It’s Jiya dhadak dhadak with Rahat Fateh Ali Khan!

A concert that transcended barriers of age and nationality

For someone whose love for music is not limited to any genre - I listen to Lady Ga Ga one day and MS Subbalakshmi the next - I knew for sure that the Rahat Fateh Ali Khan experience would be something to treasure for the rest of my life.

Ghazals, qawwali the best of Sufi music in one evening, all rendered in Rahat Fateh Ali Khan’s beautiful and emotionally enrapturing voice, was magical. This was certainly more than what I had ever imagined!

I have always been enamoured by the music and voice of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, having grown up listening to his songs thanks to my father’s passion for Sufi music. I only came to realise his greatness and popularity all over the world much later. Meeting his non-Indian (Pakistani) fans has made me believe that great music has no boundaries and language isn’t a barrier. And this was truly the spirit of the Rahat Fateh Ali Khan concert in Sydney earlier this month.

The show began with a message of peace. A montage showed India and Pakistan separated only by physical boundaries and politics, emphasising that the people of these two nations are really very similar and that music has brought them together on many occasions. Through the presentation, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan paid tribute to his uncle and Guru, the great Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. This set the mood for the evening and what followed was nothing short of pure excellence.

I cannot, in fairness, pick one particular track and call it the best of all.

The music maestro kicked off with a wellperformed ghazal by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, reminding the audience of his absence. His song from the film Paap (the very affecting Mann ki lagan) followed, brilliantly accompanied by Rashid Ali Khan on the saxophone, a unique instrument which I had never heard or expected at such a concert. It offered a different feel - the saxophone solo at the beginning of the song was particularly amazing. At this point a lot of people crowded in front to the stage to photograph the singer and had to be ushered back to their seats by the guards. This incident marred the rendition of the next couple of numbers and I missed concentrating on Aaj din chadheya, my favourite track from the movie Love Aaj Kal

Fortunately Rahat outdid himself with the famous qawwali, Mera piya ghar aya. He kept Bollywood buffs happy with a couple of songs from hit movies, and his performance of Afreen, originally performed by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan kept the purists happy.

Apparently the organiser of the event, entrepreneur Nash Patel, promised his wife, the lovely Shalini, that he would bring Rahat to Sydney just for her, after he heard the

Improvisations to Halka halka suroor, by both Rahat and his accompanying vocalists, made for an exceptional performance enticing Jiya dhadak dhadak jaye. Both have grown to love Rahat’s music.

Accompanying Rahat at the Sydney Convention Centre performance, were Rashid Ali Khan on the saxophone, Nadeem Ashraf on drums, Salman Ashraf on the guitar, Sulieman Ali on the keyboard, Amir Ali on the tabla, Ghulam Shabbar on the dholak and singers Mohammed Shafeeq, Farhat Ali Khan, Ghulam Abbas and Nafeez, all of who did an excellent job. A convincing example was in the rendition of the mesmerizing ghazal Yeh jo halka halka suroor hai, in which improvisations made by Rahat and his vocalists made for an exceptional performance. And I didn’t mind at all that my seat was rather too close to the speakers! Rahat then went on to sing a few requests from the audience.

The Ustad was visibly moved when a fragile young boy in a wheelchair suffering from a brain tumour was brought to the stage to meet him. Although he could not talk because of his medical condition, it was clearly an honour for him to be meeting his idol.

After this encounter, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan continued the show with Ni main jaana jogi de naal, which was probably the highlight of the show, Sufi at its best! Accompanying the lyrical Mein jahan rahoon from Namaste London, the montage of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan enfolded in the background. The audience showed appreciative enthusiasm at

Sajda, and requests kept pouring in from the increasingly excitable crowd until the end of the show.

The performance ended with fast paced qawwali, Damadam Mast Kalandar, after which Rahat thanked the audience and organisers.

Although interaction with the audience was kept to the minimum, the Ustad’s music spoke for itself and the vocalists and accompanists clearly respected Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, doing their bit to make the show a success.

The opening act by Rucha Lange, pretty in a blue saree, managed to captivate the audience instantly. The much-hyped Raaga Boys followed, singing different genres of music effortlessly - I was particularly impressed by their rock number. However it was disappointing to watch them sing with a karaoke track running in the background. Live musicians would have made a better impact.

Despite commencing 40 minutes late, the concert was definitely near-perfect in totality. It was interesting for me, as a new entrant to the scene, to watch people of Pakistani and Indian origin sitting alongside each other… The breathtaking traditional outfits further brightened up the atmosphere! This was truly an event that transcended all barriers of age, nationality and language.

A day later, I found myself still humming Jiya dhadak dhadak…