Celebrating the legacy of Begum Akhtar

The show Haaye Akhtari by musical group Malhaar will be staged this weekend.

The UAE is all set to experience the life one of India's most celebrated classical music divas, Akhtari Bai Faizabadi also known as Begum Akhtar, in the show Haaye Akhtari. Considered amongst the last of India's great tawaifi (courtesan) singers, Akhtari Bai's life was engulfed in social prejudices and solitude, which echoed through her melancholic voice and poignant compositions. To celebrate her life and music in her centenary birth year, Malhaar, a non-profit musical group based in the UAE, will present Haaye Akhtari on Friday, September 18 and Saturday, September 19, at Madinat Jumeirah Theatre.
The Broadway-styled musical will trace the legend's personal and professional journey from Bibi Sayyed to Akhtari Bai Faizabadi to Begum Akhtar. The story of her life is laced generously with soulful renditions of Ghazals, Thumris and Dadras that have become synonymous with her name. Rich and elaborate costumes, luscious Urdu and spectacular visual effects will transport the audience to Lucknow's nawaabi era. The show will also focus on how the legend came into her own in an era where professional female singers fought for an identity. Around 50+ UAE-based trained artists (music, dance, theatre, painting and visual effects design), have come together for this unique musical production. We had a chat with Malhaar's director Jogiraj Sikidar about Begum Akhtar's musical legacy and more.
How do you plan to celebrate Begum Akhtar's musical legacy?
Haaye Akhtari will showcase the vast treasury of music that the legend left behind. Ghazals, Thumris and Dadras, which were made immortal by the Begum herself, will be performed by the Malhaar choir in choral form, probably for the first time ever. It is a matter of pride that the genre of Begum Akhtar's musical legacy is Malhaar's forte, since we are an Indian classical choir and have used her music even during our previous productions. But having said that, the biggest challenge before the team was the presentation of this vast treasure of music in a contemporary style without losing its essence and originality. Many of Begum Akhtar's compositions have been adapted in choir form, which is essentially Malhaar's signature style. However, the solo compositions of the show are true to their original form.
Tell us more about Malhaar and the kind of projects that you do.
The philosophy behind Malhaar is to showcase history - the rich cultural history of India - music, dance, art and theatre. Ever since its inception as the UAE's first Indian choral group in 2009, Malhaar has kept this goal in mind while nurturing local talent and putting up stunning musicals on the country's finest platforms. Musicals put up include Rooh-e-Ishq: Unravelling the mystical world of Sufism (2010), a tribute to four Sufi saints across India, Pakistan and Iran, and Jashn-e-Awadh: A magical journey to the land of Nawabs (2011), which received critical acclaim for reviving the gems of Lucknow Gharana on stage.
In our upcoming musical Haaye Akhtari, Malhaar will revisit Lucknow in the golden era of Ghazals and create magic on stage.
How curious/interested are UAE based people for classical music?
It is unfair to underestimate the UAE audience and its needs and wants. All of Malhaar's productions till date, which are all about Indian classical music, have run to full houses. In fact, we had to disappoint about 200 people at one of our shows as the tickets were fully sold out within 24 hours and we could not accommodate so many people who had come to the venue in the hope of tickets. The UAE audience wants quality and Malhaar has delivered professionally produced shows from day one. Hence, we have a dedicated audience that is always up for more of such shows. We also work towards adapting the music and presenting it in a contemporary fashion along with theater and classical dance, without taking away the essence of classical art.
Tell us more about Haaye Akhtari.
Haaye Akhtari is Malhaar's tribute to Malika-e-Ghazal Begum Akhtar, in her birth centenary year. Lovers of Begum's music don't necessarily need anniversaries to celebrate her. However, her centenary birth year gives us a good excuse to look at glimpses of Akhtari's life, her music and events that mark her centenary celebration across India and the world. As we follow our own and very distinctive style of storytelling, we adapted a few of her songs that we thought would match the rhythm of dance moves of Kathak. Kathak is a natural fit with Thumris, Dadras, Ghazals and Nazms. Since Begum Sahiba was from Lucknow, we tried to adapt the essence of Lucknow Gharana by using Tarana, Sargams, etc. Malhaar will set the stage alight with rich and elaborate costumes and spectacular visual effects.
This is a like a Broadway production, so are the artists coming in from India?
No. That's the USP of Malhaar. All the artists are based in the UAE. We only invite musicians from India, if they are not available locally. For example, a sarangi maestro will be joining us for Haaye Akhtari, and we all know that there are barely two or three such musicians in India who play this instrument that is slowly dying. In fact, what sets the members of Malhaar apart from other professional groups is that all the members hold full-time jobs and perform purely out of passion for their craft. However, all Malhaar members are formally trained musicians, dancers and theatrepersons. We all take our art very seriously.
arti@khaleejtimes.com