PNCA pays tribute to legends through Ghazal festival

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan National Council of Arts (PNCA) and Arts Council of Pakistan held a three days Ghazal Festival entitled "Tribute to Legends" at Karachi.

The festival was part of PNCA's activities to promote musical heritage of Pakistan and acknowledge the services of legendary artists of the country.

The show brought artists like Ghulam Abbas, Mehnaz, Ijaz Qaisar, Humera Channa, Salamat Ali, Gulbhar Bano, Asif Mehdi, Tasawar Khanum, Ali Raza, Bilqis Khanum, Mohammad Ali, Azra Raiz Ikram Mehdi, Shokat Manzoor, Salman Alvi, Farukh Mehdi, Ishtaiq Bashir, Faisal Latif, Nand Lal and other artists.

Unique of its kind, the event enthralled the audiences with the aim of spreading the message of peace, love and harmony.

The participating vocalists paid rich tributes to legendary Ghazal singers of subcontinent who dedicated their entire life in the field of Ghazal singing which is a unique expression of presenting melodies, said Director General PNCA, Tauqeer Nasir while talking to APP here Monday.

Ghazal singing is one of the unique kinds of singing that spreads message with soft musical terms and captivates the listeners with its techniques. It is a poetic form which shares a rhyme and has a unique place in contemporary music world, he stated.

"Such events not only promote the skills of the music maestros the younger generations but also keep alive the fading traditions of music," he said.

Music is the part of every one's life in different forms. In Pakistan, it is a fusion of many influences. These come from many parts of the world like Central Asia, Persia, Turkish and Arabic.

However, classical music has now become limited in Pakistan as it is played on gatherings and festivals. Most of the traditional and classical art in Pakistan is intangible and Masters used to transfer art orally only to their offspring. No one ever thought of preserving this beautiful art of music and most of our musical heritage is on verge of extinct, he added.

Copyright APP (Associated Press of Pakistan), 2011