Performing for the first time in a restaurant, Ustad Rehmat Khan langa was anxious about how it would work out. Jigyasu Joshi reports
Once while performing at the National Bal Bhawan, Ustad Rehmat Khan langa started singing a Rajasthani song, written and composed by him. little did he know that it would become part of a national campaign. So moved was Prime Minister Narendra Modi by the song, Haanji Re, Banni Tu, that it is now a part of the Beti Padhao, Beti Bachao campaign.
From performing at live music concerts, like Alchemy Festival in london, and teaming up with Anoushka Shankar and Norah Jones in Germany, Rehmat Khan langa and group have done it all, blending their folk rhythms with various sounds. However, this weekend the group, for the first time, performed in a restaurant setting at Depot 29 and let their soul do the talking. The hip crowd hardly bothered them. “It is very different from how we perform in our villages. There, we have open spaces and, therefore, microphones are not required. Here, we have closed spaces so we have to control our pitch while singing”, says Rehmat.
Much felicitated all over India as well as abroad for his intuitive and soulful singing, he came to Delhi in 1973 and settled here. “I also teach music to children as I feel that the music I have learned from my teachers should be shared with the young generation”, says he. Now performing with his son, Rehmat adds, “I want them to keep playing and singing and also spread the knowledge I have given them to others.”
“I have been playingkhartal for as long as I remember. People love listening to its primal beats and I love playing for them.” Khartal is one of the oldest folk percussion instruments. Comprising two wooden blocks, when clapped together, it produces an array of colourful tones. Performing since the age of 10, son Rafiq recalls his first performance in Karachi, Pakistan. “I was afraid throughout. I was scared while playing the familiar khartal too. But once the performance was over, people started clapping and we even got a standing ovation. I was relieved and happy”, he shared.
Rafiq was anxious about their debut at an urban restaurant. “We have always performed in front of connoisseurs. Performing in front of a mixed crowd, who were also eating their meals, was difficult. In the end, it worked well”, he told us.
Ustad Khan said he was planning to retire now. “I have touched 60 and have sung for a long time. I think it is time for me to retire and let the younger generation take the stage. Sabko mauka milna chahiye bhai (Everybody should get an opportunity),” he laughed.