singapore: November 16 saw an entertaining evening of geet and ghazals by the ghazal artiste, Pankaj Udhas, at the Singapore Esplanade Concert Hall. It was a grand start to the celebrations to mark his 25th year on the entertainment scene.

Welcomed enthusiastically by an audience of 1,600, Pankaj began with the popular number Aap jin ke kareeb hote hai. He established a rapport with the audience early on, which was sustained throughout the four-hour programme.

The title of the concert, `Soft Notes', was appropriate, for his soft and melodious voice was soothing and appealing. It was a blend of old and new hits from his albums, satisfying people of all age groups.

In this age of fast music and rhythmic beats, where lyrics hardly get any importance, the thought-provoking song Dukh sukh tha ek sabka, describing life through three generations, drew an overwhelming response. The popular Chitti ayee hai was evocative for the predominantly Indian audience.

Pankaj's versatility in handling different rasas or emotions was evident in numbers such as Deewaron se mil kar, Jiye to Jiye kaise and Thodi thodi piya karo. He had interesting anecdotes to share, which kept the audience in good spirits and involved.

Pankaj was accompanied by Rakesh Chaurasia on the flute, Nasir Quereshi on the mandolin, S.D. Sagar on the harmonium, Anupam Chatterjee on the tabla and Rashid Mustafa on the keyboard.

He gave equal prominence to all the supporting artistes thus optimising their talents. His idea of introducing jugalbandi in his top-hit song Sabko maloom hai received applause. He was flooded with farmayish or requests, which he fulfilled by rendering a medley of his hits.

Gunghroo toot gaye, his most popular number, marked a grand finale, drawing a feet-tapping response.

The audience gave a standing ovation to the artistes. The musical journey combined with excellent acoustics and mood-creating lighting effects was unforgettable.

It was another achievement for Arte Compass, the event organisers.

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An evocative event