Sunday, January 17, 2010

Farida Khanum Singing Raga Kamod - Manna for the Soul


The internet is a remarkable treasure trove and I continue to marvel at the doors of culture, information and connectivity that it has opened. My recent discovery is a wonderful collection of Hindustani Classical music on the file sharing site esnips. I have been spending hours listening to pieces I love and discovering unknown treasures of the sub-continent's greatest vocalists.

Here's my selection of the day; Farida Khanum singing Raga Kamod. This is unfortunately the kind of performance by the the sister of Mukhtar Begum and a disciple of Ustad Ashiq Ali Khan (son of the founder of the Patiala Gharana Ustad Fateh Ali Khan, one half of the legendary duo Aliya Fattu) that Pakistani audiences have witnessed only rarely. In a country with almost no appetite for classical music she shifted her focus to lighter forms of singing decades ago.

Raga Kamod by Farida Khanum:


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P.S. Here is an excellent article on Ustad Ashiq Ali Khan in the online classical music magazine Sadarang. There is also a wonderful personal recollection by Mr. M.A. Sheikh of Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan's "shakkar" ceremony at Takia Meerasian in Lahore in 1932/33. At this event Bade Ghulam Ali Khan honored his two Patiala Gharana gurus, Ustad Ashiq Ali Khan and Ustad Akhtar Hussain Khan (father of Fateh Ali/Amanat Ali).

5 comments:

Musab said...

Glad to see you managed to find the treasure trove too...

Nikhil Shah said...

Thank you so very much, you made my day!

Nikhil

Fawad Zakariya said...

Always delighted to get a comment of acknowledgment from fellow music lovers. Every now and then when you feel that there is nobody out there who shares your cultural sensibilities, a karmic validation arrives!

Jaideep Adhvaryu said...

well, just wanted to share couple of classical gems from bollywood movies:
1. By Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan from Mughal-e-Azam
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1mJHS8niyU
2. Another by Ustad Rashid Khan, bit lighter one from a recent movie Jab We Met
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIs2WrXu2Tw

enjoy!

Naveed said...

am glad i chanced upon your link courtesy raza rumi. have to absolutely agree with you on the wonders of the internet, especially youtube, that is becoming a panacea for my pursuits. have uploaded some clips on my link recently covering raga hansadhawani