Pop, remixes will not push out ghazals

Thursday, August 24, 2006

Bhopal (UNI): Ghazals have enjoyed popularity in every era and this will continue to be the case as the art form is hardly endangered by pop and remixes, feels exponent Chandan Das. ''The form of love, which is expressed by ghazals, is immortalised in the human mind. By the way, ghazals do not merely mean love as they effectively shed light on life's myriad aspects,'' he told UNI. The artiste was here on the invitation of the Madhya Pradesh government's Culture Department. Das recited from eminent poet Nida Fazli's famed ghazal, ''Ghar se masjid hai bahut dur chalo yunh kar le kisi rote huey bachhe ko hansaya jaye (The mosque is very far from home, instead of going there let's try to make a sad child happy).'' ''The message conveyed is nothing short of a diadem for humanity,'' he added.

In a comment on those vocalists and composers who were popular despite various allegations, Das felt that none ought to complain as public liking ruled the market. When asked whether or not he attained the same popularity as his contemporaries despite having no dearth of talent, the artiste said fate played a crucial role in securing fame and money. ''In my 25-year-long journey in the music arena, I am satisfied with what I received. Man is in control of his 'karma'. Ghazals, which constitute a prestigious art form, are sung before captains of industry, at weddings and cocktail parties but it must not be forgotten that every young artiste has to make a living,'' Das added.