Invoking God

Ghazal singer Pankaj Udhas talks about how 26/11 changed something inside him and led to his latest bhajan album

Veteran ghazal singer Pankaj Udhas was blissfully enjoying dinner with friends at a restaurant in Mumbai in 2008,when he received a call instructing him to rush home from wherever he was. It was November 26. The city was under a terror attack. Udhas managed to make it home safely,switched on the television and sat dumbstruck watching visuals of rescue teams trying to save trapped hostages from the Trident,and hearing reports of the number of people shot at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus station. After some time,he realised that he had been subconsciously reciting the Hanuman Chalisa over and over in his mind.

Udhas says he is not a religious person and is also categorical that he wouldnt publicise his relationship with God by ever singing bhajans commercially. But watching Mumbai burn in front of his eyes that day,he wanted to cry out to the heavens. The next day,he telephoned a record label and discussed the idea for a devotional album. After years of work,he came up with the recently released Hey Krishna,his first devotional album in a career that spans over three-and-a-half decades.

I have often been told that my voice suits devotional songs but I was never convinced. Singing bhajans is a private and personal activity for me. But something changed on 26/11,and I wanted to sing not only for myself,but for everyone around me, says Udhas,who teamed up with his nephew Karthik Udhas,a graduate in Western classical music from Trinity College,London,for the album.

While most of the tracks are traditional bhajans,the melody by Karthik has Western classical music influences,evident in the harmonised choruses. Karthik has also used chimes,bells and the guitar to bring in a contemporary flavour,although the flute remains the main instrument.

Next on Udhass to-do list is a ghazal concert to raise funds for Cancer Patients Aids Association. The two-day festival that will start on July 26,will feature ghazal singers from across India who gather to perform without charging a fee. Udhas also plans on releasing a new album on the first day of the festival. Though he is yet to settle on the right title for the album,Udhas reveals that it includes poetry by contemporary poets.

The calendar is packed with events then on. For August and September,I have a tour of the US,Canada and the Caribbean Islands scheduled. And when I return,I have to fulfill a long-standing promise I made to the ISKCON temple management to organise a bhajan concert for them. I will be doing so in October, he says.

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