#What's your favourite ghazal/qawwali

[aashufta-sar]

Why isn't listening to ghazals and qawwalies all day every day a sport. I'd bag all the golds istg 😩

[amanharwara]

Thoughts On: Kailasa - Jhoomo Re

Jhoomo Re is the sophomore studio album by the popular Indian Fusion band Kailasa lead by Kailash Kher. It's a very solid pop-folk/fusion album and I've been listening to it quite a lot in the past few weeks. The album has 9 songs with a runtime of around 41 minutes. The album mostly revolves around the topics of love, inequality and God. Kailash Kher's raw, soulful voice adds quite a lot of character to most of the songs on the album. Most of the songs on the album were written by Kailash Kher himself, except for the fourth track "Chhaap Tilak" which is a ghazal written by the 14th-century Sufi mystic Amir Khusro. The album features one of Kailash Kher's most popular songs, Saiyyan. By the way, this review won't necessarily be a proper review, rather just my thoughts on it.

Bum Lahiri / Babam Bam

The first track off the album, called "Bum Lahiri" / "Babam Bam", is a very daring song written by Kailash Kher. While the song might seem to first-time listeners as a devotional song, that is not the sole purpose that the song intends to fulfil. The first three verses of the song are written from the perspective of Parvati's penance to achieve marriage with Lord Shiva, detailing her devotion and love for Shiva in each of the verses. Lord Shiva finally responds to Parvati in the third verse telling her that it is a bad idea for her to marry Shiva as the life he leads is not an easy one. Lord Shiva asks her what will she get in the jungles that Shiva resides in. He tells her that her penance (or "tapasya") might even lead to her death. He tells her how in the jungle the elephant trumpets and the lion roars. He tells her that his home is in the caves where he does the Tandav (or "the dance of fury") while wearing garlands made of rocks and ghosts. Shiv cautions her how this life is not suitable for her. He advises her to find a handsome, rich king and live in a palace, instead of living with him in the jungle. Kher's vocals are soulful and full of energy in this song that fit almost perfectly with the sounds of the tablas and damrus in the background. Song Rating: 8 / 10

Saiyyan

The second track is quite possibly the most popular song off the album. Saiyyan, as I understand, is about to lovers who are separated and yearning for each other to be re-united again. The song starts implying that the lovers need not any form of riches such as pearls and gemstones, but are rather content just by being with each other; they only wish for love. Lyrics of the song are quite touching and induce quite some emotions when listening to it. Some of my favourite lines from the song include "Baithoon naiyya preet ki, sansaar se thar jaaun mein", "Koi prem ki pujaaran mandir sajaaye", "Mere din khushi se jhumein, gaaye raatein". The song rightfully deserves all the praise that it gets, really. The background melody paired with the acoustic guitar and tabla sounds, compliment the pleasant and mellow, but very soulful and raw vocals sung by Kher. Similar to a lot of songs by Kailasa, the song can not only be interpreted as a song of love, but also as a song of devotion. Just like a person in love longs for their lover, a devotee constantly longs for God. For a devotee, their love for God is what makes their days lively with joy and their nights sing. Akin to the love of the lover, the devotee's service to God is an addiction. Of course, that is how you can interpret it if you wish to. For some people, the song is a melodious depiction of the craving of a lover's affection; and for others, it is a very soulful rendering of a hymn of devotion. Song Rating: 9 / 10

Joban Chhalke

The third song from the album is "Joban Chhalke", a song which is a celebration of youth. The song starts with some amazing horns (or maybe trumpets, I can't really figure it out) that continue to mix in further as the drums and tablas start playing. A melodious flute rhythm starts playing before the verse hits. The song has some very good lyrics as well. The chorus itself, "Oh Joban Chalke, Joban Chalke" means a figurative "spilling" of youth. "Bhaara maare aise jor, moonh ki khaavein sab chhor" refers vaguely to the idea of karma stating that when karma hits a person who has done bad deeds, it hits so hard that the person ends up falling face first onto the ground. "Bijli si kadke ghanghor, bhitar bhitar barle bor" talks about an impending sense of doom and torture in the form of heavy lightning and how the people sitting inside their houses are afraid of it. The song goes on to talk about the pureness of youth in further lines. Overall I think it's a pretty solid song. Song Rating: 7 / 10

Chhaap Tilak

The fourth song off the album, "Chhaap Tilak", is a song adaptation of the 14th-century ghazal of the same name written in the Braj language by the Sufi mystic Amir Khusro. The original poem named "Chhaap Tilak Sab Chheeni" has been sung in a Qawwali format by many notable Qawwals from India and Pakistan. While most of the song on the album is just a song version of the poem, there is a very harmonic introduction before the main verse. The song has a very good piano melody at the start accompanied by sounds of rain which transitions to another very nice flute melody before the chorus. The chorus contains melodies of tablas, drums, shakers and a piano. The lyrics of the song do have a romantic expression, but are indeed a devotional verse written by Amir Khusro in respect of his spiritual mentor Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya who was a Sufi saint. When interpreted in the romantical form, the lyrics are quite passionate and fanciful. The subject describes how their looks and identity were taken just by a glance from their lover, how they were intoxicated in love just by a glance. There is also very beautiful flute piece before the "Gori gori baiyyan" verse. Song Rating: 8 / 10

Tere Naina

The fifth song on the album might be the most mellow song on the track listing with melodious, soft, but powerful vocals on top of some basic music containing flutes, acoustic guitars, shakers and simple drums. However, don't let yourself think that just because these musical melodies might sound simple, that they cannot induce emotions in you. In fact, it's the opposite of that. These melodies have been composed in a manner that they aren't overdone, but still manage to make you immersed into the contents of the song. Also, the placement of the background vocals in the song is almost perfect - I have nothing but praise for that. The song is also the most lengthy song on the album, coming in at 6 and a half minutes of runtime. But that is not something that hinders the enjoyability of the song, as the song manages to immerse you for the whole runtime, and not bore you. The lyrics, while staying relatively simple compared to other Kailasa's other songs, do make you feel a connection to them. The lyrics will touch you even more if you yourself are in love; but even if you aren't, the lyrics will manage to move you. Song Rating: 8 / 10

Jhoomo Re

The next track, "Jhoomo Re" is a very powerful song in terms of the message. The song deals with caste-based and religious inequality. The song is introduced with some powerful lines from a poem by 17th-18th century poet Bulleh Shah. The introduction goes, "Chal Bulla chal othe chaliye, jitthe saare anhe; Naa koi saaddi jaat pehchane, naa koi saanu manne." In these lines, the poet Bulleh Shah – referring to himself as Bulla – tells himself to go to a place where the people are metaphorically blind; blind to a person's caste, religion and class. He wants to go to a place where nobody knows his caste and where nobody looks up to him with respect – exhibiting his need for equality. The first verse depicts a figurative scene of a person of lower caste fallen in a bazaar, covered in dirt, where the rich and pretentious kick him and the rational, astute people of the society help him. This has then been sarcastically and ironically referred to as the "brokerage" of the person. The second verse talks about how God doesn't need a scale to keep the world in balance and measure the good and evil. "Tere rom rom mein Ram-Ram, tu patthar mein sar kyu maare" might be questioning idol worship, stating that there is presence of God within you, so you don't need to figuratively hit your head on a stone. The third verse might be the most controversial and daring one, stating that there is no problem in destroying and breaking down temples and mosques, but God requests you to not break another person's heart as the heart is the special home of God. Song Rating: 9 / 10

Daulat Shohrat

Daulat Shohrat is another song that revolves around the topic of how the feeling of love trumps the greed for money and other material objects. Kher's vocals compliment the lyrics and the mood of the song perfectly and seem very emotional. However, I don't feel the song is anything special. I feel like I've heard a lot of songs that sound very much like this. The song is good, don't get me wrong there, but, whenever I put this song on, it doesn't really sound that much interesting to me. I don't have much to say other than the fact this is a pretty average song by Kailasa standards, although good nonetheless. Song Rating: 6 / 10

Yaar Sajan

Yaar Sajan is a step-up from Daulat Shohrat, sonically. It is a fusion of reggaetón drums and weeping strings. The song goes into feelings of love, as usual. The first pre-verse/introduction describes how the lover is his faith and what he worships. There is no one else of that much importance to him. He describes how his heart has blossomed in happiness after seeing the lover. He does not want to separate from the lover even for a moment. He thinks he is increasing the status of his love by kissing the lover's feet as they walk. The lyrics continue the theme of devotion of the lover throughout the song. It's a pretty good that you might want to listen to when you have recently fallen in love with someone. Song Rating: 6.5 / 10

Tu Meri Jaan Hai

The final song of the album is a very touching and beautiful Sufi song. The vocals by Kher on this one are just really really tear-jerking and touching and will most definitely induce some kind of emotion in you. The tone of the song might sound sad, but it is just a very impressive and energetic declaration of love for a person. The lyrics aren't hard to understand, but I'll try and break it down as good as possible. The song is from the perspective of a girl and she is celebrating her love. She is praying to God for her love. She doesn't care whether people will call her a mad girl, but she will keep reciting that her lover is her life and her desire. She often forgets about the world because she is immersed in love. She will set fire to the world if her lover isn't with her as the world would be pointless. She wants to have heart-to-heart conversations with her lover. She prays a million times that nothing bad should happen to her love. Song Rating: 8 / 10

Overall Album Rating: 8 / 10

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GhazalQawwali MusicFolk Music in IndiaBhangra 

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Hindu Devotional Music

Bhajans are forms of devotional songs that are especially popular in northern India. They often honor a particular deity or recall an episode from Hindu mythology. Pilgrims chant them at festivals and along the banks of the Ganges. They are chanted by worshipers at temples. Many of the compositions date back to the period of the Hindu reformation in A.D. first millennium, when Hinduism reestablished itself after a period when Buddhism was dominant. Bhajans have also been influenced by Sufi devotional music.

A ghazal is a light style of classical Persian love music adored by the Mughals. Originally more of a poetic than musical form, the name is derived from an Arabic word meaning "to talk amorously to women." Although sometimes referred to as the Urdu equivalent of khayal, it is based as often on folk melodies as on ragas. The lyrics are often taken from famous Urdu poems. Famous ghazal singers are mostly women. They include Shabha Urtu, Najma Akhtar and Begum Akhtra (1914-1974)

Qawwali is a kind of Sufi devotional music with a high-pitched and fast-paced stye of singing. It developed in the 13th century when Sufism was becoming popular on the Indian subcontinent. Qawwali literally means "philosophical utterance" in Arabic and has come to mean performing Sufi poetry to music. Qawwali songs are based on devotional Sufi poems and often have romantic themes that can be interpreted as love between a devotee and his God or between a man and a woman

There are almost as many different kinds of folk music in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh as there are ethnic groups and cultures. The most well known styles come from Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, the Punjab and Bengal. Bengal has a rich tradition of religious folk music, especially associated with Sufism among Muslims and with the devotional worship of Krishna and the goddess Kali among Hindus. Dogri love songs from the Jammu hills and chants from Uttar Pradesh have done well on the World Music charts

 Bollywood Music

Bollywood songs, more formally known as Hindi film songs or filmi songs, are songs featured in Bollywood films. Derived from the song-and-dance routines common in Indian films, Bollywood songs, along with dance, are a characteristic motif of Hindi cinema which gives it enduring popular appeal, cultural value and context.[1] Hindi film songs form a predominant component of Indian pop music, and derive their inspiration from both classical and modern sources.

Bhangra is a funky, beat-driven style of Punjabi folk dance music. Popular in India and Pakistan and among South Asians in Britain and the United States, it combines traditional Punjabi drum-and-percussion music of field workers with Western dance music "in every-shifting East-West hybrids.” It is know for driving, danceable rhythms, ecstatic singing and goofy keyboard riffs.