Over the years, ghazal lovers have associated the annual Khazana festival with the Trident hotel at Nariman Point. The sprawling and luxurious Regal Room would host performances till well past midnight, as the bar and dinner counter catered to the visitors. The event had its own charm, and according to singer Pankaj Udhas who has driven it since its launch in 2002, fans would even travel from abroad.
This year, however, one will see a change in venue. Because of renovation work at the five-star hotel, the festival will be held at the Nehru Centre, Worli, on September 8 and 9. The ambience will obviously be different and there will be a cut-off time, but the cause and basic format remain the same. Like in the past, the show is being held to provide assistance to cancer and thalassaemia patients through the Cancer Patients Aid Association (CPAA) and Parents Association Thalassaemic Unit Trust (Patut).
Once again, there will be a good blend of senior artistes and the younger generation. The opening day will feature Udhas, Richa Sharma, Sudeep Banerji, Prithvi Gandharv and Hargun Kaur. Day 2 comprises Anup Jalota, Papon, Jazim Sharma and Himani Kapoor. The two winners of the Hungama Artist Aloud Talent Hunt are also scheduled. This year’s festival is dedicated to ghazal maestro, playback singer and guitarist Bhupinder Singh, who passed away on July 18 last year.
Numerous memories are associated with Khazana. Started 22 years ago after a conversation between Udhas, Jalota and Talat Aziz about reviving an earlier festival organised by Music India (now Universal Music), it has had a special place in Mumbai’s ghazal calendar. While Udhas took charge of the proceedings, senior artistes like Rajendra and Nina Mehta, Hariharan, Bhupinder-Mitali, Chandan Das, Penaz Masani, Suresh Wadkar, Roopkumar-Sonali Rathod, Ghansham Vaswani, Ashok Khosla. Rekha Bhardwaj and Ahmed Hussain-Mohammed Hussain have also performed regularly.
Khazana was held at the Trident till 2019, but had to be shifted online for two years because of the pandemic. Last year, it returned to the premium hotel, paying tribute to Lata Mangeshkar, who passed away on February 6, 2022. There was also a set where Runaa Rizvii Shivamani paid homage to her father, the late Rajkumar Rizvi. Another highlight was the appearance of filmmaker and composer Vishal Bhardwaj as a singer.
Some songs have been compulsory. While Udhas has always sung Chitthi Aayee Hai and Aur Ahista Keejiye Baatein, Jalota is known for the devotional Aisi Laagi Lagan. Talat Aziz has rendered Kaise Sukoon Paaoon and Zindagi Jab Bhi Teri Bazm Mein, and Hariharan sang Kaash Aisa Koi Manzar Hota. Rajendra-Nina Mehta had Taj Mahal Mein Aa Jaana. This is besides popular songs like Ranjish Hi Sahi, Chupke Chupke, Mere Humnafas Mere Humnawa and Aaj Jaane Ji Zid Na Karo, sung by various singers, besides dedications to various poets from Ghalib and Mir Taqi Mir to Bashir Badr and Nida Fazli.
Khazana has been one of the events that has catered to ghazal followers in the new millennium. Besides many one-off shows, there is the Ghazal Bahaar festival initiated by Ashok Khosla. Many people, specially old-timers, feel that after peaking in the 1980s, the craze for the genre naturally died down, despite the continuing popularity of the legendary Jagjit Singh and Udhas, who attracted full houses everywhere.
Yet, ghazals have always had a small but dedicated following. Here too, one would find different types of listeners. One would have a deep understanding of Urdu poetry and prefer Begum Akhtar, Mehdi Hassan and Ghulam Ali. The other would like simple songs about romance, sadness or nature, enjoying the genre more for the melody than for the meaning. There’s still another lot which considers ghazals as perfect company over a drink.
One notable thing is the number of youngsters who are adept at ghazals. The list is pretty long and mentioning only some names would be unfair to the others. What they need is the right backing, recording opportunities and more venues. Clearly, there is a ‘khazana’ out there, waiting to make waves.
