इक बार चले आओ !

फिर आके चले जाना इक बार चले आओ,
सूरत तो दिखा जाओ, इक बार चले आओ |

तुमको मेरे गीतों का संगीत बुलाता है,
कुछ गीत मेरे सुन लो कुछ अपने सुना जाओ |

जो तुम बुलाएं फिर तुम शौक से मत आना,
किस बात पे रूठे हो इतना तो बता जाओ |

क्या दिल के तड़पने का एहसास नहीं तुमको,
अब जान पे बन आई लिल्लाह चले आओ...

If at all Ghazal gayaki had a voice.. it was this voice !
If at all music seemed straight to be transcended from heavens above.. it was because of this voice ! If at all honestly in singing existed.. it was in this voice ! But, today this honest singing voice has risen through all shackles of life to reach the zenith.. the heavens above !

No words can suffice to the feeling that exudes from one'e heart when MEHDI HASSAN in his charismatic voice hits the first sur. His voice in itself is so complete and all-encompassing that no instrument, no co-singer, no able help was ever required. (No wonder he probably holds the record for singing the most solos in Pakistani / Punjabi films amongst male singers.. 492 solos out of 626 released film songs). His voice, as Latadi had once said was indeed the 'Voice of God'.. and God is indeed omnipresent and self-sufficient. So much has Mehdi sa'ab given to us, his music lovers through his music that each emotion of our life has his voice etched in it and thereby attached to us deeply. Ghazals reached and received the true blue royal status courtesy this 'Shahenshah-e-ghazal'.

Though being a part of a rich legacy of music, this music wizard had his share of struggles through his life (was a car mechanic in the very early stages of his life).. but only the strong paves its way through turmoil and Mehdi sa'ab rose like a phoenix to take the world not just by storm, but also by his charm. Not just a tremendous singer, but the master composer that he was, this maestro made every piece of art that he laid his hands on, a masterpiece !

If his singing was clear and precise, his compositions were technically correct and apt.. if his singing was balanced yet variegated, his compositions were structured yet free-flowing. Be it his film songs, his ghazals, his Punjabi songs, his Thumri's.. Mehdi Hasan stomped his mark with panache in every field of work. His uncompromising correct pronunciation of words, his unfathomable ability of expressing every word, his ability to make melody out of a ghazal, his adding life to his craft.. he indeed was an institution of music, a landmark in art.

But today everything seems to have come to a standstill.. by every passing word that I write, the screen seems to become more and more blurred and hazy.. Some human beings are created just to make other mere mortals believe in immortality.. Mehdi Hasan is one such gem.. immortal, impeccable, imbibed in every breath of every musical soul.

How do you pay tribute to someone who has given you so much ? Amongst all his songs, what is constantly ringing in my head is this last song of his which he recorded in Pakistan in 2009 and which crossed the boundaries in 2010, to reach the hands of Maa Saraswati herself. This confluence of two oceans reigns in my heart.. today and forever..

To the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz,


ये तेरा लम्स है कीज़िन्दगी है
तुझे छू लूँ तो दिल जिंदा लगे है..