Aayi Kyon Hichkiyaan Nahin Maloom

In loving memory of Ustad Iftekhar Ahmad Nizami sb (grandfather of Subhan Bilal Hilal Qawwal)
we held a small and intimate gathering to recite his favorite poetry.

I hope you will enjoy it as much we did.

Aayi kyon hichkiyan nahin maloom kaun hai meherbaan nahin maloom baykhudi mein bardha raha hun qadam jaa raha hun kahan nahin maloom Jaa raha hun ghaubaar ke peechhe Hai kahan kaarvaan nahin maloom Yaad itna hai barq chamki thii kya huwa aashiyaan nahin maloom Kehte kehte fasaana gham ka saeed, ruk gayii kyon zuban nahin maloom 😍🎼❤️

The folks at The Dream Journey certainly enjoyed the collection of old ghazals that Subhan
had prepared for the baithak. There were six others sung that day and I'm hoping that we
will get to see all of them soon.

The Dream Journey – Discovering Musicians Across Pakistan

dreamjourneyfilm@gmail.com

Contributions may be made at:
PayPal: goo.gl/4VXB0D

Ustad Abdullah Niazi & Waqas Niazi

What began as a whimsical idea quickly took shape with the infectious enthusiasm of participants and was recorded by Mahera Omar as a labor of love. The Dream Journey is an audiovisual project celebrating an exhilarating series of journeys across Pakistan's musical landscape. It has so far recorded 24 musicians in nine different cities mostly in their living environments. 

The sessions of vocal music were recorded and filmed using high quality DSLRs. They cover several musical forms in the Indo Pakistani tradition; Thumri, Kaafi, Ghazal, Qawwali and Khyaal. The kalaams that the musicians drew from ranged the whole spectrum of great poets: Khusrau, Jalal ud din Rumi, Kabir, Baba Bulleh Shah, Waris Shah, Iqbal, Faiz and numerous mystic poets of India and Pakistan. The performances evoked memories of the verdant lushness of the Punjab, the haunting mysticism of the Great Rajputana and Sind Deserts, the vibrancy of Hazrat Nizamuddin’s Delhi, the great aura of Ajmer, the majestic beauty of the Indo-Gangetic plain.

Ustad Farid Ayaz &
Ustad Abu Muhammad

Some of the musicians are established and famous, others are amongst the brilliant budding talent that adorns Pakistan’s musical scene. Each of the mehfils has a distinct atmosphere and mood, but there is a common thread. We asked each of the musicians to stay close to their respective inherited musical traditions, allowing the singers an opportunity to present some pieces that are rarely heard today. 

We are inspired to present the brilliance of this contemporary Pakistani vocal music to a wider audience in musical sessions followed by a documentary film of the journey and a series of HD audio/video releases of each Mehfil. 

Subhan Ahmed Nizami 

The individuals involved in this venture have spent a sizable amount of their personal funds on this project and seek your help to cover future costs of editing, production and publishing of these 
recordings. Please give generously. 




Jointly Produced by:

Taj Muhammad & Shad Muhammad Niazi

Vaqar Ahmed
Asif Hasain

Mian Shaukat Hussain
Arif Ali Khan

Saad Alvi

Mushtaq Ahmed

Musab Bin Noor

Mahera Omar

with assistance from viewers like you.



Contributions may be made via PayPal: goo.gl/4VXB0D

Featuring:

Ahmad Raza, Taj Muhammad & Shad Muhammad Niazi, Subhan Ahmed Nizami, Ustad Abdullah Niazi & Waqas Niazi, Ustad Ameer Ali Khan & Ejaz Ali Khan, Ustad Farid Ayaz & Ustad Abu Muhammad, Ustad Mubarak Ali Khan, Mehfooz Khokhar, Ustad Shoukat Manzoor Ali Khan, Zohaib Hasan, Akbar Ali, Habib Ahmed Qawwal, Shafi M. Faqir, Gulab Afridi, Maulvi Haider Hasan, Qurban Niazi, Salman Adil  

Raag Yaman Kalyan - Ustad Gulab Afridi on Rabab

Our musical journey in 2015 also took us to Peshawar in the hunt for a rabab player. Six of us with a common love for the sound of strings set of on a cold winter morning from Islamabad with a car packed with cameras and sound recording equipment and major plans. However we were to first stop for a delicious lunch of chapli kebabs and pulao at Khyber bazar and then proceed to meet up with the understated Ustad Gulab Afridi. After all serious listening requires that there be no distractions of pangs of hunger.

Young Gulab is a pretty well known Pakistani musician. In fact he is a leading Rabab player and very popular in circles that care for the instrument. Gulab has earlier performed in several music videos including at Coke Studio as well is in high demand with local listeners and practitioners.

Ustad Gulab Afridi with Murad Afridi on tabla
Video credit: Mahera Omar
The Dream Journey sessions

As you will note in the video above his playing was beautifully sensitive and reflects a maturity often found with years of practice and a patience that comes with age. There appears no rush to try to impress and blow away the listener and to my ears that creates an even larger impact. He is accompanied on the tabla by his capable cousin Murad Afridi who helps to perfectly complete the team to two.

Listening to them in their hujra at their home in Peshawar in such an intimate setting made the experience extra special.

Ustad Gulab Afridi coaches students around the world on Skype

Guru Bin Gyan by Maulvi Haider Hassan Vehranwale Qawwal

The experience of listening to this group of singer in Faisalabad last December at such close quarters and in a tiny space was truly intense.

Maulvi saheb is both focused and zealous in his style. The entire party is well coordinated comes together perfectly producing a sound that is near perfection. The beautiful use of Iqbal's verses aptly inserted here is especially noteworthy.

Guru Bin Gyan
Recital: Maulvi Haider Hassan Vehranwale Qawwal and Party
The Dream Journey sessions

Lead vocalists: Maulvi Haider Hassan & Zameer Hassan Khan
Vocaltists: Fakhar Hassan Khan, Tallat Hassan Akhtar & Saqib Hassan
Harmonium: Fakhar Hassan Khan and Zameer Hasan Khan
Tabla and Dhol: Nasir Hasan

The Dream Journey – Discovering musicians across Pakistan (A Non Profit Project)

A film about an exhilarating journey of five friends with a shared passion for discovering and recording musicians in their living environments across Pakistan........