Inconcert: The show must go on… and it did

By Sumera S. Naqvi

Religiously following William Shakespeare’s famous line ‘the show must go on’ in these distressing times, the Sixth Annual Music Festival organised by the All Pakistan Music Conference (APMC) dispatched two delightful evenings on April 24 and 25, filled with tremendous classical music for its cliché audience. Despite disturbing fears lurking at the back of many a mind, such manifestation of a vibrant art scene in the city should work as an effective firewall to the perceived rigidity setting in society. ‘Music is the food of love and so we need to play on’ is another famous Shakespearean line that should be strictly followed here.

Understandably enough, this year was not easy for the APMC to generate sufficient funds for the event with the heavy crunch in the financial sector and all. This time there was no signboard bearing the names of sponsors. There was also a low turnout on both days due to the reported outbreak of violence in the city, but the usual faces spotted every year at the annual event, or baethak, had nevertheless showed up to lend their support to the cause of classical art.

“This was a tribute to classical music lovers despite so much commotion in the country,” said Mohammad Saeed, an APMC enthusiast and member who has been attending the event ever since it was first launched in Karachi, adding, “and this is quite commendable.”

While some complained of a sense of boredom setting in this year due the usual lineup presented every year — Naseeruddin Saami, Ustad Zafar Ali Khan, Ustad Fateh Ali Khan, Hameed Ali Khan and Fareed Ayaz and Abu Mohammad Qawwal — Ayla Raza, the binding force behind the APMC and one of the founding members of the Karachi chapter, pointed out some new local classical performers like Alia Rasheed, Intezar Hussain, Jaffer Hussain, etc, joining the ranks. “We do realise that there is more room for innovation, but surely you can’t ignore the maestros from the lineup who will be repeated every year.”

Of course that goes without saying, but some connoisseurs feel that the maestros do not seem to be innovative or experimenting enough, though classical music does seem to have progressed from the revival stage in the country. Besides, younger people should be encouraged to attend by offering diversity. In 2006, the Mekaal Hasan Band, known for fusion music, as invited to perform at the annual music festival and the youth were noticed waiting through the night for the band to perform. “But the ‘puritans’ did not take this addition very well,” said Ayla. “There is a dearth of fresh talent and we have been thinking of creating financial space for some kind of scholarship through this platform,” she added. But this is a difficult proposition.

The Napa should be playing an instrumental part here in effective liaison, while the APMC plays the catalyst role in promoting classical music. “I noticed that some classical performers were visibly irritated by a lack of response from the audience,” Mohammad Saeed said. “They could be drawn into the performance if classical performers explained their recitals in the beginning, like Fareed Ayaz and Abu Mohammad do. It just makes the performance more interesting, especially for the younger audience.”

Rumana Husain, art critic and co-editor of Nukta art magazine, and a regular at such events said, “You may not find many people excited about listening to live classical music, but when you see some people bringing their children to the festival along with snacks, I find it to be a wonderful way of exposing them to this refined genre of music.”

The lineup for this year missed the legendry Indian classicists who had been invited to previous events but the new local performers along with the old guards delighted the audience, yearning for more. Such was the captivating experience of listening to Ashraf Sharif Khan of the Poonchwala Gharana who played wonderfully on the sitar, as his masterly fingers trilled up and down the familiar wires of the sweet-sounding musical instrument. Ashraf Sharif began playing the sitar at age 10 under the tutelage of his father, Ustad Muhammad Sharif Khan Poonchwala, who was a contemporary of Ravi Shankar and Ustad Vilayat Khan.

Every classical event invite posted by the APMC comes with some pointers in observing the decorum of the mehfil that the audience is required to adhere to: you should use a polythene bag to wrap your shoes in before you sprawl on the farsh covered with white chandni; you should not speak or talk during recitals which amounts to making noise that disturbs the performers; you should leave once the recital is over and not get up in the middle of it, etc. These prompt you to observe proper etiquette when you attend the event. But what do you do when people consider it their privileged right to puff away on a cigarette smack in the middle of the crowd, offending others with second-hand smoke? The organisers need to emphasise the rules to everyone who graces the occasion.

Some enthusiasts think that by diluting the standards a bit, more crowds could be drawn to the APMC events and an increase in membership. But the puritans may not find this idea very appealing. “We are grateful for the fact that many well-wishers have continued to help us though they don’t want their names to be mentioned. These people have helped us through thick and thin,” says Ayla Raza.

The APMC may be up against a tad more than others in their share of problems in promoting the performing arts, for the sheer fact that classical music is a refined area of music which draws limited attention. They surely should be supported for forging ahead despite overwhelming odds.

1 & 2. Ashraf Sharif Khan
3. Ustad Zafar Ali Khan