The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - The Tribune Lifestyle

Sounds of sufis
In the city, the Nizami brothers talk of qawwali then and now
S.D. Sharma

“Sufiana qawwali is the centuries’ old medium of devout sufi saints aiming to be establish communion with God. This is the cardinal spiritual experience transcending unity consciousness (tauhid) and much more for the blessed souls,” opined the Sufi maestros Ghulam Sabir and Ghulam Waris, better known as the Nizami Brothers International. Having inherited the 750-year-old legacy of sole performers at the Dargah-e- sharif of Nizummuddin Aulia, the Nizami brothers had taken the traditional sufi qawwali to spectacular heights with their live performance at the Royal Albert Hall London while representing India.

Credited with 35 audio and some video qawwali albums, both hold allegiance to the Hyderabad gharana and learnt from their Abba Ustad before taking advanced training under Ustad Wahed Hussain Khan of the Khurja gharana.

In the city for a performance at the Government College-10 on the invitation of Spic Macay and Bharat Sewak Samaj, they shared their views on the contemporary music scene.

Experts hold divergent views on the origin of qawwali and on it being on the verge of extinction, your take?

Legends ascribe its origin to the Arabian countries, where only the devotional chorus for which only a daff provided rhythm, but the credit for the present format goes to Amir Khusro the poet musician. No question of its dying as it is the musical form of ibadat of ishq hakiki ( love with god) or the ishaq majazi (carnal love).

Qawwalis once added to the popularity of films like Barsat ki Raat, but why do they have few takers in films today?

In fact, the qawwali mukbalas in films had lowered the dignity of this genre which had its own grammar, decency of presentation, including the rich poetic and philosophical content, tehzeeb and tallafuz. Unfortunately, the film makers take it as another filmi song. We have refused many offers that do not conform to the specified norms of qawwali.

How was the experience of performing before an audience that didn’t know Urdu at the Royal Albert Hall?

It was and is still a crowning achievement of ours. What rejuvenated us was that we really felt the language of music there. Qawwali , you know, is a complete musical art embellished with the richness of poetry, musical utterances with emotional expression and rhythmic synchronization. The gorre log clapped as we reached the sam (note of musical thrust).

Any government patronage to qawwali artistes?

Not at all. We used to perform for the AIR once a month and now it is once in 16 months.

Mystic melody

Nizami Brothers Gulam Sabir and Ghulam Waris enthralled a select audience with their qawwalis at the GC-10 on Thursday. After a welcome address by V. Vijay, the college principal, Shyam Sunder, defined the spiritual significance of qawwali and honored Nizami brothers before they started the programme with a Kaabe Mein Tera Jalva, an invocatory recital.

As expected, they brought alive the mysticism and spiritual fervour with Amir Khusro’s Chhap Tilak Sab Chheeni. After their popular ghazal Ham Jin Ke Liye Aksar… they concluded the concert with the all-time-favourite, Damadam Mast Qalander. They interspersed the recital with suitable qalaams.

Gilt trip
Jigyasa Kapoor Chimra

It’s just the beginning of the festive season and we are already bombarded with lucrative offers—pre-Navratra bookings on gold and diamond jewellery, the ‘book now, take later’ kinds. Pressing the right nerve and targeting the most eligible shopper of the house (read ghar ki Lakshmi), advertisers also know exactly where to exert pressure. Well, a woman’s obsession with gold and diamonds is one thing, but what with gold prices soaring high and recession fear still looming, we ask the ladies if they are game for the alluring ornament deals.

Designer deal

Ask people in the business about the buying pattern and they say auspicious or inauspicious doesn’t matter much. Says Mayank Kampani from Tanishq, “Unlike the past, this year we saw gold prices rising by 3-4 per cent even in Shraads. And, when it comes to buying jewellery, offers do matter not the time. Most people from corporates purchase in Shraads.”

Talking about the offers Anmol, jewellery designer from A- jewels-19, says, “For a minute, one gets lured, but they are not genuine. One will never sell for a loss. Authentic jewellery can never come down to offers. There is always something hidden behind it, if the deal is on labour prices they would increase polish or for that matter even the quality of gold would not be up to mark.

They can even play with the carat. And, for customers they will only go to a jeweller who they think is genuine. Here offers don’t work.” Ask her what about gold sales and she says, “It has gone down tremendously. No offers are enough to lure customers—courtesy sky-high gold prices and recession fear still threatening customers.” She further adds, “Gold prices are still going to increase and now only those people are going to buy who have a wedding in the family or have surplus money.” That’s a fact.

Girl talk

Says Dr Abha Taneja, a resident of Sector 22, “Such schemes and offers definitely attract a woman; modern or conventional does not matter here.” Talk about the auspicious and inauspicious time for buying. “Discount, that too on a thing like gold is a big pull, it withers away many fears,” says Abha, laughing. She further adds, “Gold prices are already sky-rocketing and it’s only a few who can think of buying gold these days. But, with discounts and free gifts, who wouldn’t like to pick a thing or two?” Well, there’ll hardly be any woman who will differ on this point.

Sanjoli, an investment banker from the city, says, “I am not a jewellery person but when it comes to gold ornaments, people still consider it a great investment option. So, when offers like these come along who wouldn’t want to strike a deal?” Well, does festive mood add to the purchasing power? “Yes, it does. But as an investment banker, I would consider buying gold coins and gold EPF a better option. But seeing the sentiments attached to gold, these offers are also an excuse to buy some new jewels.” That’s true.

For Richa Taneja, a lecturer at Chandigarh Engineering College, Landran, these offers come with a big catch. “These offers are like baits and traders know women will bite it. Just like cars would attract men, attractive offers on jewels would lure women. But I think such offers are no-win situation. The discounts are not all that great and mind you, there are conditions applied to them.” Here’s some logic, girls.

jigyasachimra@tribunemail.com

Gold rush

With the gold prices projected to touch the 18,000-mark this festive season, we check out the offers and if the buyers are falling for them

According to a projection by Assocham, gold is likely to touch Rs 18,000 per 10 gm during the forthcoming festival season as the demand for the yellow metal peaks around Diwali. Gold price is expected to increase by Rs 2,000 per 10 gm by Diwali, which is followed by a marriage season in the country, it said.

Currently gold prices are hovering around Rs 16,000 per 10 gm. “The bullion is likely to gradually see a spurt in its price and stay around Rs 18,000 per 10 gm till Diwali,” Assocham president Sajjan Jindal said.

This is due to the fact that more and more investors are flocking to take refuge to gold as an asset as it happens to be the best bet against the rising inflation.

”The high valuations of stocks and the risks have by and large motivating investors to part shift to gold as an investment class,” Jindal said. — PTI

Fusion fame
Tribune News Service

The De Innovatives, a band that believes in fusion, and its not only music that they do fusion with but also life as a whole! Right from the lyrics to the complete composition, to the usage of instruments, to the individual pieces to the complete arrangement each song has a definitive element enhancing the fusion of life with music. And the outcome is songs like Duuur and Mumbai Attack 26/11.

Duuur has come to limelight when Sennheiser conducted an online competition in collaboration with www.tempostand.com under the name of G3 Rocks and song entries were invited from all over the country. All the entries were judged by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, the musical trio, eventually three songs were selected out of which Duuur was declared the second runner up.

The band comprises Nirdosh Sobti, Namrata Sobti, Harsh Sobti, Jaspal Saib, Neha Behl, Gagan Deep Singh, Lucky Singh and Goldy.

Brand bargain
Jasmine Singh

It’s that time of the year when newspapers and television are flooded with enticing offers and discounts on various products. The time when every weekend, almost everyone’s invariably makes a beeline for the shopping malls to tap in the best bargains. And, the time when the lady of the house can afford to put up her feet, and demand- ‘ I want the Tanshiq polki necklace. I have been waiting for long. They are offering huge discounts now. I can’t wait. You never know this one time shopping makes you richer by 4 Crore.’

Voila! The market is ready to roll out their festive offers that would tempt you to end. One such attraction for the tricity people comes from Tanishq, as they unveil their new collections and festive offers on Thursday at Hotel Piccadily.

Royaltyre-defined

Sulab Agrawal

Tanishq launched ‘Queen of Diamonds’ an initiative taken to provide memorable shopping experience to the customers. So, models sashayed down the ramp showcasing the party wear, colours of royalty (diamonds plus colour stone collection) and kundan and polki collection from the likes of Jodha Akbar and Paheli flicks.

According to Sulab Agrawal, regional business manager- North, Tanishq, “At Tanishq we work towards innovating and enhancing the quality of the product, and also engaging the customers on various festive occasions.” Talking about the growing diamond jewellery market, Sulab says that in the north region the sale of diamonds is three times more than gold. “This is because of various reasons.

Firstly, initially diamonds were considered pretty expensive. However, through a lot of promotion we have been able to tell the customers that diamonds are affordable.” He adds, “Now, even a college going girl, a homemaker can flaunt diamonds. Secondly, diamonds are a fashion statement, and everyone wants a piece of it.” If you are still panicked by recession, Sulab corrects. “Gold is a traditional purchase. Whether or not there is recession, customers still buy. As far as recession is concerned, well, the city I think hasn’t seen any. Neither the spurt or the downfall.”

jasmine@tribunemail.com

Festive dhamaal

Starting nationally from September 18, Tanishq comes out with a festive contest, which will give consumers an opportunity to win exquisite diamond jewellery along with assured gifts on the purchase of Tanishq. According to Sulab, “Any customer who purchases jewellery worth Rs 15,000 or more can enter the contest, wherein the mega winner of the contest will be rewarded with an exclusive diamond jewellery set worth Rs 25 Lakh.

In addition to this, we would also be offering other prizes worth Rs 4 Lakh at the regional level and 28 numbers of prizes each at all Tanishq Botiques varying from Rs 5,000 to Rs 1 Lakh on a weekly basis. This means customers have a chance to win a total of Rs 4 crore worth diamond jewellery as prizes.”

Win(e)some
Tribune News Service

Beam Global Spirits & Wine Inc, a premium spirits company, on Wednesday launched Teacher’s Origin, a premium Scotch whisky blend. Speaking at the launch, Harish Moolchandani, CEO and MD, Beam Global Spirits and Wine (I) Pvt Ltd, said, “Teacher’s Origin is one of our finest products and raises the bar by a few notches in the premium Scotch whisky category. With this launch, we not just reinforce our leadership in the Scotch whisky category but also outline our strong intent to augment overall presence in the Indian market.”

He added, “Origin brings to our cherished consumers an innovative world-class packaging which is probably a first of sorts — the jewel box styled gift box and the traditional cork closure add a lot of grace and élan to the overall product. We are confident that the product shall be well received in the forthcoming festive season.”

On the occasion, Robert Hicks, Teacher’s Global Brand Ambassador, said, “Teacher’s Origin harkens back to the days when blending was in its infancy, when William Teacher Senior was experimenting with malt and grain whiskies. There were no rules on how a blend should be put together – even more than today, it was art rather than science.

Teacher’s Origin comes in a luxurious new jewel box style and an authentic cork closure is priced for 750 ml bottle as Rs 1450 in Punjab.

Side Lanes
A head too big
Joyshri Lobo

The last two months have been a bit of a drag. There have been niggling, sharp pains in the neck and upper back. When they found their way into the left arm, I cried for help. An MRI showed the neck bones crumpled like a heap of jalebis. The degenerating vertebrae could not hold up the head, which has become too cumbersome with a wild imagination and too many thoughts, sent to my readers and friends via this column.

Dr Ravjit assured me all would be well again. He put me onto relaxants and a nerve tablet that creates a euphoric state of glee. I am laughing and sleeping a lot as my beloved mother feeds me choice bits of chicken and lots of love. Puran and Sangita are coping with the housework and Ozzie clucks over me like a broody hen with well-timed medicines and anti pain creams.

Stelli, the cocker spaniel is very worried on seeing me in an inactive stupor and sleeps along my back, not allowing any intruders into the room. Friends visit and talk in whispers, but I am not dead yet, just constantly soporific! The three betas are very worried. Cheer up sons — your great grand mother lived till 101.

I am writing this piece not to applaud family and friends but for the benefit of those who too might be suffering from the effects of bending over the chulha or computer for long hours. I am told that these pains can become chronic but are curable if caught at the start. If you want to know how they feel — they are like a towel being rung inside the arm and nails being hammered into the back and shoulders.

Ozzie was advised to visit the bonesetter who sits near the Sector 19 police station. The man asked four stalwarts to hold my husband down as his arm was pulled straight. A huge crowd laughed as Oz screamed for help. He still has occasional nightmares and twinges.

Many of us who have doctor relatives abroad can get confused with the many conflicting instructions sent over the oceans. Indian medication is more cautious and gets to the root of the problem. Abroad, the thinking is for quick cures for a back-to-work-soon scenario.

The money lies there, so they favour operations and huge quantums of medicines. “Shoot the old man with blah, blah and blah so that he is less of a nuisance and will be cured soon.” There is not much time for an ailing relative who is on a prolonged visit. In fact, India is now the preferred choice for Five Star Medical Tourism. The West has waiting lists of up to a year.

Dr Tapish holds my nut in very strong hands and gently pulls skywards. He does this a couple of times and I feel much better. Electric nodes irritate my nerves and my hand involuntarily curls into a fist. I am frightened but when I come home, the pain has vanished. A knobbly-kneed friend has a physio-therapist coming daily to pull and pummel his knees.

I would advise everyone to go to a good and well-known doctor. Ask around about his reputation and note the number of cars at his clinic. Once you are satisfied, trust him. Do not listen to more advice. Dr Ravjit and Dr Tapish explain every line of
treatment and its effect on the jalebis in my back. If your doctor is secretive, avoid him. All the best, you comrades-in-pain.