Singer Pankaj Udhas to perform in Tel Aviv today.
Even though listening to ghazals is like a tradition in India, this soft classical music has a huge fan following in Israel too. Not only is it popular among Jews who migrated from India to Israel decades ago, but has spread to other Jews over the years.
Their love for ghazals will see Indian ghazal singer Pankaj Udhas perform once again at a concert in the Mann Auditorium in Tel Aviv on October 21. Udhas performed in Israel two years ago and 2,000 people attended the concert.
Fifty-year-old Benjamin Samuel, organiser of the show, migrated to Israel from Ahmedabad about 40 years ago. Yet, he vividly recalls his mother listening to ghazals by famous singers for years even after settling down in Israel. “That was the primary reason why I first invited Udhas to Israel for a performance two years ago,” said Samuel over telephone from Israel.
After the first concert, he started getting requests to organise more ghazal events. “People loved the programme so we decided on the same singer,” he said.
The organisers plan to set aside a percentage of funds generated to provide scholarship to deserving students wanting to pursue higher education in the country. “Many students, after serving the army, want to study further in a good university but can’t do so because it is unaffordable without a scholarship. A portion of the funds will be used to help such students,” he added.
Aby Haddy, another Indian-origin Jew, says people of the community swear by good ghazals. “This time, too, we are expecting 2,000 people to attend the concert.” A self-proclaimed India lover, Haddy visits the country every three to four months. “Ghazals are as popular among the youth as
they are among the people of the previous generation,” adds Haddy who takes back a heap of ghazal CDs whenever he visits India.
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