GULSHAN ARA SYED

The Queen Of Ghazal

(The Magazine MAG Pakistan)

Why isn’t Gulshan Ara Syed singing these days? This is a question that a host of music-literate people ask in this age and time. For the king of music that local television channels have been dishing out to audiences is of pop corn quality-doesn’t slake the appetite wholesomely. And particularly when it comes to rendering ghazals, there’s hardly any young vocalist who is trying his or her hand at this genre of, allow me to say, Urdu music.

Gulshan Ara Syed migrated to Pakistan in 1979 and appeared in a music program Khusboo for the very first time. Her mellifluous voice and command over raag raagni instantly had everyone talking notice of this talented lady. And from then on, she never looked back. Gulshan Ara Syed had attained stardom overnight.

The chief reason for this crooner’s success for her knowledge of classical mausiquee. She’s no ordinary vocalist who thought she could sing and so displayed her talent. If one had seen the show, Mahek, run on NTM, it would be hard to debate this observation. On Mahek, Gulshan Ara sang Tum Se Mile Jub Se Nain with such mastery that music pundits began lumping her with the likes of Iqbal Bano. And their impetuousness wasn’t wrong either. Because if one noticed the kind of taans and murkian that she employed in the composition,

one would have mistaken her for someone immersed in the music business for ages.

Gulshan Ara Syed sang many a ghazal. But perhaps the one that garnered popularity the most was Tumharey Shehr Ka Mausam Bara Suhana Lagey. Although many ghazal singers of the subcontinent have sung this particular ghazal, but Gulshan Ara Syed has given it her special touch. Each couplet was sung bearing in mind the essence of the Shaer and the composition was commensuration with its feeling. Simply brilliant.

For some odd reason Gulshan Ara Syed hasn’t been seen or heard on the electronic media for long. However, she does an odd dig here and there. But the ghazal starved audience is itching to lend their ears to quality music. Something that Gulshan Ara Syed and her ilk can easily provide them with.

(By Peerzada Salman)

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