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Singers to pay tribute to Mohammed Rafi, Ustad Zakir Hussain and Pankaj Udhas at a ghazal festival in Mumbai
The two-day ghazal festuval Khazana, which marks its 24 year, will be a celebration of the genre, besides being a tribute to the late music legends.
To celebrate the rich musical legacy of late music legend Mohammed Rafi in his centenary year and remember late tabla maestro Ustad Zakir Hussain ghazal legend Pankaj Udhas, several musicians will take the stage in the city for a two-day charity festival, the proceeds from which will go in aid of PATUT (Parents Association Thalassemic Unit Trust) and CPAA (Cancer Patients Aid Association) for the the treatment of cancer and thalassemia surviors. The 24th edition of Khazana - A Festival of Ghazals, to be held on July 18 and 19, will see musicians Talat Aziz, Anup Jalota, Rekha Bhardwaj, Sudeep Banerji, Osman Mir, Aamir Mir, Pandit Ajay Pohankar, Abhijit Pohankar, Mahalakshmi Iyer, Rakesh Chaurasia and Pratibha Singh Baghel, among others, take the stage.
Veteran singers Talat Aziz and Anup Jalota, who celebrated their friend Pankaj Udhas at the Sydney Opera House in Australia last month, can’t wait to celebrate their friendship again. Talat Aziz says, “It’s hard to believe that Khazana has completed 24 years. From its humble beginnings in 2002, it has grown into a much-loved platform that not only raises funds for the CPAA and PATUT, but also encourages and showcases aspiring ghazal singers. I vividly remember the genesis of this idea back in 2001. Three close friends - Pankaj, Anup and I - were having tea at Pankaj’s home when I first suggested the idea of reviving Khazana. That conversation lit the spark."
He adds, "Immediately, I reached out to my dear friend Sanjeev Malhotra, then General Manager of The Oberoi, a true music lover. He graciously offered us the Regal Room as a venue, complete with dinner, thus becoming the first sponsor. To this day, The Oberoi (now Trident) continues to support Khazana with the same warmth and generosity. We were fortunate to be joined by remarkable artists in those early days —Rajendra and Neena Mehta, Bhupinder Singh ji and Mitali Singh ji, Penaz Masani, Ahmed and Mohammed Hussain ji — who stood beside Anup ji, Pankaj ji, and myself in building this musical festival into what it is today. Today, the torch is being carried forward by the new guard — ably led by Nayaab Udhas and her team. It’s heartening to see the tradition continue, grow, and evolve with the times. Unfortunately we lost Pankaj in 2023 but his soul lives on with Khazana.”
Anup Jalota adds: “With catchy tunes and easy lyrics, Pankaj made his ghazals and his name household globally.”
Mahalakshmi, who performed in the virtual edition of the festival during the pandemic, says: “Ghazal is among my favourite genres, but I don’t get to sing ghazals often. Hence, I am really looking forward to taking the stage. We would be paying a beautiful tribute to Mohammed Rafi sahab. I can’t wait to sing Tere Mere Sapne (Guide; 1965).” Sudeep Banerji, who has composed some ghazals for this event, says, “I’ve also created a medley dedicated to Rafi sahab by choosing some of his best ghazals from films.”
Rekha, too, will be paying tribute to the late legends: “I’ll be singing Tum Jo Mil Gaye Ho (Hanste Zakhm; 1973) as a dedication to Rafi sahab and Deewaron Se Milkar Rona Achcha Lagta Hai for Pankaj ji, besides my songs Ek Ghadi (D-Day; 2013), Teri Fariyad (Tum Bin 2; 2016) and Phir Le Aaya Dil (Barfi!; 2012).
A musical tribute to Ustad Zakir Hussain
Musicians Rakesh Chaurasia, Shikhar Naad Qureshi, Ojas Adhiya and Sanjoy Das will perform a special tribute to late tabla legend Ustad Zakir Hussain. Rakesh says: “I have mixed emotions as far as my performance is concerned. While I’m really happy and feel honoured to pay a tribute to Ustad Zakir Hussain ji on Saturday, I also feel really sad to have lost him this year. He was my mentor and father figure, who taught me a lot as a human being and artiste. Besides performing a classical set, I will also perform a piece called Lotus Feet from Remember Shakti, which was my and Zakir ji’s favourite.”
