Des Kashyap

Pioneering Ghazal veteran Ghulam Ali has remained an enigma over the years. His expertise in thumri makes him one of India's foremost gnazal singers. Yet, the man is as unassuming as a newcomer when you talk to him.

Ghulam Ali says his love of ghazals was nurtured by the master poet Sufi Sahab who was his friend, philosopher and guide in aesthetics of ghazals. He says that the master taught him to sing and maintain the beauty of poetry. Ali was born into a musical family in 1940 in Kaleke village, Sialkot district (in Pakistan today). He stresses the importance of singing words clearly so that the audience understands the nuances of the ghazal. He says that he can recite the same couplet in many different ways and convey a new meaning each time. The man has sung for labels like HMV, Venus, T-Series, Tips and Sony, to name a few. Still, he says that he would like to reach out to more listeners and would like music lovers the world over to appreciate ghazals.

In India, however famous you may be as a singer, nothing gets you more noticed than being in Bollywood films. Ghulam Ali is no exception. His ghazals can be heard regularly in Hindi films. Like Chupke chupke raat din... in Nikaah, the blockbuster starring Raj Babbar and Salma Agha. Ali says many Hindi film songs have been inspired by his ghazals too since their sincerity appeal to the audience. In his concerts, his appeal transcends gimmicks - he plays the harmonium and the tabla, sarod, sitar and santoor complement his voice.

Ask him to speak about other famous ghazal singers and he complements their different singing styles and says each of them have carved out a niche for themselves. Still, it must be said that Ghulam Ali has carved a huge and very noticeable niche for himself. His rendering of ghazals like Itni muddat baad mile ho... have made him a star among ghazal singers.

The maestro is currently working on Nange Paon, an album of ten ghazals. The music is by Nayab - Raja, who happen to be the sons of his old musician friend Gulam Ali. He is all praise for the music duo and predicts that they are going to be star composers. The lyrics have been written by Madan Pal, Asad Ajmeri, Abhilash, D.G. Delhvi, Sani Aslam and Kaiser-Ul-Jafri. As always, Ali says he hopes to do justice to the beautify lyrics. He rates Milna hai kisi ek se armaan bahut hai, sunta hoon jahaan mein ke insaan bahut hai and Tere nazdik aana chahata hoon, main khudd se door jana chahata hoon,Sheher se uth gayi rasm-e-mohabbat, main waapas gaon jaana chahta hoon as his favorites and almost immediately cites other ghazals as well. It is clear that this album is a labor of love and that he loves every ghazal in this album.

For Ghulam Ali, every ghazal he has sung is close to his heart. Like his fans, the great man himself will have a tough time choosing his favourite ghazals.