The Gurmani Centre for Languages and Literature presents
Halqa-e-Danish Lecture Series: Maestros of Raag, Farida Khanum & Ali Sethi
Date: Thursday, October 4, 2018
Venue: B-3 Auditorium, SDSB, LUMS
Time: 6:30 pm
The legendary, Farida Khanum elegantly sits atop a pedestal of grace even after all these decades. Adopting an array of musical concepts and engraving within them her identity and soul. Drawing on a wide swath of her catalogue, from her first recording session at Radio Pakistan back in the day, to one of her last, she demonstrates that every song that she sings resonates with emotion while she seizes the moment as the rightful, “Queen of Ghazal.” Her performances are subtle, her mood impetuous and imperious. Being a recipient of the Hilal-e-Imtiaz in 2005, it's hard to capture the many facets of Khanum's career or to romanticise her contribution to the genre.
Ali Sethi began his musical career during his time at Harvard, while he was studying for a degree in South Asian Studies. In finding comfort in listening to semi-classical folk and traditional music from Pakistan, he launched himself as a singer by performing the classic, ‘Aaj Jaanay Ki Zidd Na Karo’ for the first time in 2005 for an audience at Harvard. Realising his passion
for the genre, and to further add to his knowledge of classical nuances, he started formal training with Ustad Naseeruddin Saami since 2008. Sethi’s original track, ‘Dil Jalanay Ki Baat’ was featured in Mira Nair’s film, Reluctant Fundamentalist in 2013. Since then he has independently released a number of reinterpreted Urdu ghazals, ‘Haal Aisa Nahin’ and ‘Mohabbat Karnay Waley’; and Punjabi folk songs, ‘Kithay Nain Na Jorin’ and ‘Mahi Mera’, to name a few. Sethi’s contribution to Coke Studio with iconic tracks such as ‘Umraan Langiyaan’, ‘Aaqa’ and ‘Tinak Dhin’ received critical acclaim.
