India’s 1st female Sufi singer(Zila Khan) - Page 2

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Aah ko dard	Ab kaise gauna	Aeri sakhi
Baqaul e murshid	Bhairavi 001	Bhairavi 001
Bhairavi 003	Dil ja raha hai	Ishq ki nai bahar
Jo hain aashna	Kesaria	Lat uljhe
Mori dheme	Munh apna jo tu ne	Nazuk hai
Odessey - odessey	Rubai	Sach kaho
Tana na maro	Tum agar haan

Edited by Chalavanth - 17 years ago

Sufi music is deeper than a monsoon puddle

By Anjali Singh Jaiswal - Times of India - New Delhi, India
Thursday, March 1, 2007

In an age when the Indian youth lapped up anything related to rock & pop, Rabbi Shergil's sufi numbers had them flocking back to their roots.

He can mesmerise you with his voice and yet seem nonchalant about the effect his music has. But that is Rabbi Shergil for you, an introvert (by his own admission), who can still touch your soul.

Having reached the heights he has, this is one singer turned music director who has managed to remain level-headed despite the heady feel of success. In town recently to promote the album of the flick he has composed music for, he talks to us on being Rabbi, spirituality and then some more.

Bulla Ki Jaana struck a chord with millions, specially the youth, what prompted you to compose it at a time when rock & pop were favoured?There was no specific reason for composing Bulla Ki Jaana... the emotions inside me just found an expression. What effect it would have or had on the world at large was the least of my concerns. I was not doing anything exceptional nor was I taking a risk in a genre of pop or rock. It was the innermost urge to express myself. If I hadn't done so, I have no idea what else I'd have done.

So, you are into spirituality big time then?

In India even if we try to keep away from spirituality, we cannot. We grow up in an atmosphere where early in the morning every home has strains of devotional songs playing. I had my exposure to all things spiritual too, but that does not mean I listened to anything else. My sister and I would watch video re-runs of the Grammy winners. We had every new music releases of U2 and Madonna - our favourites singers. I used to go mad ghisoing these tapes on our mom's old tape recorder.

When did you realise that you wanted to be a singer?

Oh, for sure after I attended a Bruce Springsteen concert in 1989 in New Delhi. That's when I knew I wanted to be a pop star (laughs). But I could not tell my family that as it would have created a furore and I wasn't suicidal. These were things you did not talk about but just went about doing them.

So you wanted a career as a singer and a musician in Bollywood?

Hey, career is a stinky word, I would not want to limit what I want to achieve by calling it a carrr...eer (drags the word for emphasis). I would like to take it as it comes, do something and think nothing of it.

Is that a Khalsa College rebel talking?

No, I don't think it's right not to give the college it's due. I agree there were a handful of guys who earned the college a notorious rep. But the majority of us were into a lot of creative things. We had our own film club called Celluloid through which my friend Saurabh Shukla and I indulged in a lot of activities. We had fantastic teachers like BS Ratna and many more who guided us when we needed help. So coming from Khalsa had its merits as well.

Do you think sufiyana music has become commercialised today?Sufi music in spirit is what I would describe as deeper than a monsoon puddle. Sufi music constantly grows and evolves. In fact, if we go to back to the days of Sheikh Farid and Amir Khusro, it'll be evident how much sufiyana kalams have evolved. Puritans will always have something to say as they feel that traditions are not meant to change when it's the other way round. Music reflects the changing values in society, so there will always be something new to say and sing about in every age.

... there was news of you recomposing Sare Jahan Se Achcha?
Yes, it sure was an experience. I was made to stand on top of a glacier, knee deep in snow, in a thin kurta and asked to sing for my motherland. I was frozen stiff but I did manage to emote for her. How well I did that... we'll have to wait and see as the song is yet to be released.

Edited by *dolly* - 17 years ago

ISHQ KI NAYEE BAHAAR - ZILA KHAN

Year: 2005
Label: MUSIC TODAY

 

Ishq Ki Navee Bahar
Lat Uljhi
Taana Na Maro
Sach Kaho
Ab Kaise Gauna
Ishq Ki Navee Bahar - 2
Nazuk Hai Nadaan
Rubai (Sufi Darvesh)

Edited by *dolly* - 17 years ago

Ishq Ki Navee Bahar - Zila Khan ( mp3)

http://www.savefile.com/files/570417

 

Edited by *dolly* - 17 years ago

'Gods, graves and grandmothers'

From August 9 to September 9, the Little Theatre at Copernicus Marg here will come alive with the staging of the "Gods, Graves and Grandmother". Based on Namita Gokhale's novel of the same name, the play retells the classic tale of an ordinary individual thrust into extraordinary circumstances.

The script has been adapted by Nicholas Kharkongor and Shena Gamat and is directed by Sanjoy Roy. Starring Zila Khan, the play has been produced jointly by Surina Narula and Teamwork.

Edited by *dolly* - 17 years ago

Some fun, some farce ROMESH CHANDER

If Teamwork's play "God's Graves and Grandmother" was outstanding, Acme Theatre's short plays "Refund" and "[email protected]" were disappointing.

TOUCHING LIFE Scenes from the play "God's Graves and Grandmother." Some of our senior theatre directors never tire of saying that theatre in Delhi is dying. To them one would suggest go and see Teamwork's "God's Graves and Grandmother" based on Namita Gokhle's novel of the same title that premiered at LTG recently. Teamwork's presentation in Sanjay Roy's direction in a mixture of English and Hindustan is set as a musical with the well-known singer Zila Khan, daughter of the sitar maestro, Ustad Vilayat Khan, in the lead role. The script is a good adaptation by Nicholas Khargaonkar, a young Khasi playwright and director based in Delhi and Shena Gamat, a Delhi-based theatre artiste. Whereas one has seen two of Khargaonar's plays "Come As You Were" and "Vincent Didn't know He Was A Genius" written and directed by him, unfortunately one is not familiar with Gamat's theatre experience, but the joint script stands on its own legs and an excellent musical that explores the life of an ordinary person who is thrown into extraordinary life by circumstances. As the lights fade out in the auditorium we see on the stage in a silhouette the opulence of an old haveli and Ammi (Zila Khan) sing a few lines and some are dancing a few steps of traditional Kathak. Suddenly the police burst in and hustle every one out. The song stops amidst shrieks and cries as people leave. We hear a train whistle, crowd scenes on a railway platform and a train pulling out. The scene changes to a street in Delhi with a Peepal tree surrounded by a small platform. Two small saffron flags flutter from the branches. There is a small abandoned hut on one side. Enters Ammi with Gudiyan (Tara Kapur) her grand daughter with a few ramshackle belongings. A beautiful way of projecting how Ammi had been forced to leave her profession of a songstress and move to Delhi. In Delhi begins a new journey in Ammi's life, a journey that is not only personal but speaks of all the people as such of changing times. But more than that it is the story of all those who attempt to confront the inexplicable. As we go along the play touches on many aspects of life - blind faith, corruption, romance and of course human courage. The play is full of beautiful lines as for instance in the scene between Ammi and Gudiya towards the end. Too long A beautiful play, but a little too long with the result that at places it begins to drag as for instance, the interview with a press reporter of the scene with Gudiya and Panditji. Then again one was surprised at the erratic sound control both for speech and singing. The performance by the cast on the whole is good and amongst them those who stand out are Divya Chandra in Phoolwati's role, Ankur Bhardwaj playing as Sunderlal, Tara Kapur as Gudiya and Lila who is not only a good singer but also speaker her lines with dramatic pauses. Listen to her in the scene with Ammi towards the end: "When I think of my son I feel sad but I also feel happy", says Ammi. "I am not letting go of him because I think the only way to get go is with love, otherwise you haven't let go. I think to let go of some one you love is the most difficult thing to do in this world." How true.
But the play belongs to Zila Khan who has a most powerful voice and is in complete control of whatever she is singing, may it be classical, a gazal, sufi kalam or a light filmi dhun. What is more Zila is not only a great singer but also a good actress. Here is play not be missed. Disappointing fare If " God's Graves and Grandmother' was outstanding, Acme Theatre's two short plays "Refund" and MD@ Chanderlok.com" directed by Tarun Anand Bali at Habitat Centre Basement theatre were disappopinting. Fritz Kairnthy's "Refund" is an amusing expose of the education system but in Sewak Nayyar's Hindi translation turns into a meaningless farce. It is the story of a jobless young man who was not good at school mainly because of bad teaching. He cannot find a job and is advised by a friend to claim back his tuition fee from the school and so begins the fun. To solve the problem the principal calls a staff meeting. The teachers test his claim, he is asked many questions that he cannot answer. The Maths teacher asks him how much he expected from the school. Satyam calculates the total fee he had paid to the school. The answer is correct and he is given a Honours certificate but of course no money. The presentation is a total failure from every point of view.

The second play of the evening "[email protected]" based on Harishankar Parsai's story and scripted by Rakesh was yet another flop. Most theatregoers in Delhi have seen some delightful adaptations and presentations of Parsai's well-known satire on the Government's functioning particularly the police. Rakesh's script by and large, follows Parsai's storyline but the director turns it into a film face rather than a powerful satire that is.

Edited by *dolly* - 17 years ago

Edited by *dolly* - 17 years ago

Moment of musical humanism PRAKASH WADHERA

Sufi-based renditions by Zila Khan in New Delhi commemorated World Hospice and Palliative Care Day.

SINGING FOR A CAUSE: Zila Khan. Photo: Shiv Kumar Pushpakar . Linking the world with the ring of music is invariably dismissed as a metaphorical thought except on World Hospice and Palliative Care Day, when musicians and vocalists hold a global concert in their respective regions, on that day. This week, the organisers of this event in India, CanSupport, who work for quality care and palliative support for cancer victims and their families, hosted the fourth concert of this world-series. The decisive moment of this musical humanism began at 7.30 p.m. local time, with an inaugural concert in New Zealand. Thereon, the baton was passed from country to country and was slated to end in Hawai. In India, the precise moment was commemorated with a recital of Sufi-based renditions by the much acclaimed artiste Zila Khan. In consonance with the prevalent mood of the occasion, Zila Khan rendered a vocal recital of Iqbal's poem, 'Zindagi,' regaling her listeners into a mesmerising warp by touching upon the emotive pull of the notes ga, ma, pacham, nishad and swara. This high touch start by Zila Khan also brought into focus the highlights of Zila's personal oeuvre. Her sound vocal training enabled her to delight her listeners with soul stirring content that did justice to the phraseology of the immortal verse. Structured

The choice of classical insets into an overall ghazal format was a sanguine compositional choice by the artiste. Her penchant for singing medium paced, poised and well-accented literary verse came to the fore, in her rendering. The highly structured methodology of the geet-numa ghazal that Zila chose, recounted the universal appeal of tradition in the midst of thoughtless innovation. The audience was left satiated with her compositional flair, her intrinsic musical command and her easy mannerisms even through the trickiest passages of the verse. The next rendering of the verse of Hasrate Mohani gave listeners a chance to savour her musical talents a notch further. The singer in her remained in full control as she accented the phraseology with deliberation and combining it into an inviting musical weave. The tenets of the gayaki gharana that Zila Khan hails from, as part of the Imdadkhani tradition of her late guru and father Ustad Vilayat Khan, remained in the forefront without taking on a dominating role. Her concert thus immersed audiences in its strong content and serious listeners were able to decipher the guiding presence of the gayaki tradition just beneath the ringing tones of the artistic appeal.

Edited by *dolly* - 17 years ago

Cultural bonanza in the offing for Ludhianvis
Shivani Bhakoo
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, February 17
Ludhiana Sanskritik Samagam (LSS) entered its eighth year with three mega programmes — Zila Khan live concert on February 23, Shatranj Ke Mohre, comedy play performed by Rakesh Bedi, Rajeshwari Sachdev (Nach Baliye fame), Anjjan Srivastav, Raman Kumar, Bharat Kapoor and Avtar Gill on March 10, 2007, and thereafter, the biggest programme of LSS, Amjad Ali with Amaan and Ayaan in April, 2007.

Mr Sunil Kant Munjal, president, LSS, today said that Zila Khan's performance will be held at Guru Nanak Bhawan on February 23. Zila Khan, biggest name in India, is now internationally recognised Sufi singer and does concerts globally. She was born in a family where musical heritage was legendary. Her father was the incomparable sitar maestro Ustad Vilayat Khan. She was the 7th generation of an unbroken line in what was the oldest school (or Gharana) of sitar and surbahar in India. It was quite a feat for her lineage to have four generations of recorded music that they lived for and lived with.

Zila was the one and only singer in the lmdad Khani Gharana and she was the first woman from the family to have been empowered to sing in public. Her background had enabled her to travel extensively in the music world. She had given highly celebrated concerts and toured throughout the world. "She has successfully established herself in a mould that is independent from that of her celebrated father, the legendary sitar maestro Ustad Vi!ayat Khan", said Mr Munjal.

Apart from having many albums released and some like "Ishq Ki Nayee Bahaar" being on the top of the charts on various music channels, her CD 'ZiIa', another CD called 'Secrets of the Devine', Zila Khan has just released her new album and music video called 'Sar Masti" a Sufi album with lyrics of Hazrat Amir Khusrau and sung in her own versatile way.

Her creativity further expanded when she came up with a mesmerising performance in the lead role for an English musical play called "Gods, Graves and Grandmother". Her role of the central character who went through the cycle of life of a human being, from struggle to survival to success to achievement to 'Ahankaar' and finally "Moksh", the feeling of understanding and peace when one realised that life was just an illusion and that's the time one attained 'Moksh'.

When India brought out a stamp on the 350 years of celebration of "The Taj Mahal" (one of the wonders of the world), the Government of India invited Zila Khan to sing at the launch in the Vigyan Bhawan. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh presented Zila Khan with a 'Roll of Honour'. Zila Khan composed and sang a specially written song to mark the occasion, thus showing her versatility not only in singing but also in composing music. Very rarely but for very special films Zila Khan has sung and given music.

In June, 2006, Zila Khan was invited by the Indian Government's cultural branch, the ICCR, to sing in Kashmir with some Pakistani artistes for a "Sufi festival" to try and bring peace and normalcy in the valley ravaged by terrorism, and despite the on-going militant attacks, she bravely went there to show her solidarity to the people of Kashmir.

n Conversation With Zila Khan
Ranjani Saigal


Zila Khan, a rising star in the world of Sufi music is the daughter of pre-eminent sitar maestro Vilayat Khan. She is a singer from the Imdad Khani Gharana. She is the seventh generation of an unbroken line in what is the oldest school or Gharana in India and the first woman performer from the family. While she received her musical training from her father, she was equally influenced by the legacy of her paternal great grandfather Ustad Bande Hussain. She has three albums titled 'Zila' , 'Ishq Ki Nayee Bahar' and 'Secrets of the Divine' which have received rave reviews. She has sung for films and her song 'Kesaria' sung for the film "99.9FM" is an example of a superb rendition in the folk genre done with the grace of a classicist.Her video albums have topped the charts in India and the Gulf. She has received several awards for her work including "Taan Samrat Award" and "Ghazal Vidushi". Charity work is also a great passion for her and she works with many NGOs and does a lot of fund raising activity for them.

You were boen in one of the pre-eminent musical families. Did your family expect you to pursue a career in music?

It was quite the opposite. Caree in music was never considered an option for me. In traditional musical families, only the men were taught music and allowed to perform on stage. I was very interested in music from a very young age. I was blessed with a good voice. I was extremely passionate about music and I was really thirsty for knowledge. My father took notice of this and decided to teach me. This was a very radical move for him. I had a great intellectual curiosity and I would question him on the many details of both music and words. Father was a scholar of Urdu, Sanskrit, Arabic and other languages along with being a musician par excellentce and hence he had a clear answer for everything.

As I was learning music it was never as training for performance. I never imagined that I would perform on stage. My training was in some sense informal. My father did the "Ganda" Bhandan ceremony, a ceremony that is the formally acceptance of a student by a teacher, six days after my marriage. In fact at that ceremony Yamini Krishnamurthy jokingly remarked that my father seemed to want to stake his claim on me.


Later you did take up music as a career. What motivated you to do so?

For me, music was always my offering to God. I never felt the need to perform for an audience. It took a great deal of persuasion from my husband Dr. Khalid Anwar Sheik, and father to take up a career as a performing artist. After the birth of my son, motherhood kept me quite busy. When my son turned fifteen, I felt that I would now have the time to devote to this career. My father and my husband felt the time was right and that I should really embark upon this caree. I have really enjoyed being a performing artis.l.

What is the difference between singing for oneself and singing for an audience?

I never sing for myself, it is only for God. When I perform for an audience not only I but the entire audience is able to feel the Divine energy. The performer and the audience connect and we become passengers on this train that goes with high energy towards the Lord. That is an absolutely wonderful feeling.


Why did you choose to be a Sufi musician?

I chose this genre because it focuses on connection with the Divine, peace and understanding. Sufism is about understanding the other person's point of view. Music is nothing but expression of love for all, a Love that is created by the Lord. Music allows us to appreciate this wonderful world that is created by God and make a direct connection with the Divine.   Bhakti Bhava is central to Sufi music. In Sufi music we are allowed to use eight of the nine Rasas. Bhibatsya (disgust) is not allowed. But in all the Rasas there is still the element of Bhakti. Shringara is laced with Shringara Bhakti.

You have seen a change in women's roles and expectation with your own family. What do you perceive a womans role and responsibility is in the socitety today?

This era certainly belongs to us women. Woman have the freedom to do great things and they should make use of it. But we should not get carried away with our freedom. Freedom does not mean uneccesary exposure. We should not direspect our body or mind. We should not abuse our bodies with drugs or alcohol. Nor should we let others abuse us.


You come from a great lineage and you have accomplished a lot. What is your hope for the future?

I am most thankful to God for the life He has given me. Human being is the highest species, higher than angels because we are made to unconditionally worship Him. As humans we also do have choice. We have to choose to worship Him. The world that the Lord has given for us is beautiful. We should enjoy it. We should focus on Halal and make our enjoyment in a pure manner and stay away from Haram (impure). I look forward to the enjoyment of the rest of the moments in my life whatever they may choose to bring. I hope I can continue to be a good mother, good wife and a good citizen.

You have engaged in a lot of charity work as well. Could you tell us a little about that?

For me Zakat – or charity is critical. We must help the needy. I am associated with several NGOs. I have worked on several fundraising initiatives and I hope God allows me to do more. Cansupport, an organization that supports Cancer victims is one that I work a lot with.

I am willing to give my time and support to any organization that is working
to help the needy.

Thank you for your time

Thank you
Edited by *dolly* - 17 years ago