KOZHIKODE: Come July 18, Tirur will soak in the ghazal shower on the 90th birthday of Mehdi Hassan, known as the Shahanshah-e-Ghazal (King of Ghazal).
“There will be a brief memorial lecture on Mehdi Hassan followed by the ghazal night in which primarily his numbers would be sung,” said Tirur revenue divisional officer Subhash T.V., one of its organisers. Kolkata-based Rakhi Chatterjee will be the main singer, and a few from Kerala would join the team. “Ghazals of legends including Jagjit Singh, Talat Aziz, Begum Akhtar, Farida Khanum and Ghulam Ali will be sung to make the commemorative programme ever memorable,” he said.
Besides ghazal, dadra and thumri genres of music should be sung. Apart from Malappuram district, the organisers are expecting music lovers from Kozhikode and Thalassery. One of the greatest and most influential figures in the history of ghazal singing, Mehdi Hassan Khan (18 July 1927 – 13 June 2012) was a Pakistani ghazal singer and playback singer. Known for his haunting baritone voice, Mehdi Hassan was credited with bringing ghazal singing to a worldwide audience. Born to a musical family in Rajasthan in undivided India, he influenced generations of singers from diverse genres. “Ranjish Hi Sahi Dil Hi Dukhaane Ke Liye Aa..”, “Ab Ke Hum Bichde To Shaayad Kabhi Khwaabon Mein Milein”, “Mohabat Karne Waale” are some of his popular numbers.
