In praise of the Almighty

Nisa Azeezi, the first Muslim woman from the Chembai Memorial Government Music College, is going places with her Sufi rock album ‘Ya Maula’.

Nisa Azeezi.Photo: K. K. Najeeb

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isa Azeezi’s passion for music has seen her explore many streams of melody. Notwithstanding the ambience of Hindustani music at home, she passed Ganabhushanam from Chembai Memorial Government Music College (CMGMC), Palakkad. She has been groomed by many Ustads, including Rafeeque Khan of Gwalior gharana. A singer and composer, her recent Sufi Rock album ‘Ya Maula’ is perhaps the first of its kind in Malayalam. Presently, she is head of the department of music in the MES Senior Secondary School in Tirur. Excerpts from an interviewwith her:

As a child you were exposed to Hindustani. Then what was the inspiration for taking up Carnatic music?

My father, Azeez Bhai, a musician well versed in Hindustani, was running a school, Rag Tharang Sangeeth Vidyalay. We had a full complement of musical instruments at home. Ganamelas apart, mehfils were common in those days. But as I grew up I realised that a firm footing in Carnatic music was inevitable for a career in music. I was the first Muslim girl to join the CMGMC. It was the systematic training there that helped me present concerts at the Kalpathy Rathotsav (the only Muslim female singer), Thunchan Festival, Sukapuram Navarathri festival, to mention a few. I even had the privilege of singing at Mookambika.

But you are known as a ghazal and qawwali musician…

That is true. My husband, Mustafa Desamangalam, felt that my voice and diction were ideal for these branches. I also gained a lot from my family tradition as well. Response from the audience in the initial days was encouraging. As of now,

I am regularly invited to Gulf countries. I have experienced that they are discerning rasikas.

Then you switched over to Sufi?

Yes. I was granted a research fellowship by the Ministry of Culture, Delhi to explore the ghazal tradition of Malabar. I could gather that Sufi itinerant musicians from the north used to frequent the Malabar region in the past. Long interaction with the local Muslim community gave birth to a genre of music, the language of which was an admixture of Arabic, Malayalam and even Tamil. I could collect a few such songs and present them before an invited audience.

What is the theme of this branch of music?

It is spiritual. The very purpose is to evoke devotion. It is basically rhythm oriented and the ascending tempo carries the audience to a state of ecstasy. The lyrics for ‘Ya Maula’ have been penned by poets Rafeeq Ahamed, Jamal Kochangadi , E.M. Hashim, M.A. Rajesh and Mustafa.