JEDDAH, 3 April 2005 — In a rare meeting of subcontinental minds and hearts, Indian and Pakistani consul generals joined hundreds of ghazal (Urdu poetry) lovers to spread the message of love, peace and brotherhood here on Thursday.
Pakistan’s Consul General Masood Akhtar was the guest of honor at a Sham-e-Ghazal organized by his Indian counterpart Ausaf Sayeed, in which Andhra Pradesh’s Khalid Eqbal — a disciple of famous vocalist Vithal Rao and a noted ghazal singer in his own right — regaled over 400 Urdu poetry lovers from the subcontinent.
Khalid delighted the audience with his immaculate recital of Bashir Badr’s ghazal “main ghazal khahoon; main ghazal parhoon; mujhe de tu husn-e-khayal de; tera gham hi hai meri tarbiyat mujhe de to ranj-o-malal de.”
This set the tone for an engaging association of an able artiste and appreciative audience, with the varied gems from the poet sparking the colors that lit up the night.
His selection of ghazals had the audience traveling the broad spectrum of ghazal history as he brought to life the eras that have seen the growth of this stream of poetry. From Mir and Ghalib to Faiz and Firaq, he wove a spell of intricate lyrics and music to produce an evening of musical magnificence — melding past and present.
Khalid’s melodious voice, flawless Urdu pronunciation and the tackling of the difficult meters wafted through the night like a gentle breeze. His effort on Qateel Shifaee’s ghazal “Barsat ki bheegi ratoon mein phir koi kahani yaad aayee; kuch apna zamana yaad aya, kuch unki jawani yaad ayee” drew rich applause.
Khalid rendered half a dozen compositions of renowned Urdu poets but the most striking ghazal was his rendition of late Khumar Barabankwi’s “Ek pal mein ek sadi ka maza humse puchiyee; do din ki zindagi ka maza humse puchiyee.”
Qaiserul Jafri’s “Waqt aajane to de baat karenge tujhse; zindagi hum bhi mulaqat karenge tujhse,” too was captivating.
The crescendo of the memorable evening came with Khalid singing “Ab ke saal poonam mein jab tu ayeegi milne, humne soch rakha hai raat yoon guzarenge.”
Saqib Faridi, on harmonium, and percussionist Sardar Khan, on tabla, provided accompaniment.
Mementoes were given to the artistes by both the consul generals.
The Sham-e-Ghazal was organized by Indian Consulate in association with India Forum.
Earlier, Consul Information and Administration Hifzur Rehman welcomed the Pakistani consul general and thanked him for making the evening memorable with his presence.
Rehman in his address spoke about ghazal — the most popular genre of Urdu poetry — through a couplet “kuch doston nein poocha; batao ghazal hai kya; besakhta labon pe tera naam aa gya.”
