A Sour Note

But when the same ghazal was presented at a ‘live’ concert last week in Siri Fort, Delhi, it was by far one of the worst renditions of the ghazal we had ever heard. A screen in the centre of the stage played the concert clip in which Singh sang the ghazal, while live musicians gave the accompaniment on either side. The voice that one heard in the auditorium was extracted minus the orchestration but included applause and static in it. If violinist Deepak Pandit extended the prelude not knowing when to stop, Abhinav Upadhyay on the tabla missed a beat and the flautist played a shorter interlude than needed.

We understand it is blasphemous to say that Singh’s live concerts weren’t spot on in terms of hitting every note correctly. Often, he got by just by virtue of powerful lyrics, and the soul and thehraav he could add to a ditty. But when just the voice was extracted and presented so synthetically with disparate chunks, it was exhausting, uncomfortable and disrespectful.

There are basic questions that this concert raises. Not just that the accompanying musicians want to piggyback on the musician’s name, which still has the capacity to draw people in droves, but is also about the future of live music. A concert such as this hardly in good taste. It is morbid to say the least, and raises an ethical question: Should we resurrect the dead just because we can? Chitra Singh, the singer’s wife, recently moved Delhi High Court wanting a stay on the concert as she felt it was “exploiting and misusing Jagjit’s work, his name.”

This concert even if it was done to “promote Jagjit Singh’s voice” as the concert organiser Randhir Ranjan Roy said, was one of the worst ways to honour his legacy. In the ’90s Singh would sing a Nida Fazli ghazal often. Do aur do ka jod hamesha char kahan hota hai, Soch samajh walo ko itni nadaani de maula…

His voice speaks for itself. Meanwhile, you can play Jhuki jhuki si nazar on your iPod and honour the memory of a fine ghazal singer.