No gharana can remain unchanged; it is constantly evolving even while upholding the vision of its founders. The Shaameeye gharana has its roots in the small town of Shaam Chaurasi near Hoshiarpur, Punjab. Ustad Shafqat Ali Khan, son of the legendary Ustad Salamat Ali Khan, the famous Nazakat-Salamat duo, is one of the famous representatives of this gharana. His father and uncle made invaluable contributions to establish the style of this gharana. “The gharana is named after king Shaam, who had 84 (chaurasi)villages under him,” informs Ustad Shafqat.
Ustad Sain Karim, grandfather of Ustad Salamat Ali Khan, was a singer in the court of the Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir. Salamat and Nazakat were the inheritors of this tradition and evolved an efficient method of singing . While Ustad Nazakat Ali Khan had an evocative and poignant manner, Ustad Salamat Ali Khan was greatly influenced by the musical expression of thumri singers .
Distinct styles
In the words of Ustad Shafqat Ali Khan, “It is the Dhrupad ka gharana with Khayal ka andaaz.” Shaam Chaurasi is one of the four gharanas of Punjab, the other three being Patiala, Talwandi and Kapurthala. Each has a distinct style though they adhere to the same principles.
Most of the descendants of this school live in Pakistan and have been following the technique of their forefathers. Ustad Shafqat Ali Khan’s uncle Ustad Miyan Valy Ali Khan, originally trained in the dhrupad tradition, adopted these techniques to khayal. The historicity, richness and depth in their gayaki have earned them recognition in the sub-continent. Ustad Shafqat Ali Khan along with brothers Ustad Sharafat Ali Khan, Latafat Ali and Sakhawat Ali and cousin Rafakat Ali Khan are the tenth generation singers of this gharana. Their musical lineage can be traced to the time of Emperor Akbar when Ustads Mian Chand Khan and Mian Suraj Khan were singers in the royal court and contemporaries of Mian Tansen.
The magnificient singing of Ustad Salamat Ali Khan won him Satara Imtiaz and the title of Pride of Performance. Both Sharafat Ali Khan and Ustad Shafqat Ali are also the recipients of the Pride of Performance, the highest civilian honour in Pakistan . Their repertoire includes dadra rendition in thumri style. In this style, the bols, matras and alaps are joined together with maend. The gap between the swars is covered with a clear and powerful enunciation of the sruti. Purity and transparency of swars and a subtle spiritual exultation are the principal characteristics of this gharana.
Heavy gamakas are used for badat in sur. Gayaki here is fixed as in dhrupad but there is freedom to innovate. ‘Amad’ is predominantly used — the skilfully calibrated entrance of the tabla into a tala cycle meeting, which is called ‘sam,’ where the rhythm determines the face of the raga,. Badat is also done with the tarana bols. Phirat ki taan is used with great aplomb. This is tradition at its best.
Ustad Shafqat Ali points out how these are transferred to every succeeding generation of musicians so that the process of evolution and enrichment is continuous. Waiting to take this glorious tradition forward is nephew Bakhat Ali Khan and sons Saizan Ali Khan, Nadir Ali Khan and Sift Ali Khan.
