Making Music with a Maestro

By Kavita Chhibber

What would you do if one of your favorite master musicians took you to a recording studio, made you stand in front of a mike, the like of which you have never seen and said:

"Okay now sing after me." What would you have done?

Woken up in disbelief from the beautiful dream? Or a nightmare depending on if you see the glass as half empty or half full. Gone into a flowery homage of how honored you are, or just been dumb struck with terror. I did none of the above. Instead my journalistic skills deserted me and all I could mumble was "You've gotta be kidding me!" But Sitar maestro Shujaat Khan was dead serious, and that is how I an amateur, recent upgrade from bathroom to living room singer after discovering the karaoke, ended up on a beautiful album Raastey.

The album has been a true labor of love stemming from a passion for good music and good poetry for the co-producers Kamal Hyder and Zafar Hamdani, both business entrepreneurs, one from India the other from Pakistan. Zafar Hamdani, says that on a recent trip to India he picked up a book which encompassed 500 years of the best Urdu poetry ever written. The two then read through the book and chose 12 poems that they both were deeply touched by. Kamal has been friends with Sitar maestro Shujaat Khan for many years and is also an accomplished sitar player himself.

"We thought, India and Pakistan were one nation to begin with and today slowly the doors are opening again towards better relations. The roads we are traveling are hopefully going to converge. We wanted to honor this new warmth that the two countries are beginning to share with each other," according to Kamal Hyder. The idea of having Pakistani lyrics set to music by an Indian musician came to both producers as a way of honoring the new connectivity between the nations. "The obvious choice was Shujaat Khan sahib," says Zafar Hamdani and adds that the key reason was the fact that the maestro is not just an amazing sitar player but has a beautiful velvety singing voice.

Kamal says the poems were then short listed to 6 by Shujaat Khan on their request. "He is the one creating the music and we wanted him to choose what inspired him." The maestro made his choice and the theme of the six ghazals reinforced the message the producers were trying to convey-about a journey that has its twists and turns but after the trials of finding the right path are over, both the journey and the road become so much smoother. "We even shot the cover depicting a girl walking on a road with her back towards us as she looks ahead and not back, moving forward. Khan sahib is such a talented man, the first ghazal was set spontaneously to music in my living room, as he hummed and played on words," says Kamal Hyder.

Ghazals are usually romantic renditions dedicated to the beloved. The lyrics can be melancholy, full of joy and romance, a dedication, a longing but each ghazal always carries a message. This is an interesting cd for several reasons. Shujaat Khan is known for not just his music, but his impeccable choice of quality lyrics and this album is another testimony of his excellent taste. The other interesting thing is that while the producers were thinking of big name female artists to sing with the maestro, Shujaat decided on local talent to sing the duets with him. "That has given the album a fresh spontaneous sound," says Kamal.

I was one of the two fortunate women who sang with Shujaat Khan, the other being Nitu Kohli, an engineer from the Bay area who has won several singing competitions and has a voice resembling Chitra Singh's.

For me it was an interesting exercise and I cannot begin to thank Kamal who is based in California and Sandeep Savla who is so well known in Atlanta for not just his musical genius but his generosity of heart, for helping me out.

The song recording was just as I mentioned in the beginning. I went to visit Shujaat Khan at Kamal's house and was taken to this state of the art recording studio which belongs to Kamal and placed in front of the mike and asked to repeat the lines after the maestro himself. I was hearing both the lyrics and the music for the first time. Both Kamal and Sandeep were an epitome of patience, as they walked me through the paces, when I was singing and not grumbling and fighting with Shujaat for making me do this. Sandeep was very sick that evening when we wrapped up the final recording in his state of the art studio. He was coughing and feverish all throughout but would not let me off the hook until he felt he liked what he heard.

This album is a global effort. Co-produced by an Indian and a Pakistani, set to music by and sung by Indians, created and crafted in The Bay area, Atlanta, Canada and India. The producers have been kind enough to agree that parts of the proceeds of the album sold by Kavita Media, my company will be given to a charity of my choice, which in this case is the one run by Saraswati Jain who was featured here recently.

Since its release in the later part of November, the album has become a huge attraction for both South Asians and other ethnic communities. Every one is mesmerized by the sweetness of the sound of Shujaat Khan's sitar. A top notch Korean community leader says she doesn't know what attracts her to this album but her day begins with it. A bunch of Gujaratis who bought the CD tell Kamal the same thing - they begin the day with this album.

And my song? I was very nervous when I sang it, but now when I hear it, it resonates with beauty-resplendent with Shujaat's genius as a musician, the beautiful lyrics that I had the honor of singing with him. The entire album has become a gift of love, laughter and hope that this journey undertaken by the maestro's music as I walked a little of the path with him, transcends the barriers India and Pakistan have put between themselves.

CLICK TO LISTEN TO A SAMPLE OF "Kaho Tum Ko Sajdo Ka", the track Kavita sings with Shujaat Khan

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE SHUJAAT KHANS RAASTEY

The latest comments from people who have purchased "Raastey":

Dear Kavita;

Just a mention of importance to me. I am having the pleasure of hearing you sing on the CD! I wanted you to know; I absolutely became enveloped, and transported to a place and time of internal peace I'd never been before; when I'd heard you singing, with the stunning sitar performance on the CD on your website!
Just hearing the mini-clip made me want to hear more, more, more! Please give my humble praises also; to your Sitar Master, and co-singing angelic voice on the CD!
Superb is the word...

Donna Sonnenburg

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Kavita

Thanks for making this cd available- I love it!! I have listened to the entire cd 3 times today already- in the car and at home. It is so relaxing that it put me in a meditative space. I can't wait to pass this on to my friends.

Sreeratna Kancherla, Attorney
Atlanta

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Kavita,

I am a senior software developer working for a software firm (Classic Informatics Pvt. Ltd.) in Panchkula (Haryana, India), a satellite town of Chandigarh.

My profession demands that, I slog daily min. 9-10 hours before the computer. Generally when I return home I am totally exhausted, but one day when I heard the song sung by you with sitar maestro Shujaat Khan, it had such a soothing effect on my frayed nerves. The sweetness of the song not only refreshed me with new energy but also drained all my fatigue. Thank you so much for such a priceless gift.

Ispita Saha
India

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“I am no music aficionado. Sometimes I try to listen to a ghazal or quawaali but get frustrated when I fail to comprehend meaning of some of the Urdu words in the lyrics. So I was unsure what lay in store for me when I got the “Raastey” CD. My fears were unjustified. As I began listening to the CD in complete solitude at night, I was captivated by the steady beat of drums and plaintive tunes of sitar and haunting lyrical poetry full of longing and pathos sung by virtuoso Ustad Shujaat Hussain Khan in his inimitable caressing voice. The rendition of six choicest poems from a five hundred year old collection of poems was a real treat for me-what is more- I had no problem in understanding the lyrics-As I listened I got hypnotized and was transported to another galaxy ! I didn’t want it to end !Ms. Nitu Kohli and Kavita Chhibber too sang beautifully in “Bheegi Hui Raaton Mein” and “Kaho Tum ko Sajdo Ka” poems. It was good to see Kavita display her latent talent as a singer! Nitu’s mellifluous voice reminds one of Chitra Singh. This CD is a fruit of Indo-Pak cooperative gesture, where Pakistani lyrics are set to music by an accomplished sitar maestro. All involved in producing this outstanding CD deserve congratulations. I unhesitatingly recommend this CD. You will not only enjoy listening to it but will also be contributing part of the proceeds to Saraswati Jain’s deserving Charity project.”

Mahadev Desai
Journalist

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Hi Kavita,

I wanted to let you know that I was pleasantly surprised to hear that you had sung with Shujaat Khan, and enjoyed the CD thoroughly.... when I heard it......you sound great !! It was nice to hear you sing on a Cd with the talented maestro finally !!

Seema Seth
Atlanta

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Just by listening to the cd sampler I can't wait to buy it. The sampler shows this is a beautiful, intoxicating musical experience. I have already the 3 GHAZAL recordings with Ustad Shujaat Hussain Khan and Kayhan Kalhor. When Khan Sahib sings he not only sings the lyrics but lives and transmits the meaning of the words with intense emotion and pathos passing this emotion and passion to his sitar playing technique. Then the added sweetness of Kavita Chhibber's voice follows so beautifully, that the rendition of the ghazal becomes an experience that immerses in the senses. To give an example, using the sense of smell, I compare the sampler to the corner of a perfumed garden in which Ustadji's voice is like musk and cedar and Ms. Chhibber's voice I can compare to chameli or roses. I do not understand Urdu too well but the music says it all. Even my mother who does not understand too much of this type of music listened a little bit through the phone, from Puerto Rico and she liked it so much, specially Kavita's voice, that I intend to buy a copy for me and a copy for her. Even a coworker of mine found it so beautiful that she might get into buying one for herself too. Besides the donation towards the charity of Mrs. Saraswati Jain makes buying this cd an act of humanity and compassion. In the rush of daily life this recording is like a balm of peace and beauty to heal our spirits and make us meditate on the blessings we have and the beauty and wonder of life. I highly recommend it.

Dario Irizarry
Alabama

TO PURCHASE SHUJAAT KHAN'S "RAASTEY":

Each CD is $20.00 plus $3.00 for shipping and handling.
If you order five or more CDs, shipping and handling is free.

Please note that Kavita is donating proceeds from the sale of this CD to Saraswati Jain's Mahatma Gandhi Kusht Ashram (a sanctuary for those afflicted with leprosy).

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