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Ghazals may come and go but the monarch of ghazal gayaki Ghulam Ali stands as firm as ever. As does the swarm of his aficionados. Young, old, men, women, connoisseurs and the not-so discerning, the tribe of his listeners, yes in India too, which he calls his "second home", refuses to dwindle. No wonder, he quips, "There will never ever be a void in the world of ghazal singing." Yes, after ghazal maestro Jagjit Singh’s untimely demise too. Says Ali, who was in Chandigarh for a concert recently, "Nature is omnipresent and omnipotent and has a way of filling up a gap. So don’t think that after me ghazal will be no more."
But in ghazal gayaki is it difficult to reconcile the dichotomy that while music has no language ghazal is all about shayari`85.?. He agrees that the import of words can’t be undermined. That’s why he goes an extra mile to translate Arabic and Persian words for uninitiated listeners. Still, he observes that ghazals do transcend the language barrier for lyrics have feelings which can be communicated without understanding the language. He muses, "How else would a Punjabi song sung in Kolkata demand an encore, why would listeners across the seven seas sit with rapt attention during a ghazal concert?" Besides, having sung all-time greats like Ghalib, he has also rendered the poetry of many a contemporary poet. He has teamed up with lyricist Gulzar and is all praise for the poet with a difference and says, "His poetry is refreshing yet based in tradition." Personally, not only ghazals with dard and soz appeal to him, but also those which stand out for its lafzon ki jadat. Tune kuch bhi na kaha ho jaise mere hi dil ki sada ho jaise`85. only when words such as these are touched by his melodious voice, the allure not only multiplies manifold but becomes timeless. That’s why the words of his forefathers— remain steadfast in your belief and crowds will come to you of their own volition—have proved to be prophetic. That is why his die-hard fans remember most of his ghazals like Faasle aise bhi honge, Dil mein ek lehar si oothi hai, Itni muddat baad mile ho by heart.
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To further ensure that the
ghazal lives forever, he is planning to open up music schools in India,
Pakistan, USA and Canada. He already has disciples all over the world.
So what does he tell his shaagirds,to sing like him or forge
their own paths? He is candid enough to admit that there is no harm in
singing like ustaads for, "you have to begin
somewhere." but goes on to add, "You can’t be a Xerox copy
either." Himself a disciple of greats like the doyen of Patiala
gharana Ustaad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, after whom he was named, and later
Ustaad Barkat Ali Khan, how much does he owe to his masters? More
pertinently, did he ever think of becoming a classical singer? He
shares, "Actually I had trained under the stalwarts to make a mark
as a classical vocalist only. But when I would hear Ustaad Barkat Ali
Khan who would sing thumris, dadras and ghazals, I
was smitten by the beauty of ghazals and chose to be a ghazal
singer." Of course, years of classical training has held this son
of a vocalist and sarangi player in good stead for "basics lay the
ground for a singer’s real grooming and blossoming." Today, as he
sings ghazals in his pure inimitable style the classical embellishments
like harkat and behalava, are more than palpable. He
remarks, "The idea is to present ghazals that I compose in
Hindustani classical ragas, with all the nuances intact. But my
endeavour also is to make it sound simple." In fact, till date he
has not forgotten the advice of Ustaad Bade Ghulam Ali who told him,
"When you sing on stage do so effortlessly not as if you are
writhing in pain. Enjoy yourself and make others partake in the
pleasure. Singing should be a natural process." Is that why he is
against singers who jump back and forth on stage like acrobats as he has
reportedly said before? He replies, "I have nothing against any
genre of music. All I want to say is pop is not our music. We have
imported it for there is no custom duty on it. Still at the end of the
day all music is universal."