Nowadays we love to see young faces in our audience,’’ says Sultana. ‘‘The new generation, they are coming back. Recent years have seen a welcome resurgence of interest in Indian classical music, the couple says. Deeply entrenched in the classical traditions, she has also sung for films like ‘Gadar,’ ‘Kudrat’ and ‘Pakeezah’ and, lately, in Vikram Bhatt’s ‘1920.’ Among other accolades, she was conferred with the Padma Shree in 1976, at the age of 26, and the Miyan Tanzen Prize. Sultana began training with Khan in 1973. Khan has composed several khayals, tumris, bhajans and ghazals. A recipient of numerous awards including ‘Sangeeth Marthand,’ he has incorporated over a 100 Carnatic raagas into Hindustani. Ustad Dilshad Khan of the Patiala Gharana, who belongs to Kolkata, started training on the tabla when he was just four, but later switched to vocal inspired by the inimitable Bade Gulam Ali Khan. Such a thing would be unheard of nowadays.’’ Born in Nowgong, Assam, Parveen Sultana had her initial training in music under her father Ikramul Mazid and later with Pundit Chinmoy Lahiri in Kolkata. They destroy good talent,’’ says Sultana as Khan chips in wryly with ‘‘Music is to be heard, not seen.’’ The tall man in the dove-white kurta and pyjama remembers how, in his student days, his Guru would make him practise for seven hours straight. ‘‘Show us one good musician produced by reality shows.
We should not disrespect the times.īut the important thing is that we give pure music.’’ But this musical couple draws the line at the big-time televised circuses that are reality shows. Remember those three-minute, six-minute RPM records by maestros such as Bade Gulam Ali Khan? ‘‘The audience come to listen to us. Now a singer has to give it all in ten minutes or one hour.’’ But ‘miniaturisation,’ she adds, is an old trick. You had audiences who would spend three hours at a concert. Earlier, there used to be respect for a raaga. ‘‘The atmosphere which we used to have has changed. ‘‘Music has not changed, it has become a little commercialised,’’ muses the singer, who gave her first stage performance at the age of 12. Twenty years old, it has a front-page report and photograph of a concert of his in this city.Īnd despite the old-world charm about her - it’s the nostalgic way she reels off the names of Hindustani greats, even that wave of her arm - Sultana is snugly in sync with the transformed times. You can take all you want during our performance,’’ she adds, as Khan extends a faded Malayalam daily. I can give you fifteen minutes,’’ Sultana tells us somewhat brusquely.
The couple were hard-pressed for time, with reporters from three newspapers clamouring for interviews.
In the capital city for the annual Nishagandhi Festival, Dilshad Khan and Parveen Sultana spent some time with Express at their comfy suite at Hotel Mascot as dusk fell outside. I learned the song in an hour, and sang it in a single take,’’ Sultana remembers. I couldn’t refuse anyway, and I’d great respect for his songs. This song is sung by Sonu Nigam.‘‘He was a little doubtful whether I would sing it. Hume Tumse Pyaar Kitna (Male) (हम तुमसे प्यार कितना (मेल)) song from the album Hume Tumse Pyaar Kitna is released on Jul 2019. Listen to Sonu Nigam Hume Tumse Pyaar Kitna (Male) MP3 song.