In the Beat of the Moment

The boy is now 25,has shifted base from Iran to Delhi and has grown up to be a famous percussionist. “He did not take me under his wing till he was sure I was keen to learn,” said Ghaffari,adding,“I was learning music under his guidance in Iran till I shifted base to India at the age of 16 and joined my parents who were working here.”

In town for a concert at Hops ‘n’ Grains in Panchkula,Ghaffari spoke at length about how he is trying to strike a balance between the Iranian and the Indian music. In the process,he has formed the Baran Music Ensemble,along with friends Ciavash Borhani and Samer Habibi. While he plays the tombak,Borhani and Habibi accompany him on the taar and the kamencheh (Iranian music instruments),respectively. “The ensemble brings together two worlds of music,and we play Persian classical,sufi and folk music,” he said.

Although he was brought up on Iranian music,Ghaffari found himself attracted to the cultural vibrancy of New Delhi when he moved to the Capital. “So,I took up the Indian classical music. In Iran,we also have the guru-shishya parampara and the gurukuls; the structure may be different but the theory is the same,” he said.

Ghaffari went on to research on the Indian classical music,and ended up doing an M.Phil in it. Presently,he is a student at the Faculty of Music and Fine Arts,Delhi University,has conducted several workshops on percussion and has also translated books on music from English to Pharsi for music lovers in Iran.

Active on the concert circuit,he has played alongside big names such as Abida Parveen. Ghaffari added how during Amir Khusrao’s time,Indian music was greatly influenced by the Persian music. “There was,and still is,an exchange of food,art and music between the two countries. It’s like the international music festival called Vissal,in Tehran,where we played. Vissal means reunion of two old friends who’ve known each other for ages,and that’s India and Iran,” he signed off.