He's a living legend, and one of the most prolific exponents of Patiala Gharana, who has amalgamated ragas with his melodious voice in a magnificent manner, giving the much-needed fillip to the ghazal gayiki.
On his visit to the city, the illustrious ghazal singer Ghulam Ali talks about the soul-stirring components of music, his favourite Bollywood stars and the political uncertainty back home in Pakistan.
On emergency in Pakistan:
"Every country has its own share of problems. Yes, these kinds of political upheavals do affect your thought process. Our fans all over the world worry for us, but then music relaxes the mind even in the time of turbulence and relieves the stress."
On Nagpur:
"This is my fifth visit to the city. I have received a lot of love from the people here, Nagpurians understand music and appreciate it. Whenever I am invited for a concert here, I make sure that I find the time to perform. It's my job to serve the people."
On ghazal's rebirth:
"There was a time in-between, when the finer forms of music had taken a backseat, but now ghazal has reclaimed its past glory and youngsters are quite attuned to its intricacies. After all, poetry has its own alluring qualities. People can't stick to hulla-gulla for long. When your soul is tired of running, it needs rest, which is provided by the music that is profound and deep."
On promoting new numbers:
"Inevitably fans want to hear only popular numbers, when their favourite singer is performing live. But I always try and sing some new ghazals as well. You have to understand the music, sur and shayari first, so that you can educate the audience."
On Bollywood's young musical talent:
"There are a lot of talented people, creating wonderful music and doing some great work. I am really impressed with Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, Vishal-Shekhar, Monty Sharma. Yeh saare zaheen log hain ."
On rock bands :
"They have their own style and presence. Yes, it's quite entertaining but that variety of music is for the body and physical self. Woh rooh ke liye aur dil ke liye nahin hai!"
On his favourite film stars:
"Although people in Pakistan love to watch Hindi films, I am not exactly a film buff. But I am quite fond of actors like Aamir Khan, Shah Rukh, Shahid Kapur and Govinda. Amongst the actresses, I am quite fond of Madhuri Dixit. Kareena Kapoor bahut khoobsurat hain aur Juhi Chawla ji ka bholapan mujhe achcha lagta hai ."
On his favourite fan:
"One of my biggest fans is Dr Amjad, who's a neurosurgeon in New York. Years ago he told me to quit smoking because he said that my habit used to hurt him. When I asked him how could it hurt him, he replied innocently 'Your voice relaxes us after a hard day and the smoking might endanger the voice.’ Since then, I have never touched a cigarette in life."
On his unfulfilled desire:
"Mousiqui (music) is such a huge ocean that wherever you look, you will find the deep waters of sur. There's so much to learn and just a lifetime is not enough for this pursuit. I wish I could learn some more."
On the story behind Chupke Chupke:
"People do ask me if there's a personal tale hidden behind the famous ghazal-- Chupke chupke raat din, aansoo bahana yaad hai and I just say kuch na kuch toh kahani hogi na, ab main poori baat nahin bata sakta !"
This Article is from: Timesofindia.indiatimes.com
