Destined to be Queen
Farida Khanum wanted to be a Khayal singer, but Partition changed all that, the Ghazal Queen tells ANJANA RAJANREFLECTION OF AN AURA Farida Khanum symbolises ghazal and thumri, but she calls it destiny's decision
It may be an old, old cliché, but it remains true that no matter whether the politicians blow hot or cold, the ordinary people of India and Pakistan will always manage to transcend borders with the power of music. Classical music's badshah Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, melody queen Noor Jahan, ghazal king Ghulam Ali... these are only some of the names that spring to mind as examples of artistes who lived in the hearts of their fans, no matter which side of Wagah they ended up on. That doesn't mean they didn't suffer though. Take Farida Khanum, Ghazal Queen to her fans, who is in India to open The Hindu Friday Review Music Fest that takes off this Friday in Chennai.
MeticulousRecalling her early years of training as a youngster in Kolkata and later in Amritsar, the pain in her voice is still palpable after nearly six decades. "I started learning Khayal at the age of seven," recalls the veteran, who trained under her sister the renowned Mukhtar Begum and also the Patiala gharana stalwart, Ustad Ashiq Ali Khan. "We started with basic swara exercises. I first learnt the morning raga Bhairav. The afternoon raga I was taught was Desi Todi. It was very meticulous training. My ustad taught with great care. For two years we did only these two ragas. Then fate brought about the Partition, and we were all separated. You can imagine how it was, going to pardes. It took us so long to find our feet. I could not attain the heights I would have liked."
As she describes it one remembers the legend of Tansen. The musical genius of the 16th Century, they say, was deliberately separated from his village sweetheart by Emperor Akbar, at whose court he was a prized jewel. The emperor's justification for this injunction was that the pain of unfulfilled love would translate into exquisite music. Whether Tansen would have made his seminal contribution to the development of Hindustani music even without this punishment can be debated, but it seems certain that, had Partition not made her into a Pakistani citizen, Farida Khanum would have been not a queen of ghazal and thumri, but an eminent classical singer. If fate separated her from her motherland, it also gave her a place in the hearts of ghazal fans across the world.
"Yes," she concedes, "but in the old days I would elaborate a single raga for two-three hours at a stretch. In those days there were great singers like Roshanara Begum, Bade Ghulam Ali Khan (also her guru's disciple) and Amir Khan.
I thought I could never reach such pinnacles. So I decided to concentrate on ghazals and thumris. It is thanks to the love of my audiences, and the blessings of God that I have been this successful.
Having given her first concert in 1950, she has remained a beloved performer and recording artiste apart from a few years' break caused by marriage and domesticity.
Known for an unobtrusive use of accompanying instruments, she has seen the ghazal scenario become fancier.
Her own songs are selected from the works of celebrated poets like Faiz Ahmad Faiz, Daagh Dehlavi, Agha Hasher Kashmiri and Sufi Tabassum. Meantime, have lyrics been drowned out by musical ornamentation?
Listeners' preference"Well, the ghazals popularly chosen are also of a lighter mode nowadays, the geetnuma ghazals. But then listeners too prefer lighter stuff. So the ghazal exponents have compromised to the extent that at least the audiences remained interested. There is indeed gayaki (musicality), even if it is in a lighter mode. Look at Jagjit ji (Jagjit Singh). When he sings, there is poetry, musical quality, and simplicity too, so ordinary folks can understand. That's a good approach. He didn't go towards, say, pop. Similarly, Ghulam Ali ji has brought his own style into the ghazal and it is much appreciated. So ghazal singers have managed to make their mark even without concentrating exclusively on sher-o-shayari (poetry)."
Adds the modest matriarch, "When I sang in Delhi and other cities last year, however, I found young people interested in the actual lyrics. It made me very happy."
http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/mp/2006/11/09/stories/2006110900550100.htm
