Kozhikode has always flaunted its love for music, especially the Hindustani genre.
Maestros including Mehdi Hassan (Ghazal), Zakir Hussain (Tabala), and Amjad Ali Khan (Sarod) have performed here and had won applause from the audience.
However, the roaring success of the Hindustani vocal concert by Ustad Rashid Khan and the Qawwali performance by Munawar Masoom that was held as part of the ‘Idea Jalsa, Music for the soul,’ programme at the Tagore Centenary Hall here on Saturday was once again entrenching a point — the city not only has ears for popular Hindustani music but for the classical version of it as well.
The incredible crowd that poured to the Tagore Centenary Hall, half of which couldn’t even enter the hall for want of space and had to watch the event on a video wall outside, the instantaneous clap whenever the maestros worked an enticing sequence and the standing ovation at the end, all pointed to one thing — the steady evolution of the city audience into connoisseurs.
The “class” and the inspiring way audience responded to the concert, according to Santhosh Gopinath of the Indian Music Foundation, was clear indication of a “maturing process” of the city’s audience.
Love beyond Ghazals
“It was reiterating that the city’s love for Hindustani music was not confined to Ghazal alone, but for classical vocals and Soofi Kalam s of Qawwali music as well,” he said.
The professional conduct and right publicity by the organisers, who deftly used social media, newspapers, and other forms of publicity for spreading news has also contributed to the event’s success.
The entire production team had landed in the city four days ahead of the event. “They planned everything and executed it meticulously,” said Rauf Kunhu, a PR personnel for the event.
Distributing free passes through select outlets and hangouts after giving prompt publicity also worked well, he said.
Around 3,000 passes were distributed through different points while the hall capacity was only just above 1,000. “Various music schools and foundations, promoting and conducting classes in Hindustani classical music here had also played their role in ensuring success of the event,” said Mr. Kunhu.
For E. Rajesh, a music lover and organiser of several concerts, the success of the event was no wonder.
No wonder Durga Jasraj, one of the key organisers and director of the hosting company ‘Art and Artists’ said at the end of the show that her team regretted not coming to Kozhikode.
