Chaap tilak sab chinni re… Ashraf Hydroz sings with full-throated ease. He lends a different flavour and colour to the iconic Sufi qawwali that has mesmerised audiences for centuries. The Amir Khusro classic is blended with elements of Khayal and improvised solo sequences using the Sargam technique. The hint of strong Hindustani classical is too obvious to miss.
Not surprising, for Ashraf’s life has been a journey to understand and appreciate the expansive contours of North Indian music. Ironically, Ashraf was initiated into Carnatic music by two teachers – Ramankutty Asan and Vijayarajan Master – close to his home at Mattancherry. But his bank job took him to Delhi, and the seven years Ashraf spent there, opened new vistas of music for him. He completed his post-graduation and M. Phil in Carnatic music from Delhi University.
Ashraf continues to sing about Khusro’s love and devotion for the Sufi saint Nizamuddin Auliya etched in that famous qawwali, while travelling through Yaman, Tilak Kamod and Bihag raags.
A manqabat in praise of Ali ibn Abi Talib, beginning Man kunto maula, again by Khusro, set the tone for Ashraf’s recent Sufiana Qawwali concert in Tripunithura, organised by Sree Poornathrayeesa Sangeetha Sabha. The infectiously insistent rhythm, exuberant singing, backed by two other vocalists and four brilliant musicians, and Ashraf’s inspired improvisations created a kaleidoscopic effect.
He, however, moved on to bhajans, rather unusual in the qawwali format. A Marathi Natyasangeet in Nat Bhairav raga, beginning Narayana Rama Ramana, and Vijaya Vittala Daasaru’s Kannada nirvana bhajan Sree Rama guna dhama were rendered with intensity.
Like any aspiring musician in the South, Ashraf says his grounding was in Carnatic music. “Those days, Carnatic classical is what you got to hear. And it was inspiring too. I remember listening to the classes by Dr. C.K. Revamma and M.G. Radhakrishnan on All India Radio and my joy when I received recordings of daru varnams sung by M.S. Sheela. All this, along with the training of my gurus, helped me pursue music with confidence,” says Ashraf.
“While in Mattancherry, I was a frequent visitor to the Vithoba temple to listen to Abangs and bhajans every evening. N. Venkatesh Naik, popular as Naik Master, noticed this and volunteered to teach me. I have even joined in some of those bhajan sessions there,” he remembers.
The lively rhythm of the tabla (Hakim) and dholak (Siraj Baig), the pumping harmonium (Kabir Chavakkad) and bulbul tarang (Mujeeb Ahmed), with the back-up vocals of T.P. Vivek and Mithulesh helped the group maintain the energy levels right through, though, at times, it did tend to turn a little choppy.
Ranjish hi sahi, the Urdu ghazal written by Ahmed Faraz that was first sung by Iqbal Bano and popularised by Mehdi Hassan, was Ashraf’s tribute to ghazal singer Umbayi.
He followed it up with the popular Gujarati Lagna geet Heri sakhi mangal gao ri, and Vivek stepped in with a soulful rendition of Vaishnava jana to tene kahiye.
Ashraf’s tryst with qawwali happened naturally. His dissertation for M. Phil was on Sufism and the Bhakti Movement, which led him on to this extraordinarily intense music genre.
“Delhi and, later, a short stint in Hyderabad gave me ample opportunities to listen to some of the greats of Indian classical music. I also started learning Hindustani music from Momita Ganguly in Delhi. The turning point in my career was listening to a Sufi qawwali performance by the redoubtable Sabri Brothers and Ustad Jaffar Hussain Khan. That ignited my passion for this music, which I felt transcended culture. Even those who did not understand the poetry can feel the fervour,” he says.
Then on, Ashraf became a serious votary of qawwali. Every weekend or holiday, he travelled to dargahs where he listened to the music in all its raw and pristine forms.
“The music, the involvement of the mehfil, the aroma of incense and flowers transported you to a different world. I began singing with them. Fortunately, my transfer to Bengaluru led me to Ustad Faiyaz Khan, who has been my mentor and guide. For a short while, I was trained by Vijayaranga.”
The show-piece of Ashraf’s concert was Tajdar-e-Haram, an organic melody of a qawwali and Dama dam mast qalandar. The former, a Naat, encapsulated the love for the Prophet, and the latter is a song written in praise of Shahbaz Qalandar, a Sufi saint of Sindh.
“I have been singing both Carnatic and Hindustani classicals at various venues across the country all these years. After my retirement, I have settled down in Bengaluru and concentrating more on Sufi qawwali with my Ustad’s help,” explains Ashraf.
As Ashraf sings in gay abandon, the accompanying musicians join in a frenzied bliss, while the audience, as if in a trance, too join in synchronised clapping of hands. The jubilant sounds lingered.