Category Archives: Interviews

As we entered Bombay Music Store, we could not help notice the inescapable sense of bitterness and decline which was bound to the very soul of the shop and its aging proprietor, Muhammad Asif.  Despite our countless interactions with Lahore’s aging classical musicians who are subject to poverty, mistreatment, and social ostracization, there was somethingContinue reading “Bombay In Lahore”

Scrolling through a list of popular patriotic songs, it is disappointing to see how few song-writers and composers are credited. Only the singer’s name is seen, everyone else is deemed unimportant. One of these unsung heroes is Saleem Haider, a music director who helped orchestrate the hit songs ‘Ae Watan Pyare Watan’ and ‘Ae JazbaContinue reading “The One Behind the Film Score”

When we entered the shop of Ziauddin, the 75-year-old Pride of Performance winning sitar-maker was working on a sarod’s wooden frame in deep concentration. He looked up to welcome us, and putting his tools away, sat down for an interview. From time to time his eyes wandered to the instruments hanging on the walls, theContinue reading “The Circle Unbroken”

Hassan Ali is a middle-aged musician who plays the harmonium and the bansuri (flute). His grandfather, the sarangi virtuoso Ustad Nathu Khan, taught the famed singer Farida Khanum. Though his main instrument of choice is the harmonium, Mr.Ali learnt the flute later on and enjoys its intrinsic beauty. He started playing music when he was around thirteenContinue reading “The Forgotten Flute”

Sahawat Ali, a seasoned musician, has spent much of his life on the harmonium. Playing the harmonium has been his passion, skill and the only way to earn a living. But nowadays, more than ever before, he needs these skills to survive in times when Pakistan is under a Western musical invasion. He now spendsContinue reading “The Harmonium’s Voice”