RIYADH: Indian Ghazal maestro and winner of the prestigious Padmashree Award, Pankaj Udhas, enthralled enthusiasts at two different concerts held in Riyadh last week. Udhas and his six-member troupe, who were invited by the Indian Embassy, performed at the Indian Embassy Auditorium on Tuesday and at the International Indian School, Riyadh (IISR) auditorium in Naseem District on Wednesday. At both concerts Udhas' performances drew appreciative applause from the sell-out audiences. At the embassy auditorium Udhas started with a poem of Nasir Kazmi, “Dil dahakne ka sabab yaad aya, who teri yaad thee ab yaad aya”. In a two-hour uninterrupted musical event, Udhas, who has popularized Ghazal among the Indian masses, sang numerous well-known melodies, including his classical hits “Chitthi aayee hai” and “Chandi jaysa rang”.??A select gathering of about 200 Indians attended the first concert at the embassy auditorium.??The second concert at the IISR auditorium was a big hit with over 1,500 people who clearly enjoyed Udhas' five-hour nonstop performance. Some people, however, were disappointed because they could not get seats. Udhas rose to fame for singing a song “Chitthi aayee hai,” which became an instant hit when it was used in Naam, a feature film in 1986. He has also performed as a playback singer for numerous films. In 2006, the Indian government honored Udhas with a Padmashree Award.?? The Indian music industry has credited Udhas, along with other musicians such as Jagjit Singh and Talat Aziz, for popularizing Ghazal-style singing.??He has recorded many albums and toured the world as a Ghazal singer. This was Udhas' first visit to the Kingdom.??At the IISR auditorium the singer sang about 25 Ghazals, some old hits and some new numbers. The old hits included “Thodi thodi pia karo”, “Niklo na benaqaab”, “Ke gungroo toot gaye” and “Chandi jaisa rang” among others.?? The Indian community has always welcomed cultural and musical shows organized by the Indian Embassy in Riyadh. Mushaira (a poetry event), organized by the Indian Embassy annually, featuring renowned Indian poets, has been a big hit among Indian expatriates.??Due to the limited space, the majority of Indians are not able to attend such rare cultural occasions organized in Riyadh. Dr. Uzair Ghazi, an Indian physician, said he has been living in Riyadh for the past 10 years and enjoyed Udhas' well-organized concert. “Not only did the Indian Embassy make elaborate arrangements, the people were decent and enjoyed every moment of the concert. I think the Indian Embassy should organize many more such events at least once every three months,” he said.??He said the Indian Embassy should also invite some Indian intellectuals, who can listen to the grievances of Indians living in this part of the world and present their views to the Indian government. This would help to resolve welfare issues facing Indians here, he added. He said the majority of Indians here are forced to live as single people and this has created stress. The lack of entertainment activities means they would not want to miss events such as an Udhas concert, he said. Muhammad Qauiser, president of Tanzeem Hum Hindustani, said that every Indian who came to IISR should have been given an opportunity to attend the concert. He suggested that having large television screens in the grounds of the school would have enabled many Indians to see the concert.
