For the past few days, I have been on an Abida Parveen trip. These phases recur at regular intervals, and are often triggered by one song, followed by many others. This time, the piece was ‘ Yeh Baatein Jhoothi Baatein Hain ’, written by Ibn-e-Insha.
Almost 15-20 years ago, Parveen had a devoted following among ghazal and Sufi music followers. After the death of Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan in 1997, she was described as his successor. Her earlier album Songs Of The Mystics had been put out by Sony Nad Navras, and gained instant popularity. Other Pakistani female ghazal singers like Farida Khanum, Iqbal Bano and Nayyara Noor were admired by followers of the genre. And though many associate Parveen with Sufi music, her repertoire includes a large selection of ghazals, besides the occasional thumri.
What makes her special is the robustness of her voice and clarity of her expression. In live shows, she looks so involved and full of energy, and can switch between slow and fast tunes with effortless ease. For those looking for a recommendation, check the YouTube recording of Baba Bulleh Shah’s ‘ Tere Ishq Nachaya Karke Thaiyya Thaiyya ’.
Parveen’s hits have been plenty, and Songs From The Mystics contains most of them — ‘Aandhi Chali’, ‘Jabse Tune Mujhe Deewana Bana Rakha Hai’, ‘Yaar Di Ghadoli’, ‘Ku-ba-ku Phail Gayee’, ‘Hum Ko Yaan Dar Dar Phiraya’, ‘Baaju Band Khul Khul Jaaye’, ‘Balle Balle’, ‘Ho Jamaalo’ and ‘Mast Qalandar’.
From the late 1990s, she regularly visited India to record albums. The first one was Raqs-e-Bismil, produced by filmmaker Muzaffar Ali. Then she did a series of poet-based albums for Times Music, where the music was arranged by Mumbai-based Bhavdeep Jaipurwale. The works of Baba Bullehshah, Hazrat Shah Hussain, Kabir, Mirza Ghalib and Faiz Ahmed Faiz were featured.
When I joined EMI Music in 2005, one of my assignments was to handle the EMI Pakistan catalogue, and create new compilations. We already had a series called Sur Ki Koi Seema Nahin , and I decided to have at least two Parveen albums on the roster. Now that was the interesting part. I asked for scratch recordings of some 50 songs, but given the song length, could accommodate only five or six per compact disc. Parveen had many followers in India till 2006. However, visits by artistes from across the border were later restricted, and efforts to release more recordings never materialised. One also wishes she had done more concerts here, though she had some invitees-only shows of which I attended two, and both were stunning.
I was lucky to have interviewed her twice, once before the Raqs-e-Bismil launch and once during her numerous frequent trips to Mumbai. The first one makes for a rather interesting anecdote. Two journalists were to interview her at the Taj lobby. The first person was in the middle of his interview when I reached and I sat at a close distance. When he was through with his questions, we met briefly. “I couldn't understand anything she said. Don't know what these words mean,” he complained.
That made me nervous. And the initial part of my interview was no better, as she used complex Urdu words and descriptions of poetry. Luckily, Songs Of The Mystics saved me, as I knew most songs.
So she started singing, making passersby in the lobby wonder who she was. Efforts by her daughter to go slow were of no avail. That’s Abida Parveen — a symbol of focus and dedication.
