“I am the happiest when I perform in India. I can actually feel the love of people towards me and my music,” says Ustad Rahat Ali Khan.
Ustad Rahat Ali Khan will perform in Delhi after a long time
NEW DELHI: “I am the happiest when I perform in India. I can actually feel the love of people towards me and my music,” says Ustad Rahat Ali Khan. He is in the Capital for a concert organised by the Indian Women’s Press Corps and the Indian Council of Cultural Research.
Khan is the nephew of the late Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and is already an established name in the world of Sufi music. He has also composed some soulful music for movies like Paap, Kalyug and Omkaara.
“Qawwali is devotion and brings to the fore love, peace and brotherhood. Music is a great medium to bring together the similarities of two nations that are inheritors of a common culture and heritage. I believe if you bring the similarities together, the differences will settle on their own,” says the Ustad.
But how does he deal with the constant comparisons and the pressure of living up to the legacy of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. “It is tough to survive and make your mark in this field.
So I feel that till one’s work is appreciated, one should learn to be satisfied. I am also trying to do something different and introduce a bit of fusion in my music to add to its dimensions. However, I believe that the sanctity of qawwali needs to be maintained and I have taken pains to do just that in my new album Charkha.”
Ask the musical genius about India-Pakistan relations and he gives a slightly wary and diplomatic answer. “Both politicians and bureaucrats are trying their level best to solve all our disputes.
But I feel we artists also have a role to play. Whether it is Jal or Strings or Kailash Kher or for that matter Rahat Ali Khan - music transcends borders. Indian artists have a huge fan base in Pakistan and we feel honored by the love Indians give us.”
But does he ever get tired of the bureaucratic procedures and tangles he faces when he comes to India. “Recently a few of my shows got cancelled because I could not get a visa. But these are teething problems, which will be sorted out over time. I personally feel that the Indian embassy has been very kind to me.”
So in all this adulation, does he miss anything?
“I miss my six hours of riyaaz which have been reduced due to time constraints,” he laughs.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}