An evening of choicest ghazals
G. SWAMINATHAN
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`Mehfil-e-Ghazal' brought alive soul-stirring ghazals of several great artistes at the Museum Theatre recently.
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SOFT AND SOOTHING: Kavitha Aarudra and Anand Kumar.
It is true that on special occasions great ghazal singers have thrilled the Chennai audience. Each artiste has his own style and charm. `Mehfil-e-Ghazal,' a programme of fine soul-stirring ghazals of many greats, was presented by Living Dreams sponsored by Lifeline and Kati-Ma at the Museum Theatre recently. Kavitha Aarudra and Dr. Anand Kumar with the compact orchestra from Bangalore regaled the audience with choicest ghazals of popular singers.
The opening number was of Chitra-Jagjit Singh, "Duniya Jise Kehti Hai Jadu Ka Khilona'' by Kavitha and Anand. "Honthon Se Chhoo Lo Tum Mera Geet Amar Kar Do," the famous Jagjit Singh followed next in Anand's voice.
The voice of a ghazal singer should have a certain tenor. The diction should be gentle and the delivery dainty. Kavitha Aarudra, a trained Hindustani singer, qualified on all these counts. But it was surprising that Dr. Anand Kumar, with little training in classical music acquitted himself so well as a `ghazal gayak.'
Anand Kumar sang with gay abandon. Popular numbers such as "Chupke Chupke Raat Din Aansoo Bahaana Yaad Hain'' of Ghulam Ali and "Chhitti Aayi Hain'' of Pankaj Udhas drew large applause notwithstanding the fact that Dr. Kumar rendered them a trifle fast and was less emotive.
The other pleasant surprise was the suave compere Raj, who also rendered two solos, "Ka Karun Sajni Aaye Na Balam'' and "Todi Todi Piya Karo'' with hints of melancholy and mischief respectively.
Notable numbers
Priya Sabu made an impact with "Kis Ranjish Ko Hawa'' a solo and "Kuch Door Hamaare Saath Chalo,'' a duet with Raj.
Kavitha's solos "Dil Ab Cheez Hai Kya," "Hame Tumse Pyaar Kitna'' (Parveen Sultana), "Kaahe Tarasaye Jiyara'' in Kalavati (Lata from `Chitralekha') were notable. "Magar Mujhe Lautao Bachpan Ka Sawan'' recalling the days of joint family in village atmosphere by Kavitha and Anand and the dignity soaked love lyrics of "Jeevan Se Bhari Teri Aankhen'' by Anand swept the audience off their feet. Anand fluently picked up P.B. Sreenivos's (the singer was among the audience) emotion-drenched "Nilave Ennidam Nerungathe'' in Tamil.
The other unexpected bonus was the two extremely melodious ghazals sung by the chief guest Vani Jairam — one from her album `Parwaz', a poignantly penned "Log Dil Ko Nahin Chehre Ko Pada Karte Hain' and the evergreen, "Bole Re Papihara'' from "Guddi.'. The orchestra comprised Raja Kulkarni on the tabla and Govind on the keyboard who even managed the notes of sitar.
A suggestion to organisers — please do acknowledge the names of the lyricist and music composer in the announcements.
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