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Home , Nizami Bandhu, Rockstar (soundtrack)

2 DECCAN HERALD Sunday, October 21, 2018

SundayHerald art & culture Play no more! ‘Don’t play Prince’s music at your rallies’, said the Prince Estate recently to US Prez Donald Trump. The others who’ve denounced the prez’s use of their music include Neil Young and Aerosmith.

SUFI MUSIC ARTIST’S CORNER Tune into inner voice Pilgrimage in pigments For the group , artist Sanjay Bhattacharya, the spirit of in his studio at New Rajinder ANagar in , is instructing reigns supreme. one of his staff members to carefully carry a painting to the National Gal- They talk to lery of Modern Art for Kerala ffllood relief donation.“ don’t know how REJI VARGHESE much help my contribution will be of,” Bhattacharya rues as he settles about upholding down to chat about his show Cosmic Auras, at the Visual Arts Gallery in a centuries-old New Delhi. DOER Sanjay Bhattacharya The show promises to take one musical legacy on a pilgrimage across the country. hi in 1983 and started working with Bhattacharya visited five important HTA, where, for the next five years, pilgrimage spots, two in east and he took up freelance assignments, one each in west, north and south to and also started making paintings. make these paintings. These include In 1987, he began participating in Kalighat Temple, (West group shows. At one of the shows Bengal) and Kamakhya Temple, held at Sahitya Kala Parishad, he Guwahati (Assam) in east, Golden submitted his colour paint- Temple, () in north, ing, which won him an award. Soon Tirupati Temple, Tirupati (Andhra after, his works started getting sold. Pradesh) in south, and Shirdi Sai In 1987, a review by art critic Krishna ‘’ QAWWALS The Nizami Bandhu group comprising Ustad Chand Nizami Baba Temple, Shirdi (Maharashtra) Chaitnaya gave a boost to the artist. (centre) and his nephews Sohrab Faridi Nizami and Shadab Faridi Nizami. in west, and brought each of these “This was the time when I was frus- alive on his canvases in his own stytyle. trated as I couldn’t paint to the ex- tent I wanted to, and his words were he shimmer of Kanchipuram silk, at the age of seven and by the age of 13, Khan, was also a famous singer at The whole picture godsent,” he says. whispered conversations in Ta- I was doing solo performances. WE PERFORM Bahadur Shah Zafar’s palace. These works depict each temple in In 1988, at his first solo show at the mil, the rustle of crisp cotton dho- Sohrab Faridi Nizami (SFN): We COMPOSITIONS its entirety. In fact, the artist also Aurobindo Art Gallery, art historian tis are not what you would expect grew up hearing music and musical in- Are there any albums of your own changed his colour palette for these Aman Nath was so impressed with T compositions ? from a ttyypical concert. struments were our toys. My five-year- WRITTEN BY AMIR works — he included vermilion, or- his work that “for his folder he need- But this was not a typical event. One old son prefers a over a toy. SFN: We have released around 20-25 ange and bright yellow, departing ed a water colour painting and asked of India’s best-known qawwals, Nizami KHUSROW, BULLEH albums, all of which are dedicated to from dull shades of brown and green me to do one. I made 12 and told him Bandhu were performing for the first time Any interesting incidents from your Sufism. We perform compositions that have been his trademark so far. to pick one. But he asked for more in . And the admission was free. performances over the years ? SHAH, , KABIR written by Amir Khusrow, Bulleh “I always used to paint deities, gods paintings, which he then exhxhibited at I arrived early and was taken to the SFN: We once had to perform in a Shah, Rumi, Kabir and Surdas. But we and goddesses, not in a religious the show British, French and Indian press room at the hotel, and was greeted temple a few years back. Initially, all AND SURDAS. BUT WE improvise, add our own phrases and context. This time, I had the urge to Water Colours. A total of 17 paintings by the organiser Shilpam Rathore. A short three of us were nervous, but we words that add colour and essence to paint temples,” he explains. were sold in 15 minutes on the open- while later, three tall men dressed in sher- performed a mix of Sufi songs and IMPROVISE, ADD the songs. Bhattacharya spent some days ing day. That was the day I realised wani and topis entered the room — Ustad Meerabai and Kabir bhajans. The After our success in , we clicking the temples and the areas that the time has come when I can Chand Nizami and his nephews Sohrab response from the audience was over- OUR OWN PHRASES...” have planned on a commercial album around to understand the environ- survive on paintings alone,” he says. Faridi Nizami and Shadab Faridi Nizami. whelming. The pujari thanked us for with our own compositions that would ment. He then made the basic layout Bhattacharya then gave up commer- We sit down to talk... performing in the temple. This experi- introduce to a broader and transferred the whole to canvas. cial work altogether and immersed ence reaffirmed our belief that music audience. The canvases are huge: 8x10 ft, 7x14 himself in his passion. This is Nizami Bandhu’s first is above religion, language, ethnicity UCN: Apart from this, Rahman sahib ft etc. “If the environment I have performance in Chennai. and caste. wanted us to be a part of the ‘Khwaja Tell us about the spiritual aspect brought on the canvas brings in an Another one What brings you here? Mere Khwaja’ song from Jodha Akbar, of qawwali... amount of spiritualitty in the mind of From then on, alongside doing water Ustad Chand Nizami (UCN): The Who are the famous names you have but because of pre-scheduled events, we UCN: We’ve performed in 70 a viewer, I feel I have succeeded,” he colours (his favourite), Bhattacharya story of why we are performing here is performed with ? couldn’t give him the dates. But we are countries, we’ve sung for hit movies, says. Today, Bhattacharya is an es- began doing oil paintings. There was of the spirit of Sufism. I have to go back UCN: We’ve performed with Nusrat happy that we could sing for him, and it but our intent is not to sell records or to tablished name. At Tijara in Neem- no looking back for this man from to a cold December night two years ago Fateh Ali Khan, , is always a pleasure to listen to his music. become famous. Qawwali is a means to rana, there is a room dedicated to his Kolkata after this. Bhattacharya in Delhi when Shilpam Rathore and Shankar Mahadevan, Roop Kumar Singing his compositions is a blessing bring the audience and ourselves works called the Sanjay Bhattachar- rarely visits Kolkata, though he does her husband Sandeep were coming Rathore, and we have been part of for us. closer to God. For us qawwali is a ya Mahal. An alumni of Government frequent Shantiniketan. “My Kolka- back from a dinner. Near the AIIMS musical shows where Asha Bhosle-ji spiritual practice that connects us College of Arts & Crafts, Kolkata, he ta exists no more. It is over-populat- hospital signal, which is close to the has performed. AR Rahman also Tell us more about the ‘Sikandra with our inner being. Sometimes, in joined an ad agency as an illustrator ed; even the road outside my college, Hazrat where we visits the Nizami Dargah when he’s in Gharana’, from which Nizami Bandhu the midst of an intense performance, in 1982. But being a fine arts person, which just had ttwwo hawkers when I stay, Shilpam sees a lady cooking by Delhi, usually in the early hours of the has evolved. we lose ourselves and an inner voice commercial illustration didn’t satisffyy was studying, is now full of chaos,” the side of the road, and a young girl morning, when there are not too many The Sikandra Gharana is the oldest within takes over. him and he quit the job. On the ad- he says. with her head bandaged. Shilpam gets people, and we enjoy singing with him. gharana performing Sufi music. It vice of his friend, he migrated to Del- RAJKUMARI SHARMA TANKHA out of the car and finds out that the has a history of more than 700 years, What is this inner voice that mother and daughter were without Tell us more about your connection and we have been able to sustain the you talk about ? accommodation nor much money. She with A R Rahman ? authenticity of Sufism for over seven UCN: We all have an inner voice goes back home that night, makes some SFN: We’ve been singing to audiences centuries. offering guidance — sometimes very kichadi and takes it back to the lady. for 700 years, but it is AR Rahman In the early days the singers had softly, sometimes urgently. Sometimes That small incident has now snowballed who is responsible for taking only the tabla and harmonium to we listen and at other times we ignore into a full-flfledged charitable association Nizami Bandhu to the masses, through accompany them, but today we have a it. When Shilpam Rathore decided to that has supplied over 1 lakh meals to Bollywood. He enjoyed listening to whole range of musical instruments to step out of her car that winter night poor patients at AIIMS. This event is a our father, the late Ustad Ghulam choose from. two years back, she was listening to fundraiser to raise money to feed poor Farid Nizami, singing Sufi kalams, her inner voice. And when we accepted patients at the Egmore Eye Hospital in and he always wanted to compose a From the last 700 years, could you a request to perform in Chennai to Chennai. song with him. But due to my father’s name a few prominent qawwali raise funds to feed poor patients at demise, this could not happen. But AR singers from Nizami Bandhu ? the hospital, we were listening to that Tell us more about how each of you kept his promise and made us part of UCN: Before we got the name Nizami, inner voice. started singing qawwali? the movie Rock Star and the song ‘Kun one of our ancestors, Faiyaz Khan, was That, in a nutshell, is what Nizami Band- UCN: I started attending qawwali Faya Kun’ from that movie became a a prominent singer in Akbar’s darbar. hu and our 700-year tryst with qawwali shows with my father and elder brother super-hit. Another of our ancestors, Tanras is all about. OF ‘COSMIC AURAS’ A painting of Tirupati Balaji Temple, Andhra Pradesh. BLONDIE SUTEJ SINGH Prog rock & its new poster boy

utej Singh’s rise in the music scene together,” he says with a smile. — more specifically the progressive So, how does he know when a musician Srock genre — is a lesson in multiple is compatible to work with? Instinct, he disciplines. The Solan-based guitarist is tells us. “When you listen to someone’s a self-taught musician who picked up the piece of work, you know if that connects guitar at the age of 18 with the assistance with you or not. The most important of YouTube tutorials. Today, at 25, he has thing is that connect and to work around an album to his credit in collaboration with the space that you’re both comfortable some enviable international names in the with. If you ask a metal drummer to play space, has topped the Apple India Music the blues, it won’t translate into the best charts, and counts Katrina Kaif among his work, of course,” he points out. many fans. Sutej has got compliments aplentytysince It was during his mechanical engineer- his album release, but the most flattering ing days that Sutej was drawn towards one came in the form of a shout-out from the guitar. “It was more to do with the fact Bollywood actor Katrina Kaif on Insta- that I couldn’t see myself being a good en- gram, congratulating him on the music of gineer,” says Sutej who went on to acquire The Emerging. “I thought it was a fake ac- his degree or “fulfill a social obligation.” count initially, but turns out it wasn’t. I got But his heart was set on music and thanks so many notifications on my phone for the to YouTube, he could pursue it as a pas- GIVE IT UP FOR Guitarist Sutej Singh, whose debut album is ‘The Emerging’. next couple of days, it was unreal,”he says. sion. But despite all the love, Sutej isn’t get- Sutej’s fondest college memories are that got him attention and accolades. as a listener. ting carried away. To celebrate music as a those of travelling with his then band “I remember my friend sent me a screen- Speaking of other instruments, The career right now is a bit premature, he tells Wireweed to participate in the various shot of Apple’s chart, and there it was, my Emerging features collaborations with us. “It’s nice to see your name featured on campus festivals’ Battle of the Bands. name. I didn’t have to swipe left or right, international rock heavyweights such as lists and have articles written on you, but He swears by JustinGitar.com, his online it was right there on top! I couldn’t believe drummers Scott Higham and Raymond there’s not that much money coming in, , and encourages aspiring guitarists it,” he says especially because he didn’t Hearne, apart from bassist Kylan Amos. yet. I am hopeful and positive though.” to check out the site. “In a place like Solan, anticipate a purely instrumental album These, apart from instrumentalist Gina In the future, Sutej, along with his Himachal Pradesh, there aren’t too many to have so many takers. Luciani and composer Leon Ross. What’s managing team, wants to start perform- people teaching music. So the Internet Apart from playing the guitar on it, most interesting is that these collabora- ing more as part of a band. That, apart was what I looked up to,” says Sutej. Sutej has also written some notes for oth- tions were struck online. “I never spoke from scoring for films. “I’ve always been After less than a decade of solo prac- er instruments barring the drum and bass. to them, actually. I reached out to all of fascinated by background scores in films. tising and listening to music, Sutej was With no formal education in music what- them on either Instagram, YouTube or I would love to score for films if I have an convinced to put together a full-ffledged soever, the Dream Theatre fan credits it Facebook. We shared our music with opportunitty,” he signs off. album – The Emerging. It is this debut all to his obsessive consumption of music each other and decided to write an album SUSHMITA MURTHY