Shafqat Amanat Ali’s voice works more accurately than a Google map. It wonderfully draws out the landscape of the region he hails from — Pakistan. In his intense, unrestrained and malleable singing, you can visualise the mighty mountains, fertile plains, lush valleys, sprightly rivers and the desolate barrenness of deserts.
At the opening night of The Hindu November Fest, he presented a delightful hybrid of traditionalism — because the core of his sound is classical — and edgy improvisations. Even in his avatar of a rock star ustad, he seems to reside comfortably in the hoary Patiala house (he belongs to the ninth generation of the Patiala gharana lineage). Whether it was a film song, a vivacious number from his album, a ghazal or a geet, he made it a point to convey the distinct flavours of the gharana, but in a refreshing manner by blending them seamlessly with heavy guitar riffs, pulsating drum beats, and evocative flute notes. The gharana, known for its liberal use of ornamented raags, embellished swars and intricate taans, its khayal and thumri… has prepared Shafqat well to chart his own musical course, very different from that of his father and forefathers.
Though the concert had a shaky start (towards the end of the concert the singer admitted that his voice was not at its best), it picked up pace with every consecutive song. The cheering, whistling and interactive audience made it easy for Shafqat to get into the groove. He went down the stage, making the crowd sing along, struck up witty conversations while taking requests and even invited a youngster to croon his super hit ‘Bin Tere’. And then it was time for pure emotion with the all-time favourite Fayyaz Hashmi ghazal ‘Aaj jaane ki zid na karo’. Shafqat’s expressive rendition brought out the lyrical beauty of its verses with a perfect emphasis on the words and laya.
Then there was ‘Mora Saiyaan’, ‘Akhiyan’, ‘Mitwa’, ‘Allah Waariyan’… culminating in the high-energy ‘Dama dam Mast Kalandar’, a piece inspired by the transcendental sufi tradition.
In all this, Shafqat was backed by a non-intrusive orchestra, who backed his deep vocals with the right thump and stroke.
As he signed off with a shabba khair , this musical emissary from across the border had won many Chennai hearts.
