Fragrance lingers on: Chandan Dass' ghazals remain popular across generations

Krishnaraj Iyengar

In the quietude of an old Mumbai neighbourhood, strains of harmonium fill the air, punctuating a sonorous voice that seems steeped in a melodic and lyrical trance. For Chandan Dass (68), music is like an eternal journey. “Even if the world ends, music will live on!” he smiles.

Acknowledged as one of India’s seniormost ghazal exponents, Dass believes that the language of this musical form has become much simpler over the years. “The lofty language of Ghalib and Mir was relevant to their eras. Older audiences still listen to the renditions of Ghalib or Mir’s poetry, but many youngsters fail to understand it,” says the ghazal maestro. “Most of us speak Hindustani. Hence, I prefer to offer my audiences ghazals with simple lyrics that convey a deep message,” he adds.

Son of a Kolkata-based businessman, Chandan Dass was introduced to singing through his sister Pratima’s rendering of Rabindra Sangeet. He soon discovered a knack to sing film songs. Contrary to his father’s wish to join their sweetshop business, he chose to be a singer. Dass moved to Patna and got an opportunity to perform on radio, rendering sugam sangeet (light classical music). After a few years, he relocated to Delhi. He learnt his craft under many singers, including Hafiz Ahmed Khan of Rampur Sahaswan gharana. He also trained under Kirana gharana vocalist Pt Mani Prasad. However, “listening to Mehdi Hassan and Ghulam Ali on radio drew me to ghazals”, says the artiste.

Despite his Bengali lineage, the secret behind his impeccable Urdu talaffuz (diction) is his association with Delhi’s Aiwan-e-Ghalib institute, where the company of poets and the opportunity to attend mushairas shaped his linguistic command.

“After my cassette was released in the early 1980s by the Amrit Baani company, Talat Aziz, who was being promoted by Music India, recommend me. I then moved to Mumbai and my debut album, ‘Introducing Chandan Dass’, was released in 1982. That was the turning point,” recalls Dass, who shot to fame with the pan-India ‘Khazana’ concert series in the 1980s, followed by international tours. “That era witnessed a massive ghazal boom,” he reminisces.

The transformation in ghazal’s musical and lyrical styles over the centuries owes a lot to the changing audiences. Dass says the culture-scape has changed dramatically, but the rooh (soul) of music is unchanged. “While Begum Akhtar would be accompanied by sarangi, Jagjit Singh introduced western instruments like the guitar and keyboards. Change is the key to evolution,” he explains.

Ghazals encompass not just romance but a myriad of emotions. “It is the language of the poet’s heart. Invariably, what poets write, finds relevance to our lives,” he expounds. Rejoicing in the growing interest in ghazal learning, the veteran singer says that while patience is the key to musical excellence, “certain things need to remain unaccomplished, for completeness lies only with God. We will always remain seekers.”

The Dass-Badr connection

Though classically trained, Chandan Dass took to ‘asan Urdu ki ghazalein’ (easy Urdu ghazals), his forte. He was of the conviction that ghazals should be composed in easily relatable lyrics. This conviction was honed by poets like Nida Fazli and the legendary Bashir Badr, who turned 90 this year. Badr and Dass share a close bond. Dass is also credited with having rendered the largest number of Badr’s ghazals, including the famous ‘Na jee bhar ke dekha, na kuchh baat ki’.