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Teer-e-Neemkash

Ashis Sengupta ( ashis_sangeet@yahoo.com), Rs.250

With tunes composed by Ustad Shahid Parvez, this album contains ghazals sung by Nalini Madiwale and certainly merits its catchline, “Classic poetry in classical tunes”. It features ghazals by Mirza Ghalib, Allama Iqbal, Firaq Gorakhpuri and Meer Taqi Meer, besides the relatively lesser known Ustad Aziz Khan. The latter is the late father and guru of Ustad Shahid Parvez.

Based on classical ragas, the ghazals are all pleasant and tunefully sung. Ghalib’s “Har Ek Baat Pe” set to Mishra Khamaj gets the album started on a mellow note. After “Dayar-E-Ishq” (Iqbal) set to Rageshri and “Mutarib Se Kaho” (Firaq) in Mishra Gaara, Aziz Khan’s nazm “Insaan Tu Bhi” brings a sombre touch with Mishra Shivaranjani. This nazm, incidentally, has neither been published nor recorded before.

Credit is due to Ashis Sengupta — a tabla exponent and composer — for the music arrangement that refrains from overwhelming the songs yet adds lilt and body. Touches of violin, tabla, sitar – is it a sax? – enliven the compositions. The music arranger, who is also the album producer, has modestly left his own introduction out of the album notes, whereas the poets, singer and composer are given a paragraph each. However, all accompanying musicians ought to have been mentioned.

While the album makes euphonious listening, it could be a set of any light classical music compositions.

Nalini has a melodious voice, and good pronunciation too but it lacks drama. Since ghazals have emotion as their inspiration, one feels the singer could have put her vocal chords to a use beyond intoning the lyrics in tune.

Also — though this is incidental, it does affect certain listeners — some of these ghazals have become famous in the voices of greats like Begum Akhtar, Farida Khanum and others.

Therefore, the ‘merely’ melodious singing here loses out in comparison.

(Complied by A.K. and A.R.)

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