‘Zikr Tera’ is the latest ghazal album from acclaimed vocalists Roopkumar and Sunali Rathod. “It is our tribute to Jagjit Singh. A gifted artist, he took ghazal, perceived as an elitist genre, to the layman. As a close friend and well wisher, he urged us to carry forward the torch,” says Sunali.
The album also celebrates 25 years of the couple’s togetherness and their shared passion for music and shairi.
“Ghazal, said to date back to the time of Amir Khusrau, is a genre to be enjoyed at leisure. The album has both duets and solos, and the tunes are simple and hummable,” says Roopkumar who has composed all the songs with subtle orchestration by Deepak Pandit, renowned for his long-time collaboration with Jagjit Singh.
Listen to the evocatively picturised ‘Haathon Mein Haath’ trending on Youtube (https: //www. youtube.com/watch?v=FpQex_c_rFY) and you’ll find yourself involuntarily humming this delicately crafted melody. ‘Meri Chaadar Tha’ stands out for its tangible poignancy. Lyrics in the album are by Shakeel Azmi, Saani Aslam, Madan Pal and Parveen Kumar Ashkk. “The latter, a master Sufi poet, in ‘Zameen To Ae Khuda Wo Zalzala De’ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5awlzQfh2GI) pens opening lines which are mystifying. Why would one pray for an earthquake? The next verse illustrates that this would dissolve boundaries between nations whose people could then coexist as one, in peace and harmony and you are floored by the poet’s wealth of imagination,” explains Roop. Sunali’s rich mellow tone lights up ‘Aur Kuchh Din’ and ’Abr Guzra.’
A point to note is that this album is independently produced and released by the duo. Why risk this step when albums are usually produced by music labels? “Being in the field for over 20 years and finding our niche, we want the freedom that one’s own production and copyright confers. With our experience and dedication, we are confident we can make it work, also exploiting the wide reach of social media,.” clarifies Sunali.
A disciple of luminaries such as Pt. Hridaynath Mangeshkar, Ustad Fayyaz and Niaz Ahmad Khan and at present, Ustad Mubarak Ali Khan (Kirana gharana), Sunali’s knowledge of Urdu shairi grew alongside her classical music training. “During the late 1980s ghazal wave, Polydor approached me for a ghazal album, which marked my entry into this fascinating genre. Familiarity with the language helped in understanding and fully appreciating the meaning, achieving the right diction. At concerts abroad, many young people love our music and want to understand the lyrics better. So, our CD is accompanied by a small booklet that contains the lyrics and the meaning of uncommon words,” says Sunali. For Roopkumar, music was always a way of life, with father Chaturbhuj Rathod being a renowned dhrupad and damar exponent. For this tabla whiz turned vocalist, specialising in ghazal was not a conscious decision. “Roop is at heart a performer, energised by a live audience. His voice has that special from-the-heart quality that makes his renditions truly emotive,” affirms Sunali.
Roop’s distinctive timbre and signature style has lent an edge to Tamil film melodies such as ‘Pookkal Pookkum’ (Madarasapatnam), ‘Oru Devathai’ (Vaamanan) and ‘Venmathi’ (Minnale) while his Bollywood numbers, many of which have classical moorings, are invariably chart busters – ‘Tujh Mein Rab Dikhta Hain’ (Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi), ‘Maula Mere’ (Anwar) and the iconic ‘Sandese Aate Hain’ (Border). His stage shows also feature collaborations with instrumentalists and vocalists from other genres such as jazz.
