I was determined to write on the ongoing political engineering experiment by the powers that be to install a leadership of their will. But then I have not fully learnt how to avoid useless arguments. And I indulged in one such argument with a few friends recently on Atif Aslam’s much talked about Tajdar-e-Haram for a popular fizzy drink sponsored music show that gets a lot of limelight on media, both regular and social. My disdain for the show is pretty well-known among my friends and when a friend was all praises for Atif and for the song, I could not help but point out that Atif’s singing lacked the basic understanding of melody and did not adhere to the basic rules of singing. That, of course, did upset some and we got into a long argument. In the singing sensation’s defence, the best my friends could muster was that, yes, he lacks the basics of music but one should look at the devotion with which he sang. To this lousy argument, my response has always been that for devotion he should just read the words out loud rather than singing them, for if and when he has chosen the medium of singing, one will judge him on singing, first and foremost.
Then, one of my friends blamed Amjad Sabri, son of the late Ghulam Farid Sabri, for, according to him, it was his incompetence that had led to others, not so skilled, trying their hand at the masterpiece by the late Sabri brothers. My friends were unaware that we have an Amjad Sabri version of Tajdar-e-Haram as well and when I pointed out the fact they blamed it on him again for not promoting it enough. That highlights the limited universe of media exposure we all live in, even when it comes to basic forms of entertainment, including music.
The fact that in an era of media ratings, and the glitter and glaze of multi-national corporation (MNC) sponsored cultural activities, it requires being pushed by a fizzy drink’s sponsored show to register your version of classic, highlights the intellectual constraints most of us unwittingly choose to settle for. For those of you who have not heard it, Amjad Sabri’s version of Tajdar-e-Haram is much superior in terms of melody and the basics of singing than the youth sensation’s is. It is far from perfect; it is nowhere close to what the great elder Sabris had to offer but definitely a good listening experience. Agreed, Amjad Sabri (and for that matter many more singers from traditional singing families) chose not to focus a lot on mainstream media but rather on private shows charging millions. Agreed, most traditional singing families are not willing to share their craft with outsiders and have guarded it as a secret family fiefdom out of insecurity and greed. But none of this takes away from them the fact that their adherence to the basics of singing, melody and music is superior to a lot of stuff that has been shoved down our throats through MNC sponsored, media-driven music bonanzas. And this is precisely the reason the glittery, fizzy stuff does not last long. If you will recall, one such boom of MNC-sponsored, media-driven music came two decades or so ago as well. Its impact on the cultural scene, barring maestro Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s sufi music, can be seen only in some self-proclaimed Sufi or half-baked religious scholar cum fashion designer. The era created no new maestro with lasting impact that could take the cultural tradition of Pakistani music forward precisely because it was based on singers and musicians who were not equipped with the basic understanding of singing and music. Even when it comes to national songs, we still have to dig out Shehnaz Begum for Sohni Dharti.
I have no qualms with the sponsors or producers of such shows. I believe most of them are acting with good intention to promote music in Pakistan, barring a few marketing managers at these MNCs or media entities who may have financial, vested interest in this. Most of the exercise may be with the good intention to discover and promote musicians in the country, and should continue. I indeed am yearning for new singers and music maestros from traditional music families who will institutionalise and document the craft for generations to come and make music more inclusive. But the next time you try to shove a ‘musician’ down our throats as the next “singing sensation” or “musical maestro”, he should at least be able to sing.
I am a layman when it comes to music and am rural enough to have any basic sense of culture and finesse. But my problem is that I heard the definition of melody and song from none other than Madam Noor Jehan. And I have seen over the years that a lasting musician is one who adheres to that simple definition by arguably the greatest musician this country has produced. And so, despite the glitter and glaze of the media and MNC sponsorships, the audience, though tricked temporarily by over-exposure, ultimately picks the person who can sing over the person who cannot. For a singer’s main job is not to devote, reform or do social work, it is to sing and it is on this basic criterion he/she gets judged.
The author can be reached on twitter at @aalimalik