There are quite a few ghazals and nazms that have been rendered by more than one singer. This is K. S. Chitra's versions of popular ghazals, most of them you must have heard sung by others before.
These days, when there is just a trickle of new ghazals albums, when thumping music tracks have become the order of the day, when pure music has been cruelly marginalised, ‘Andaaz' is refreshing, rejuvenating.
Ghazals are all about the singer's voice and his or her ability to interact with the tune and poetry. Its music is one that elicits a cry from the soul.
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K.S. Chitra's dulcet voice, intensity and ability to infuse emotion into the rendering of each of the eight ghazals create this impact.
The album opens with a relatively heavy Jigar Muradabadi composition, ‘Dard badkar fughan na ho jaaye…' immortalised by Jagjit and Chitra Singh. Chitra excels in the measured alaap and strong classical touches and Ramesh Narayan's music stands out.
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‘Apni dhun mein rehta hoon…' is a short and beautiful ghazal by Nazeer Kazmi. Chitra has added a humming bit in the beginning; the music is different with a dominant flute and the electronic gizmos. At the end of it, one yearns for the good old harmonium.
Chitra pays tribute to Begum Akhtar, the foremost exponent of this genre, with a lovely ‘Ilahi kaash gam e ishai kaam kar jaaye…' by Shameem Jaipuri, a version she popularised. This one, with its new music and Chitra's brilliant rendering, makes it one of the best in the album.
Nida Fazli's haunting lyrics in ‘Duniya jise kehte hain…,' a ghazal that any aficionado must have heard umpteen times by Jagjit and Chitra Singh is next in line.
Recently, Manjari came out with her own version of this ghazal in her concerts. Chitra and Ramesh Narayan create another interesting version.
If there is one ghazal in this album that makes you feel that some of the classics cannot be recreated in new sounds and style it is ‘Jab kisi bewafa ka naam liya…'
The original is so simple in its rendering and music. Here the music becomes a bit too loud, and one is sure to miss the lovely saxophone and violin bits in the original.
Rich new version
Mirza Ghalib's ‘Hum resh ko…' and Zarina Saini's ‘Tu apne…' lead to a beautiful ghazal - Firaq Gorakhpuri's ‘Raat bhi neend bhi kahaani bhi…' This new version is rich, the music lilting, and Chitra brings out the feel and emotion in the poetry most effectively.
This is Chitra's first-ever collection of ghazals. The new versions may make you raise your eyebrows but simply close your eyes and let the poetry and tunes take over.