STRIKING NOTE: Manjari during the concert in Doha.     Photo by Umer Nangiana

Unhurried ghazal singer takes Doha audience on a soulful journey
in the all-encompassing genre of poetry, writes Umer Nangiana

Ghazal is that finest tradition in Urdu poetry which does not confine itself to just a single subject like a poem.
Within a ghazal, the poet would express multiple expressions of sorrow, pain, joy, hope, despair or even agitation, all rhyming. When it comes to singing ghazal, the singer first needs to capture the emotions and then express them in exactly the way the poet has envisioned.
Manjari did herself proud. A sweet voice, complete control over the vicissitudes of musical notes and an eye for a great selection of poetry, she has all it takes to be a ghazal singer par excellence. The 29-year-old from India was in town recently for ‘Khayal-e-Ghazal’ concert at the Regency Halls.
Setting the mood with Daagh Dehlvi’s Bura kiya tere waaday pe aitbaar kiya (I regret having believed in your promise), Manjari enthralled the multi-lingual, multi-national throng for hours.
The show was bigger and better than even her last year’s performance at the same venue which was initially planned for two hours but went on for four. Then, she had to rush to the airport in a desperate attempt to board the flight. This time she had it all sorted out.
“This time we had arranged for more time and were prepared in case the show lingered,” a smiling Manjari tells Community in a chat after the concert.
Inspired by women ghazal singers from across the border in Pakistan such as the legendary Noor Jehan, Manjari followed her heart when she first attempted to enter the genre of ghazal singing.
“My guru jee (teacher) is from Pakistan, Ustad Khalid Anwar Jan. He is no more, but he is the one who inspired me to learn ghazal. He used to compose a lot of Ghalib ghazals which I started singing when I was in school,” says Manjari, adding that she always had an inclination to ghazals while listening to ghazal greats like Mehdi Hasan, Begum Akhtar, Rajkumar Rizvi and Ghulam Ali.
“I am very passionate about ghazals, and I love poetry. I think ghazal (is a form through which we) can communicate with people regardless of their age. It has got a lot of love, a lot of pain, passion, even comedy. There is everything in it,” Manjari says decidedly.
Manjari has sung poets like Ghalib and his contemporary Daagh, who are considered a hard act to follow. She has also rendered ghazals written by legendary Pakistani poets like Faiz Ahmed Faiz and Ahmed Faraz.  
Born in Thiruvananthapuram but brought up in Muscat, Oman, where her father still works, Manjari learnt Urdu language along with Arabic specifically to understand Urdu poetry — to be able to sing ghazals.
She has been singing professionally for a long time and for films since 2003. Manjari has been singing for a lot of South Indian movies including Tamil, Telegu, and Malayalam.
It was her inclination towards poetry that shifted her interest to ghazals. “I am doing a show in MediaOne channels called Khayal. It was my concept for Malayalam speaking people. We have a lot of them who listen to ghazals, but they do not understand it and there is not much point in listening to it ghazals if you don’t understand them,” Manjari contends.
Therefore, she sings ghazals in her programme and then translates them for the audience. She also translated for many in the audience who would not understand the meaning of more complex ghazals at her concert in Doha as well.
Manjari believes everything needs practice and the more you rehearse the more control you gain. Speaking about the outstanding difference between singing playback and ghazal, Manjari believes playback is a kind of a framework where you have to sing exactly what you are asked to sing.
“But when you are in a ghazal concert, you can improvise on the spot, you can put in your own ideas. Film music is the idea of the creator, and you are just lending voice to it. I feel very happy when I am in a ghazal concert because it is basically about emotions. (It’s about) how you emote according to the poetry,” says Manjari.
Manjari has set up her own band for ghazal concerts and performed at various venues in India and abroad. She continues to pursue her studies in Hindustani classical music under the tutelage of Pandit Ramesh Jule of Kirana Gharana.
Born with no musical lineage, Manjari’s inspiration to learn music was mainly drawn from her parents, especially her mother who was a keen music enthusiast, since her childhood. The spark in this artist was realised at a very early age by her mother.
Manjari was introduced to Carnatic classical music at the age of five under the tutelage of Dr Shyamala Vinod Kumar. She had the unique opportunity of learning from the legend himself during his visits to Muscat.
She was a keen learner right from childhood. A participant in music competitions held in various venues in Muscat including the Indian school where she studied, she won many accolades in inter-school competitions held every year.
It was during one of these competitions that Ram Kishan, a music teacher in Muscat, offered to teach light music to Manjari, who pursued it with equal devotion. For her dedication, she was gifted a ‘harmonium’ by the teacher.
Manjari’s first break came at the age of 13, when Dr K J Yesudas, whom she considers a mentor, invited her for recording her first album in India. Manjari recorded two songs, a solo and a duet with the legend himself.
When Manjari’s Guruji, Ram Kishan left Muscat, she was placed under the tutelage of the late Ustad Khalid Anwar Jaan, a Pakistani musician settled there. Ustad Khalid Anwar Jaan belonged to the famous ‘Kirana’ Gharana and introduced Manjari to Hindustani classical music.
Within a short span of three years, Manjari performed her first Hindustani classical concert in Muscat. She was also introduced to the world of ghazals by her teacher.
Since 2004, Manjari has performed Hindustani classical concerts in India and the world over. In 2014, she performed at the prestigious Sankat Mochan Sangeet Samaroh in Varanasi.