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Famous duo team up for evening of ghazals

DUBAI — Two of the most adored Indian ghazal singers, Pankaj Udhas and Talat Aziz, will celebrate together their 25 years of performance with a show titled Sham-e-Ghazal at the Renaissance Hotel this evening.

Both singers, known for their velvet voices and swashbuckling styles, have come together on many occasions in India, but the event today will see them perform together for the first time in Dubai. The event has been planned in a way so as to keep the artistes' distinct identities intact, Talat Aziz said.

Addressing a Press conference yesterday, the duo pointed out that as far as sensible music is concerned, people in India and Pakistan as well as other neighbouring countries are tired of the riffraff being dished out to them and are turning back to the music recognised as the hallmark of the East.

“People now no more want to watch music, they want to hear it,” pointed out Talat Aziz, referring to the sudden outcrop of sleazy music videos in the subcontinent.

Pankaj Udhas blamed the media for not playing out its role and taking up its responsibility to support the people's music.

“At about the time when cable television took roots in India, most of the channels were very clear that they did not want anything to do with Ghazals, etc, and there was no one to fight it. I guess now the situation has changed quite a lot, my winning the MTV award is a proof of this,” he said.

To a question, Pankaj Udhas explained that he veered off from the music he was expected to perform sometime back as an attempt to draw in the young generation towards the music genre. “And I am content with the results; a considerable part of my fans belong to the new generation, and this is a good sign,” he added.