Chupke chupke raat din…

You can listen to the great ghazal singer Ghulam Ali whenever you like, chupke chupke, all by yourself… or along with an ensemble of enthusiastic fans. Of course I pick the former option on a regular basis, but the latter on the evening of 2 October at the Hills Centre, was surely double the fun.

The maestro was touring Sydney again after a long gap of nine years. Time has certainly moved on, but what has perhaps not changed is the celebrated singer’s extraordinary quality of singing the ghazal. I am sure all who attended the live concert would echo my opinion. For me, it was a scintillating repeat performance of his 2001 Sydney concert, when he simply mesmerised the audience with his sensational singing. This time again, he gracefully met the expectations of the large audience that gathered to listen to him, once more.

Ghulam Ali was born in Pakistan in 1940 in a musical family. His father Doulat Khan, a talented musician himself, named his son after the great Bade Ghulam Ali, who then undisputedly ruled the realm of Hindustani music. As a child he showed great promise as a vocalist, and after receiving years of extensive training in all forms of Hindustani classical music, he emerged as a master of ragas. In this avatar, he soon became a shinning star with Radio Lahore. And that’s when his phenomenal ascent to the top as a classical artist began.

He burst into fame in India and almost became a household name, after crooning the track Chupke Chupke Raat Din in the legendary filmmaker B.R. Chopra’s film Nikaah. Sung with much feeling, the effortless quality of Ali’s craft came through loud and clear. (It still does, when he sings it today nearly thirty years on).

During that time Mohammed Rafi was in peak form with millions of fans worldwide, Ghulam Ali himself one of them. A story goes that when the two maestros met after the success of Nikaah, Ghulam Ali said to Rafi that the whole world listens to him. Rafi Saab replied, “But I only listen to you”.

What enticed Rafi Saab, enticed the whole of India.

Ghulam Ali’s ghazals bring out his elegant, quiet, and humble yet impressive personality. Flawless, melodious and mystical voice, full of infinite possibilities, mellifluous tunes and his clever play with words are elements that music lovers identify with him.

The Sydney performance this time round, started almost an hour late, “technical reasons” being blamed. The maestro opened his account by singing Gori tore naina – a raag Pilu Thumri which he inherited from his Ustad, Bade Gulam Ali. He knew though that the fans were waiting for the ghazals, so he went straight on to Mirza Ghalib’s, Har ek baa pe kahate ho tum. Almost instantly, an ambience was created for the audience to get overwhelmingly indulged in the wonderful blend of poetry and melody. Hit after hit poured out – Fasle aise bhi honge, Yeh batein jhooti batein hai, Chamkte chand ko tuta hua, Hum tere shahar mein aye hain and of course Chupke chupe and Hungama hai kyon barpa which was the last presentation. In between, a couple of Punjabi songs kept the crowd rocking.

He proved, that even at the mature age of 70, he has his art beautifully honed.

He made the evening lively and entertaining in his usual style, explaining the lyrics and clarifying application of various ragas, and kept the audience engaged with his shayeri. It heightened the experience overall, given that the beauty of ghazals lies in appreciating the blend of its lyric and melody.

A constant irritant for the artist as well as for many in the audience was the incessant movement of people in the audience and constant flashing of cameras. It was sad to note that despite several requests from the respected artist, the annoyance didn’t cease at all.

The program ended a bit late because of the delayed start and the long interval. I am sure the audience would have loved to hear more of the superstar, but the reality is that all good things in life come to an end – some rather abruptly!

Still, as I finished for that night, Ghulam Ali’s lilting Chupke Chupke played non-stop on auto play inside my mind….