RIYADH: Indian singing sensation Talat Aziz wowed a strong crowd of over 1,500 people including men, women and children at the International Indian School, Riyadh (IISR) Tuesday night. Blessed with the complete package, good looks, a vibrant voice, excellent performer and style, Aziz impressed the crowd with his exceptional style and soul-stirring renditions. He took the audience by complete surprise and raised the mercury levels of their emotional pressure as the legendary ghazal maestro embarked on his musical journey with hit numbers from his films and albums amid an elite audience.
The powerful throw of his voice and intricacy of his "sargams" at once struck a chord with the gathering that seemed spellbound by his charisma. The colorful musical concert was attended by a large number of Indian expatriates, both men and women, including workers, executives, top-notch professionals and a number of Indian diplomats. Manohar Ram, chargé d'affaires at the Indian Embassy, lit the traditional lamp to mark the opening of the concert. He delivered a brief speech in which he welcomed Aziz and his troupe to Saudi Arabia.
Prominent among those present on the occasion included wife of Indian Ambassador Asiya Hamid Rao; Dharmendra Bhargava, counselor at the embassy; T. C. Barupal, first secretary; Ravi Krishnan, chief operating officer of Al-Bandar Trading (Centrepoint); Suresh Srinivas, national marketing manager of Al-Bandar Trading; Francis De Souza, Al-Bandar's marketing manager for central region; Rashmi Manohar, wife of deputy chief of the mission; and Feroz Rahman, member of the IISR managing committee.
Organized by the Indian Embassy, the show was exclusively sponsored by Centrepoint, which supports cultural initiatives of different communities in the Kingdom and GCC. Centrepoint houses prestigious brands like Babyshop, Splash, Lifestyle, Shoe Mart and Beautybay under one roof.
Asked about his experiences with performing in Saudi Arabia, Aziz said in an interview with Arab News that he was happy to sing in the Kingdom. At the very outset, he thanked Indian Ambassador Hamid Ali Rao and Centrepoint, saying that he was always "amazed to see the response of the people, his admirers and his fans in the Kingdom.” He recounted his live performance that was staged in 2007 in the Kingdom, which was also a success.
This time, I have noticed added enthusiasm, said Aziz. In fact, the excitement among the audience that was drawn to the IISR auditorium on Tuesday night was palpable from even before Aziz walked on to the stage. Some of the hit numbers presented by Aziz mesmerized the audience later. He, in fact, enchanted the audience with his soulful rendition of his ghazals for nearly three hours. He performed compositions like “Zindagi jab bhi teri,” “Kal chaowdhwi ki raat thi” and “Aaj jaane ki zid na karo.”
Aziz took the audience to a feverish pitch of emotion and love when he sang the famous number "Maine khat likh ke unko bulaya, Ake kasid ne dukhra sunaya; Unke hantho me mehdi lagi hai, ane jane ke kabil nahi hain." His rendition of "Ab kya ghazal sunawoon tujhe dekhne ke baad" took everyone in the audience on the wings of imagination.
What also added brilliance to the performance was Aziz’s bright black attire, unintentionally color-coordinated with the lights that illuminated the stage.
The levels of exhilaration among the sea of audience peaked when Aziz, rather unexpectedly, started singing the immensely popular song from the famous Umraon Jan film "Zindagi jab bhi teri bazm mein" and "Apni merzi se." This was the time that the cheering crowd broke into a loud applause and a series of “wah-wahs” followed amid clapping from all corners of the auditorium. A true heartthrob, Aziz has performed across the world including the United States, Canada, Europe and Asia.
Referring to the new trends in ghazals and music, Aziz said that "a whole crop of new talented singers have come up." The format and the style is changing, said the ghazal legend, while referring to a new initiative called "Mehfil-e-Samaa" he has undertaken to promote ghazals in India and abroad. He pointed out that he, in collaboration with Saregama, has initiated this new offering, an august musical gathering of the industry to celebrate Indian traditional music across the country.
Mehfil-e-Samaa is a unique concept created for the fraternity and traditional music listeners who appreciate live Indian music. Mehfil-e-Samaa will have performances by known artistes from genres like ghazal, classical, sufi, qawwali, folk as well as talented singers who have never had an opportunity to showcase their talent. Saregama plans to host this program four times a year. The event was recently held at Blue Sea in Worli, Mumbai. "Thanks to the admirers of ghazals and music, we managed to launch this initiative,” said Aziz in the interview.
Aziz, who has composed music for TV serials and also acted in several TV programs, will stay for a few days in Jeddah. He will also perform Umrah.
Aziz is credited with singing ghazals in films like “Umrao Jaan” and “Bazaar,” which were super hits. Aziz, whose versatility is evident from the sufi number "Damadam Mast Kalandar,” has many albums to his credit. Between 1979 and 1984, Aziz was the top artist recording for Music India Company. In 1984, he joined HMV.
He also worked with Venus Records for a brief period and then released albums with Universal Music India. His popular film songs are "Zindagi Jab Bhi Teri Bazm Mein" from Umrao Jaan; "Phir Chhidi Raat Baat Phoolon Ki" in Bazaar; "Aaina Mujhse Meri" in “Daddy;” and "Na Kisi Ki Aankh Ka" in “Shararat.”
Aziz is a thorough professional who expresses his poetic verses with great precision, collaborating feelings of love, romance and calamity molded authentically in a ghazal format. Aziz took his initial training from Kirana Gharana, formed by Abdul Karim Khan Saheb.
He was trained primarily by Ustad Samad Khan and later by Ustad Fayaz Ahmed. After the initial training, he decided to explore the unfathomable ocean of music with world-renowned Mehdi Hassan and also learn music from this great singer. "Let it be a corporate event, a public show, or any other type of occasion, it is guaranteed that Aziz will dazzle the crowd," said Mohammed Qaiser, president of Hum Hindustani, a major Indian community organization.
