An evening of Ghazal and Sufiana

‘Boondon Ka Paigham’ organised its second session last weekend with the performance of two young artists, Akriti Kakkar and Mohammed Vakil, as the city was treated to a soulful musical evening

Arundhuti Banerjee

It was a mesmerising musical evening that a Hyderabadi music connoisseur experienced in ‘Boondon Ka Paigham’, the Sufi-Ghazal concert organised by ‘Cisne for Arts’ at Imperial Garden, Secunderabad. The evening was scheduled by two new generation artists- Ghazal singer Mohammad Vakil and popular contemporary and Bollywood singer Akriti Kakkar.

The musical performance began with Urdu poetry and Ghazal by Mohammad Vakil. He sang his popular Bollywood track ‘Aya Tere Dar Par’ from the film Veer-Zaara and crooned many tracks from the golden era like, ‘Dumadum Mastkalander’, ‘Tum Itna Jo Muskura Rahe Ho’, ‘Hoton Se Choo Lo Tum’ et al. The audience were overwhelmed with Vakil’s rendition of ‘Teeja Tera Rang Tha Main To’ that brought tears to their eyes.

“Ghazal is one of the unique music forms that blends Urdu couplets and singing style together. That was my initial fascination to learn Ghazal following the rich traditional lineage of my gurus, Ustad Ahmed Hussain and Ustad Mohammed Hussain”, shared the singer who catapulted to the limelight after lending his voice for ‘Veer-Zaara’. He also hosted a music show ‘Ghazalsara’ on Etv Urdu for five years.

Akriti Kakkar, the young singer, known for her popular Bollywood tracks like ‘Marjani’ and ‘Khudaya Khair’ from Billu Barber, started her musical joy ride with ‘Ganesh Vandana’ keeping the upcoming Ganesh festival in mind. Since she came along with her favourite MTV Coke Studio musicians, audience got a chance to experience unplugged versions of sufi songs with a unique musical arrangement.

Since Ghazal and Sufi are forms of music which target audience belonging to eminent people in the society, both the artists talked about the importance of reaching out to mass audience. “It is our responsibility to sustain those music forms by involving the young generation,” said Vakil. We need to change the typical musical arrangement with its contemporary style the youth will be able to relate to it easily. Another way to reach out is through Ghazal’s usage in Bollywood music.” When Vakil mentioned various ways to reach out to people, Akriti talked about the support of audience and sponsors. “As a performer, we need an opportunity to perform such soulful songs to our listener. We need more such concerts where we can promote some music that is delightful and spiritual at the same time.”