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25 SONGS BY MEHDI HASSAN


Very rare Interview: Mehdi Hassan with KalPoint.com

KalPoint.com (KPDC): Please tell us briefly about yourself, your education, brought up.

Mr. Mehdi Hassan (MH): I belong to a traditional musician’s family and was born in the village of Luna in Rajasthan, India in 1927. I am the 16th generation of musicians hailing from the Kalawant, i.e. I am from family of teachers who used to teach music to Kings and Royal families. I was trained by my father, Ustad Azeem Khan and uncle Ustad Ismail Khan who were famous classical musicians of their times and experts of dhrupad singing. They taught me the art of thumri, dhrupad, khayal and dadra at young age of eight.
After the partition, our family migrated to Pakistan. We had to face severe financial hardships at that time and so to make both ends meet; I began working in a bicycle shop and afterwards became a car mechanic. However, I kept on practicing classical music and finally got the chance to perform at Radio Pakistan in 1952 as a thumri singer. That was the time when Ustad Barkat Ali Khan, Begum Akhtar and Mukhtar Begum were top names of ghazal gayaki. I sang ghazals of all the renowned Urdu poets and by the grace of Allah my fans appreciated my style too.
At present I live in Karachi . However, whenever I visit Lahore most of my time is spent with family members.


KPDC: In this time of pop music what future do you predict for the classical music in Pakistan?

MH: Pop music no doubt seems to dominate the classical music these days. However, if you really pick any piece of music and observe carefully the base is derived from classical beats. But we can say that this true essence needs some attention. I believe we need to have good musical institutes like NAPA (National Academy of Performing Arts) etc. where the individuals should be taught this great art. Media also needs to play an important role here. Unfortunately, classical music is being ignored these days. I think if we really want to protect this art from losing its value, we should promote it.

KPDC: These days a trend has been started of merging pop music with classical beats. How do you find this combination?

MH: Fusion of classical beats with pop ones is not absolutely a negative approach. But yes, this is an art too. Merging two different styles needs to be done carefully and professionally. Here, the responsibility gets doubled. An individual doing so needs to make sure that this fusion should not affect the grace of classical beats and present the thrill of pop style at the same time. We have so many singers in Pakistan who have experimented with fusion and they are doing good job no doubt. A little more professionalism and involvement is needed to improve further.

KPDC: Classical music is unfortunately losing its value. How can this true essence of music be revived?

MH: Media can play very important role here. It should present musical programs projecting classical music in particular. Classical music has strength in itself. It does not need glitz and glamour to create an impact. I believe classical music leaves its own image on the mind of listener.

KPDC: You have sung number of great ghazals. Which one did you enjoy most?

MH: There are lots and lots of numbers, which I really enjoy. Infact I like them all. Being a ghazal singer, an individual has to actually feel what he is singing. Otherwise he can’t perform. I have always sung while feeling the words and that made me love each of my ghazals.

KPDC: Please give any message for our youth.

MH: Classical music is a great art. You can learn it only if you can feel its true value. Infact any form of art can only be learnt if learnt through heart. When it comes to music, I will advise you to involve your heart into music whether it’s classical or pop style

FM
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