May 18, 2012
Gifted with a soothing voice, the soulful singer sings ghazals and Bollywood hits. He is old-school, and a favorite of the South Asian baby- boomers. Pankaj’s concert (on Friday, May18, at 8:00 pm, at the Sheraton Premier Tyson, 8661 Leesburg Pike, Vienna, VA) will be enchanting. You’ll get a bang for your buck—no doubt!
By Sam Prasad Jillella – Special to MYDOSTI.COM
May 18, 2012
Gifted with a soothing voice, the soulful singer sings ghazals and Bollywood hits. He is old-school, and a favorite of the South Asian baby- boomers. Pankaj’s concert (on Friday, May18, at 8:00 pm, at the Sheraton Premier Tyson, 8661 Leesburg Pike, Vienna, VA) will be enchanting. You’ll get a bang for your buck—no doubt!
By Sam Prasad Jillella – Special to MYDOSTI.COM
WASHINGTON DC— Awarded the Padmashree by the Indian Government in 2006 for a quarter-century of studio and concert performances, specializing in ghazal singing, Pankaj Udhas has charmed ghazal-lovers like the iconic singers, Jagit Singh and Talat Aziz have.
Udhas’ style of singing is beautifully different. Begum Akhtar, the Padma Bhushan winning ghazal-pioneer is a major influence on his singing style.
He rose to fame as a play-back singer for the 1986 film, Naam. His song ‘Chitthi Aayee Hai’ became an instant hit and won millions of hearts. This song struck a chord with every Indian living overseas and is still one of the most requested songs in concerts. It was adjudged as one of the 100 best songs of the Millennium by a BBC Poll.
Following that, Udhas sang for numerous films, and popularized his songs on his world tours.
Udhas was born in Jetpur, Gujarat and grew up in Mumbai. Pankaj’s two elder brothers: Manhar Udhas had some success as a playback singer in Bollywood movies, and Nirmal Udhas is a well-known ghazal Singer.
Udhas’ first stage performance was during the Sino-Indian War, when he sang "Ae Mere Watan Ke Logon" and was rewarded Rupees 51.00 by an admirer in the audience. That was pretty encouraging to little Pankaj.
(Right) – Ghazal icon Pankaj Udhas,
Four years later, he joined the Sharabi Natya Academy in Rajkot, Gujarat, and learned the nuances of playing the tabla. He trained in Indian classical vocal under the tutelage of Master Navrang. He attended Wilson College, and St Xavier's college in Mumbai. While attending college, he supported himself singing in a bar.
Udhas’ first singing role in a film was in the 1972 film Kamna. Though the film was a flop, his song won him fans. Subsequently, Udhas developed an interest in ghazals and learned Urdu to pursue a career as a ghazal-singer. After finding little success, he travelled in Canada and the US for a while, performing ghazals at small shows. He returned to India with a stronger determination to make it big as a ghazal-singer.
Ghazals have been introduced to South Asia through Sufism, the mystical form of Islam. It is possible to understand ghazal poetry well if you are familiar with Sufism. Many of the major ghazal poets were either avowed Sufis themselves (like Rumi or Hafiz), or were sympathizers with Sufi ideas.
Most ghazals can be viewed in a spiritual context, with the ‘Beloved’ being a metaphor for ‘God,’ or the poet's spiritual master. It is the intense Divine Love of Sufism that serves as a model for all the forms of love found in ghazal poetry.
Ghazal scholars agree that some ghazal couplets are exclusively about “Divine Love,” others are about "earthly love," but many of them can be interpreted in either context.
Traditionally invoking melancholy, love, and longing, ghazals are often sung by Iranian, Afghan, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Indian musicians. The form has roots in seventh-century Arabia, and gained prominence in the thirteenth- and fourteenth-century because of such Persian poets as Rumi and Hafiz and later due to Indian poets such as Mirza Ghalib.
A ghazal is a short poem composed of a series of about 5 to 15 couplets, each of which stands independently on its own as a poetic thought. “The meaning of ‘ghazal’ is ‘conversation’ — a conversation with your beloved, with your lover.
Udhas’ first ghazal album, Aahat, was released in 1980. With this album, his success began to mount, and as of now, he has released over 45 albums.
In 1990, he sang the melodious duet 'Mahiya Teri Kasam' with India’s iconic singer, Lata Mangeshkar, for the movie Ghayal. This song achieved immense popularity. In 1994, Udhas sang the notable song, Na Kajre Ki Dhar, from the film Mohra.
He continued working as a playback singer, making some on-screen appearances in films such as Saajan, Yeh Dillagi, and Phir Teri Kahaani Yaad Aayee. He rates Bollywood’s Lata Mangeshkar and Mohammad Rafi as brilliant singers.
Later, Udhas started a talent hunt television program called Aadab Aarz Hai on Sony Entertainment Television. He won numerous awards and honorable citations in India, the US, UK, South Africa, and Holland. Of course, Padmashree is his pinnacle.
It is not uncommon for accomplished Indian musicians and artists to be arrogant and down-play emerging talents. In an interview with INDIA THIS WEEK, when asked “are you an arrogant person, or, are you a friendly, likeable person?” Udhas chuckled and said “the only thing I always detested was arrogance and arrogant people. No, I am not at all an arrogant person.”
When asked, “how does it feel to be so popular?” Udhas said: “I am humble. I feel greatly blessed to have so many people love me and appreciate me for the years of hard work, I put in.”
He spends an average of 10 hours a day on vocal workout, practicing, and music related projects.
Udhas told MYDOSTI.COM that he is performing in Washington DC after 7 years: “I love Washington audience. I assure, I will do a great job and entertain them.”
His concert, this Friday, is made possible through One Entertainment in collaboration with Sanjeev of Angeethi restaurant, Kirit Udeshi, and Lavika Bhagat Singh.
If you are a ghazal-lover, you’ll know, Pankaj Udhas will give you plenty of bang for the buck.
A glimpse to Pankaj Udhas singing his popular number 'Chitthi Aayi Hai'
Community Special by MYDOSTI.COM
