Ghazal, as a genre, is losing its popularity in India and needs to be revived. This concert is the
first step towards that.
—Singer Hariharan
In June this year, the world of classical music lost one of its greatest
exponents. Pakistani singer Mehdi Hassan was regarded as the ‘King of
ghazal’. Now, a concert in the city called Ab Ke Hum Bichde (named after
his popular song) on July 26 will see ghazal and playback singer
Hariharan pay tribute to the maestro.
first step towards that.
—Singer Hariharan
Mehdi Hassan The concert will take place at Ravindra Natya Mandir, rabhadevi, on July 26, 8pm onwards
Hariharan says he’s learned a lot from Hassan by singing with him.
Reminiscing about the moments he shared with him, he says, “My most
beautiful memory of Khan Sahib was when he had come down with his son
for my 50th birthday. We spent 10 days together and it was truly
amazing.” Talking about some of the ghazals he will be singing, he adds,
“‘Dekh toh dil ki jaan se uthtaa hai’, ‘Mohabbat karne waale kam na
honge’ and ‘Ranjish hi sahi dil hi dukhaane ke liye aa’ are a few.”
The performances will be followed by the screening of some unseen
footage of Hassan, which has been collated by the veteran’s family.
“Ghazal, as a genre, is losing its popularity in India and needs to be
revived. This concert is the first step towards that. And who better
than the ‘King of Ghazals’ to stage a tribute to?” says Mahesh Babu,
managing director, Banyan Tree Events, the company that is organising
the concert.
Some of the most eminent names in classical music — Pt Shiv Kumar
Sharma, Pt Hariprasad Chaurasia, Javed Akhtar and Roop Kumar Rathore —
are expected to attend the gig in the city on Thursday.
Some of the most eminent names in classical music — Pt Shiv Kumar
Sharma, Pt Hariprasad Chaurasia, Javed Akhtar and Roop Kumar Rathore —
are expected to attend the gig in the city on Thursday.