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Rhythm divine

Shanti Hiranand and Pushpa Hans presented a pleasant evening of Sufi music and ghazals in New Delhi the other day

Photo: Shiv Kumar Pushpakar.

CAPTIVATING Vidushi Shanti Hiranand enthralled the audience

Music, woven on a canvas of many hues, has long remained closest to the hearts of countless people, spanning across cultural and regional boundaries. It transcends minds, soothes your senses, and takes you close to a state of euphoria.

And when it is the enriching rhythm of Sufi music and ghazals, the whole atmosphere becomes enchanting. Celebrating the most renowned forms of composition, the Urdu Academy and Punjabi Academy, Delhi, presented a unique concert of Urdu ghazals and Punjabi and Sufi folk music by Shanti Hiranand and Pushpa Hans at the India Habitat Centre the other day.

In an evening of scintillating performances by the award-winning duo, the audiences seemed to have lost themselves in their captivating voices.

A disciple of Aijaz Hussain Khan and legendary thumri, dadra and ghazal singer Begum Akhtar, Shanti Hiranand sang some beautiful compositions from across the boundaries that evening. While she set the right mood for the ghazal lovers, Pushpa Hans, looking as vibrant as ever, beautifully dressed in a blue salwar kameez, belted out peppy folk songs and Sufi music from the land of five rivers.

She also sung beautiful poems written by the famous Sufi poet, Baba Bulle Shah and Shiv Kumar Batalvi. Hans, who was a popular actor and playback singer in the 1940s and 1950s, did not let high fever and a foot injury hold back her melodious voice and flawlessly sang toloud applauses.

Adding to the performance were the ethnically dressed mutiyaars of Punjab, who swayed swiftly to the beats of Punjabi folk music.

Talking about the idea behind the event, Sutinder Singh Noor, a member of the governing body of Punjabi Academy, said, “This concert is presented in an effort to save our traditional musical forms from losing their battle against the increasingly popular westernised music in India.” He added, “ Urdu and Punjabi are the two languages, whose roots originate deep down in the Indian history. The languages are different but when it comes to music, Urdu and Punjabi are a perfect combination.”

The evening was a glorious showcase for the music lovers, and it witnessed more than a thousand mesmerised spectators who kept asking for more!

PRAMEET NARULA

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