Films, albums have revived interest in classical music: Sangari

Indian films, in the past few years, have not just redefined how the youth understands Sufi music but have also played a crucial part in helping them redevelop an ear for classical music, says vocalist Dhruv Sangari.

Sangari, trained by the legendary qawwali and classical maestro late Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Ustad Iqbal Ahmed Khan of Delhi Gharana and late Ustad Ghulam Sadiq Khan of Rampur-Sahaswan Gharana, performed at The Sufi Route this month. The event was aimed at spreading the message of peace.

"The Sufi-Bhakti movement and its culture have always stood for peace, love, humanity and universalism. As ambassadors of this tradition, it is our responsibility to keep it alive in the hearts of the new generation through our musical expression," Sangari told IANS in an email interview.

Agreeing that Bollywood had redefined how the youth understands Sufi music, he said: "While we may argue that Bollywood has perhaps diluted the traditional music and poetry to an extent, the essence of its timeless message continues to appeal to the millennial generation.

"In fact, more people are connecting to Sufi music now than ever before. So it is an important contribution."

Sangari's comment comes at a time when most classical purists rue how Bollywood music is all-pervasive in the Indian music scenario.

"Thanks to semi-classical genres such as qawwali, ghazal, geet and thumri which have been popularized both through films and private albums over the last few decades, the youth have redeveloped an interest in raga-based classical music such as khayal and dhrupad.

"Another major reason is the efforts by composers such as A.R. Rahman and Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy to use ragas and classical vocal ornamentation in their songs, reviving many lesser known singing methods and styles," he pointed out.

Sangari has been performing professionally since 2001 with his troupe Rooh.

He explained what defines purity of Sufi music: "Sufism or Tasawwuf stands for inner cleansing. Purifying the heart, ego and mind automatically improves the outward self. Sufi music is a kind of heart technology that engineers that process of self realization.

"The poetry of the saints contains deep philosophical messages that resonate with listeners on multiple levels according to their own understanding of themselves," he said.

What is the way forward to promote Sufi music?

"I feel we are on the right track. The very fact that all over the country and the world people are bonding with this energy, the fact that such a festival (The Sufi Route) took place at a historic location such as Qutub Minar shows that (people) have already embarked on the Sufi route."

The gala, headlined by A.R. Rahman, was organised by Friday Filmworks, INvision Entertainment and Invloed Matrix.

--IANS

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