The three-day music festival of the National Academy of Performing Arts (Napa) unfolded the tons of musical talent that lies hidden in our young generation.
The second evening of the series, Tuesday, featured Ghazals. The show, which began punctually at 8 pm sharp in accordance with Napa’s tradition, continued up until 11 pm and there was a string of youngsters displaying their oozing talent.
It could be easily contended that Pakistan has some real Ghazal maestros in the making. Opening the show was the stunningly charming young pupil of Napa, Sabeen Nawab.
She, with her velvety, mellifluous voice, held the audiences spellbound with her Ghazal, “Dhoondo Ge Agar Mulkon Mulkon”. Her cadences, her intonation and the stress on the syllables was perfect.
It was made all the more so by the deft tabla accompaniment by Waqas Gulab and harmonium accompaniment by Idrees. How she really put feeling into her Ghazal was splendid indeed.
All the artistes were just superb and one would be hard put to decide on who was the best. Sabeen was followed by another very seasoned Ghazal singer, Ahsan Shabbir, also a Napa pupil. He kept the audiences glued to their seats with his deep, silky baritone.
His presentation was so profound, so effective that one was really transported into the situation he was singing about.
It was an absolute treat to hear him sing. He certainly is a treasure that the country has in the realm of music. The Ghazal he rendered was, “Dil Mein Ab Yoon Mere Bhoole Hue Gham Ayen Haain”. It was a masterful rendition, indeed.
Then there was another young lady, Rosemarie, who presented a Ghazal in a really profound and professional way.