The All Pakistan Music Conference, Lahore, has resumed its routine activity with a concert held at Alhamra after a layoff of about two years due to the corona virus pandemic. The three performers at the first concert were: Ustad Naseeruddin Saami, Noor Zehra Kazim and Muslim Shaggan.

For several decades now the Music Conference has had a commendable record of sticking to its yearly schedule of holding monthly programmes - except for the summer months when Hayat Ahmed Khan, the moving spirit behind it, would be away. The annual programme was usually held in either March or October. Two years ago, the Covid-19 badly disrupted the schedule, disallowing the concerts to go ahead (indeed all normal indoor activities.) The music lovers were at a loss to come to terms with the restrictions. The hiatus was if anything even more devastating for the performing artistes who lost their livelihood in view of the raging fears of a faster spread of the disease and shut downs, especially the restrictions on live face-to-face performances. The concerts were initially postponed and the stage plays put on hold with the hope that the pandemic would pass quickly. However, the hopes were dashed and the lock-downs stretched on. They took a heavy toll on everyone in terms of health, emotional anxiety and economic hardship. The artistes really had nothing to turn to as they sat in their homes waiting, waiting for things to get back to normal.

Some escape from the boredom was possible through the digital medium which evolved quickly in a short span of time, responding well to the pressure to perform. It compensated to some extent for the absence of normal face-to-face activity, so very essentials for us humans. It is difficult to imagine what the state of creative silence would have been like had the digital media not been there. All interaction between the music makers and the listeners would then have come to a halt. All would have been forced to incarcerate in their homes or wherever. It would have been as close to hell as possible. The digital media created a semblance of normality. It made some interaction possible no matter how removed it was from the real thing. It became possible for the popular forms to be resurrected as such. However, it was difficult for small niche activity to flourish, in some cases impossible. The economic opportunity appeared to have been stolen. The artistes were almost forced to starve. Many sold their family silver and were made to spend from their savings on just food and the bare essentials.

The other good news is that Ustad Naseeruddin Saami has grown well and can now perform. Over the last few years he has had health scares and it was feared that he might not be able to give his best on stage. But these fears were dispelled beyond any doubts. He did perform with the usual composure and steadiness. He has been the answer to those who thought that the kheyal gaiki in Pakistan has been over-laden by displays of superficial virtuosity in the forms of lightning taans and lai-kaari and that the thehrao in the gaiki had been lost forever. The impression has been neutralised by the gradual build-up of the ragas through various belhawas in the vilampat lai and then the wajib taans of the raga in the later part of the performance in the madh and durat lai.

Shaggan can be seen as the future of kheyal gaiki in the country. At a time when the younger scions of hereditary musicians make a difficult choice of opting for forms that are more popular it is really difficult for a young person like Shaggan to make a choice to stay in the realm of classical music and be content with innovations within the format. Shaggan has the virtuosity to be taken as a serious contender for the upper slots of kheyal gaiks in the country. It is hoped that he will show enough resilience to stay steadfast to his commitment.

Noor Zehra Kazim, in a way, has kept the sagar veena alive. The instrument was worked on very adroitly by Ustad Shareef, in conjunction with Reza Kazim who crafted this new instrument, building on the virtues of the old. However, practitioners acquiring the right level of proficiency have been difficult to come by. Noor Zehra Kazim has stuck to the task and has been consistent in playing the instruments at whatever forums are available in the country. It was hoped that other practitioners too would follow and rise to the challenge of playing the difficult instrument. The hope has not died down altogether.

All in all, the March concert was very heartening. The resumption of the familiar routine also meant a return to performance and away from want and starvation that the circumstances had clamped on people willing to work with great talent but no opening in a fear-driven environment. It is hoped that the world has seen the last of the nightmare and that things will resume and bounce back to normal; that music concerts will became a regular feature of the cultural life of the city.

The writer is a culture critic based in Lahore