Gulam ka Gulam

Sochte aur jagte.... sanso ka ik dariya hoon main..
apne gumdashta...kinaro ke liye bahta hoon mai...


Gulam Ali sings this gazal and I keep on listening it agian and again!
Although not everything is easy to understand, due to the use of difficult urdu words in the poetry, but the melody is beautiful...the very inimmitable style of Ghulam Ali..free flow of voice...and classical touch...makes me to say... 'wah wah wah' .. :-)


Sometimes I feel that Gulam Ali is even more talented than many other classical singers.
His improvisations, and imaginations are really a treat to listeners.
If I can immitate atleast 1 gazal of him...then I will consider myself a singer...of good musical acumen.

My passion

Aapko dekhkar dekhta rah gaya...
kya kahoon..aur kahne ko kya rah gaya...


aise bichde sabhi raat ke mod par....
akhri humsafar raasta rah gaya....


when I listen this gazal sung by Jagjit Singh with my headphones ..full volume..it takes me to a different world...a world of emotions and imagination.... Jagjit Singh and his Gazals have always had a deep impact on me.... what a deep and sensitive voice he has got... gives his rendering of gazals a different edge... although not that technically complicated as compared to the other gazal maestro..Ghulam Ali.... but very effective.


I am not an emotional man...very little at emotions... so sometimes when I feel totally bereft of emotions....it is at this very hour....when Gazals.. and especially Jagjit's gazals help me... they charge me with emotions and sensitivity. I once again start to feel...feel for life.


Since I have been listening his Gazals for nearly 7-8 years now.... with each and every gazal I associate some or other memories from my childhood, from my college life...so a particular gazal of Jagjit takes me back in that time.


Sometimes I feel that I like to dwell in past much more than being in present...or imagining about future....!! probably that's the reason why I like to read about history related topics.
But people say that dwelling in past is a waste... but I cant help it...and I dont care about what others think about it.


duniya parai hui....mera thikana gaya...
ansoo hain sathi mere...ab muskurana gaya....


That's the song I am listenning to..right now... Hariharan's album 'Halka Nasha'.
What a wonderful singer he too..is.... great control over the fluent voice...and such a meticulus classical training...you can see in his songs.. he is one of the 3 great gazal singers I like.


The 3rd one is not to mention..one of the toughest to mimic..or copy...or immitate... the one and only..Ghulam Ali..! His rendition of gazal...thumri..or any other light classical forms..is such a master piece that no one can sing exactly with the same perfection.
His voice is not that sweet or deep as Jagjit's voice.... but still his style is unparallel to anyone.


I still remember those school and college days.... when me and my brother..who is also a gazal fan like me.... used to discuss for hours..on gazals... comparing these 3 maestros..trying to immitate their styles..and fighting over..as who is great out of the 3.
Similarly I got a great friend in my intial 2-3 months training in Trivandrum in TCS....he was also a music lover... specially gazals... and incidently we had to share the same room in the hotel...so here that room became like a recording studio..:-)


We used to sing...immitate...discuss over music...for hours...late night...now I really crave for such a musical company...especially the music that I like.... but alas..!!! no-one is here with that taste.. so sometimes I feel frustrated.
Anyways.... that's the way it goes...it depends on an individual...if he can find the company he wants...or if he becomes like the company he has got.
wow...!!.. that sounds poetic statement..!! :-)

Tit for Tat

Yesterday I watched one program on BBC channel4, about 1972 Munich Olympic where 11 Israeli athletes were murdered by the Palestinian terrorists and after that massacre Israel decided to take revenge with those who were the master minds behind this attack.
'Mossad', Israel’s intelligence agency, took up this task to eliminate all those leaders of Palestine who had some or the other connection with this massacre.
It was really surprising and awe striking to see a government run agency targeting it's enemy as professional killers. More over they assassinated their enemies not in their own country, but across Europe and Middle East. Their enemies were living or hiding in countries as Lebanon, France, Rome, Greece etc.. But they succeeded to kill all of them.




Whether it was right act or wrong… is a matter of debate….but this definitely shows what is an Israeli’s commitment to his task and the determination. Israelis showed that they value their countryman’s life, and if their 1 man is killed they kill 10, a tit for tat policy.


Whether it resolved Israel’s problems…. whether it helped to curb terrorism in Israel… a big NO…. but even if Israel wouldn’t have taken this revenge…terrorism wouldn’t have stopped…..at least this revenge sent a strong message to terrorists that they will also meet the same fate of those innocents whom they kill ……..at least it terrified the terrorists!!!


Just imagine if India can adopt such a policy with regards to terrorism…no way…are you mad…..we believe in gandhiyan way…which is a way of non violence…a way of love…, there is no place for such a revenge and bloodshed…. That’s why we see everyday some or other terrorist or naxalite or Maoist or whatever you call them, killing innocent citizens and soldiers …..but we are holding the peace talks with those, so called freedom fighters.. because we believe that we got our freedom through non violent methods…we have full faith in our tried and tested non violent formula….so we will definitely be able to win hearts of terrorists…!!!!!


Those who kill innocent children, rape women, and kill man with utmost cruelty, can they have a heart to win..??? ..and winning hearts at the cost of whom…. ??Not at the cost of those leaders….but at the cost of lives of common men..!!
This policy can never stop terrorism… if this was the case, then why Punjab needed a man like KPS Gil, to convert it to a terror free state from a terror zone…..was he preaching love and non violence there on the streets of Punjab..??