Just discovered this delightful early Birmingham recording from 1979. It is rare to see images of
Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and his companions looking so young and reciting with such passion
and abandon.
Main neevan mera murshad ucha, uchhean de sang laai
Sadqay jaavan ehna ucheyan toh, jinhan neeveyan naal nibhaai
Jinhan andar ishq samaya, ohna nai bhaj jana
Bhaven sohne milan hazaaran, assan nai yaar vatauna
Murshad de darwaze utte mohkam laaiye choka
Naveen naveen na yaar banaiye, wang kameeneyan lokan
Jinhan andar ishq samaya, ohna nai bhaj jana
Bhaven sohne milan hazaaran, assan nai yaar vatauna
Har mushkil di kunji yaaro, hath mardan de aai
Mard nazar kare jis vele, mushkil rahe naa kai
Je main vekhaN amlan walle, kujh nai mere palle
Je vekhan teri rehmat walle te balle balle balle
Dar murshad da khana-kaaba hajj zaroori kariye
Taqva rakh mehbooban wala, jal dawara pharriye
~ Hazrat Mian Muhammad Bakhsh
~ Qawwal Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
Listed four times for the Nobel Prize in poetry, he received the Lenin Peace Prize by the Soviet Union in 1962. Despite being repeatedly accused of atheism by the political and militaryestablishment, Faiz's poetry suggested a more nuanced relationship with religion in general and with Islam in particular. He was, in fact, greatly inspired by South Asia's Sufi traditions. ~ Wikipedia
Iqbal Bano sings Faiz in her beautifully mature and rich melodious voice...
sabhi kuch hai tera diya hua sabhi rahaten sabhi kalafaten
Jo rang rangiya, goorha rangiya; murshad wali lali hoo yaar.
Each shade I colored, imbued intensely; the faithful redness of a murshad (teacher), O friend.
Koook dila mataan rab suney, cha dard wandaan diyan aanhi hoo; seena ta mera dard hee bharyaaa, ander bharkan banhi hoo; tailan baaj na balan mashalan, dardaan baaj na aanhi hoo; atish nal yaraney laa kay, hum bhat saran kay nahi hoo.
Awkha jhera ishq-e-wala, sambhal kay per nikaleen O’ yaar.
Squeaks of heart, my Lord listens, even if they are the sighs of the bereaved; all my chest is full of, is pain, inside, rages a fire of realization; without oil, lamps don’t light, without pain, there are no sighs; befriending violent fires, we ought to get burnt, don’t we?
Hard is the matter of Ishq, careful, when you spread those wings, O friend.
Main shahbaaz karan parvazaan, wich aflaak karam dey hoo; zabaan to mere kun baraber, mowran kam kalam dey hoo; aflatoon arastoo wargey, mein aggey kis kam dey hoo; hatim wargey jhak karooran, dar bahoo dey mangdey hoo;
Zulf siah wich yad-e-baiza, ow chamkar dekhaween o yaar;
Falcon, I am, flight, my habit, in heavens is my destiny; my tongue equals the one which utters ‘kun’, the works of destiny’s pen, I refute; the likes of Socrates and Plato, have no merit in contrast to me; millions like Hatim lay idling, begging at the door of Bahu;
In black hair, a brilliantly glowing hand (reference to Moses’s miracle), show us a miracle like that, O friend.
Allah! Ishq muhabbat dey dariya wich, thee mardaanaa tarreeyay hoo; Jitthe paun ghazab deeaan laiharaan, qadam uthaaeen dhareeyay hoo; Aujharh jhang balaaeen bele, wekh wekh na dareeyay hoo; Naam faqeer tad theendaa Bahu, jad wich talab de mareeyay hoo;
Maulaa! Buleya shah ghar mayray aayaa, kar kar naach wekharee oo yaar.
Allah! In the river of Ishq, we be a manly swimmer, Where-ever strike the waves of adversity, we set afoot towards there; Dense forests, threatening waste lands, sight of them doesn’t intimidate us; The title “faqeer”, one deserves, O’ Bahu, only when they perish in want (of God).
Of the many renditions of the Qaul the ones that appeal most are those that start slowly and help build a mood. Ones that gently immerse the listener in the spirit of the music. This version by Ustad Bakshi Javed Salamat certainly happens to be amongst those. Noteworthy also are the many voices in the party that are steeped in classical singing as well able to sing so well together as a group.
Their percussion players (table & dhol) play an important role in creating a beautiful atmosphere and also for a change the well rounded sound of the harmonium here is quite pleasant. Enjoy!
As Spring approaches again in Canada I am drawn to these kalams of Bahaar, a celebration of basant and seasonal flowers. There is promise in the air and how better to celebrate it with than with music and traditional classical qawwali. Here Qawwal Bahauddin Khansaheb recites in Delhi with his sons Najmuddin & Saifuddin.
Over the years I have had the pleasure of listening to some of Haji Mehboob saheb's recitals and each time that I go back to them there is a twinge and ache for not having sat in front of him and heard him live. What a terrible loss that for ten years I lived only a few miles away in Rawalpindi and knew nothing about him then.
Yet thanks to the kind souls who took the trouble to record him and share his lovely sweet music with us. Each one is a gem to keep and to return to every so often. Enjoy!
The recent delightful visit of Umair Jaffar from Islamabad led to some sharing of images and music and strengthened the belief that Dargahs in Pakistan hold many treasures for those in search of culture, music and good old fashioned poetry.
Vocalist: Ustad Munawar Ali Khansahib
Kalam: Hazrat Amir Khusrau
Bandish: Aal-e-Nabi Aulad-e-Ali par ware ware jawoon, Du jag mein rakhiyon laaj mori, Zahra ke dilbundar Hasan Hussain pe ware ware jawwon.
Ustad Munawar Ali Khan, Raag Yaman, drut, teentaal
Today on the demise of Qawwal Manzoor Niazi, I'd like to honour him by posting this beautiful Khusrau poem sung by his party some 40 years ago. Niazi saheb was one of the old stalwarts of the world of qawwali and brought with him the treasures of Dilli Gharana to Karachi, Pakistan soon after partition. Not only did he bring the words of sufi poets and saints but also some of the most fabulous qawwals that Pakistanis witnessed over the next five decades. Among the original party were the likes of Bahauddin saheb, Iftekhar Ahmed Khan Nizami, Munshi Raziuddin and the then junior Ustad Naseeruddin Saami who continues to enthrall audiences with his khayal singing today.
In 2010, at the request of Musaf Bin Noor, I searched my collection and found this interesting old recording of Khusrau'skalam "Tori Surat KeBalhari" which includes the old party from Karachi.
While the lead is Manzoor Ahmed NiaziQawwal from 1975 the prominent voices of MunshiRaziudding and NaseeruddinSaami are distinct. I am a little skeptical about the date of the recording as this group was apparently singing together prior to 1966. It is also possible that the recording is simply labelled incorrectly and does not include the complete old qawwal party of Manzoorsaheb. Nonetheless if Asifbhai, Munsaf or anyone else like Abu Muhammad or AbdullahNiazi wish to comment on this, you are quite welcome. Probably the rest of you can recognize the other voices quite easily. I only request you all to be respectful toward all involved in your comments. Many thanks.
Beholding your countenance, I offer myself in sacrifice (balhari)
All the other girls saw my soiled chundar,
And together they laughed at me.
This springtime, dye my chundar for me (rang do)
O protect my honour(laj) (Nijam, Beloved)! ...
Who can win against mother-in-law or sister-in-law?
I pine for your support.
Everyone knows how you and I are linked:
Is my honour different from yours, (Nijam, Beloved?) "These lines from Tori surat, also by AmirKhusrau (Repertoire No3), express mystical love through a young woman longing to offer herself up in utter devotion, depending for her very existence, her honour (laf), on the Beloved's protection. Her soiled garment, covering her head and chest ..." RegulaQureshi - Sufi Music from India and Pakistan
Kaheen itefaaq se ik din, chala mein jo apnay dayaar se
Sare reh mazaar nazar parda tha kafi is gard-o-ghubaar se
Keeya door gard-o-ghubaar ko, pardhi fateha bardey pyaar se
vahee aya jhonka naseem ka , to sada ye aayi mazaar se
Ya Muhammad, Muhammad, Muhammad
Na ho kyon ke Afzal hamara Muhammad
Ke hein apnay pyarey ka pyara Muhammad
Hamein jo dil se hai pyaray, Muhammad
Muhammad ke ham hein, hamara Muhammad
Qabr mein bhi sath le jaoon ga apna izteraaf
Baad-e-murdan bhi phirey gi ye rooh kehti huwi
This has got to be one of the sweetest renditions that I have heard of this Naatiya kalam:
Ze rehmat kun nazar bar haal-e-zaram ya Rasoolallah
Ghareebam, beynawayam, khaaksaram ya Rasooallah
Tui taskeen-e-dil, araam-e-jaan, sabroqarar-e-man
Rukh-e-pur noor banuma, bey qararam Ya Rasool Allah
Ghareebam, madaram dar jahan justo, habeebam ya-Rasoolallah
~ Molana Abdul Rahman Jami
trans:
Please caste your kind gaze onto my terrible state Oh Rasool e Allah! ( zarem means a state of anguish because of thirst or anger) I am poor, I am voiceless and worthless Oh Rasool e Allah!
Only you can be the solace of my heart, comfort of my soul and contentment of my bosom.But when I see your Glowing vision I get restless Oh Rasool Allah.
I am poor, I do not love the attractions of life, my friend Oh Rasool e Allah!
