The local music scene is dominated by a series of sounds, most of which could be categorized as noise. Despite tall claims of progression, reality is, that the industry is in a struggling phase. Over the years the emphasis is shifted more towards commercial success with the musicians becoming less quality conscious in the process. That's why a lot of what's being churned out today is sub standard music. This holds true for the pop industry; however, the situation is not so different for classical music either. Only a handful of people are delving into this rather specialized field, as it requires years of practice.

One such vocalist who has managed to establish an aura of distinction about the art of Ghazal rendition is Salman Alvi. He has been traversing this path for the past fifteen years and still claims to be a novice. He was three years old when he gave his first performance on the radio. As an adolescent, he even had his own band called ‘Raindrops’ in the seventies. So what made him take up Ghazals is what you need to read on to find out.

Having a passion for something is one thing. And a family that is supportive of your pursuits is a different matter altogether. Salman Alvi was lucky on both accounts. Ever since his childhood, his parents never discouraged him; in fact his father Aminuddin Alvi was a driving force in his life. "He used to take me for my recordings to the broadcasting house and television station and never complained. He always told me to take pride in whatever I decide to do in life. My mother is still an avid supporter."

His earliest recollection of his formative years is playing a harmonica in front of the mike on radio. He used to be a regular visitor there in the sixties. With the arrival of television, his focus was shifted towards this novel medium of expression. In those days, he even acted in children plays besides taking part in music shows. "Back then, there used to be me, Behroze and Rufi. Behroze is still around while Rufi later went into films," reminisces Salman. On radio, he used to be a part of the show 'Naunehal' which was directed by Abdul Majid. "Those were the days of Munni Baji, Qazi Wajid's ‘Qaziji ka qaida’ and Ahmed Rushdi’s popular track ‘Bandar road say Keamari’. The television center just had a single studio, the recordings were held in a tent. We even had a make shift canteen."

His career in music was temporarily halted after he joined IBA. In those days, an association with this institute meant no rime for other pursuits in life. But Salman along with his classmates proved this notion wrong. Together they organized many events just to establish that what's actually required is a balance between the activities.

After graduating in 1978, his concentration was focused on establishing himself as a marketer. After gaining valuable experience by working with various companies, he finally decided to start his own business. Genesis Direct is the firm that he runs now, which provides marketing services to various multinationals. Music remained a predominant part of his life with a strong inclination towards the western style. However, meeting Ustad Chand Mohammed Amrohavi proved to be a turning point for him. Not only did he enlighten Salman about the eastern genre of music but gave him a feel of the classical. "He instilled a sense of inquiry in me about the basic raags, thaats etc. I felt that so far I had been merely grappling in the dark. It was as if I discovered a whole new world through him. I found that every raag possessed a different mood.

Some had pathos, jab kay koi mausam ka raag hai. Like, the raag 'Maig Malhaar, if played on a rainy day will sound more appealing than others as it corresponds to the weather. That is its beauty. That’s why if a sad ghazal is composed in a lighter raag, it will sound out of place." His music library today comprises of countless books, records and albums that helped him gain valuable exposure of the chosen field. Having ventured into the eastern style of music, he still ardently listens to the western numbers and finds them equally enjoyable. When asked about the increasing influence of pop music in our lives, and whether ghazal is threatened by it, Salman is quick to refute. "I equate ghazal with a classic so there's no question of a comparison. Ghazal is immortal and will remain forever. Just because pop music is more appealing for a majority of people doesn't mean it can limit the following that ghazal has.

It’s just like only a few people have read Shakespeare but that doesn’t mean his pieces will disappear from libraries. Nothing withers away because of something else. Like Beethoven, Opera and Symphony is listened to by a handful of people, but even then it’s there. Ghazals will always have an exclusive following.

But the role of media seems biased when it comes to promoting eastern music which tends to receive a minimal coverage on the airwaves. "This is because of commercialism. The target market that a sponsor aims at is the teenager because all they want is to make a profit. They feel that there's nothing common between the teenage crowd and ghazal. I don't agree with this as I have noticed that youth nowadays are getting more and more interested in ghazals."

In Salman’s opinion, the admirers of ghazal and Urdu literature are steadily growing. At the academic level, emphasis is on the English language so kids grow up with little or no sense of their mother tongue. And when the foundation is not strong kids are unable to appreciate this ancient form of music. He reminisces that in his times, teachers used to work on developing the handwriting and strokes in students, something that is no longer a priority. "But the fact remains that Urdu literature has a lot of appeal for those who are able to comprehend it"

In the pop scene, the local sound scape is dominated by new entrants who with out?of?sync voices opt for a breakthrough, thereby punishing the auditory senses of the viewers, but there’s hardly a new face experimenting with ghazal. "It's because one hit track brings forth fame and glamour with you being branded as the newest sensation. With ghazal, you have to give a consistent performance over a period of time to accomplish something. For instance, my first album was released some fifteen years ago, and is still available. In case of a pop album, the market shows an immediate surge and then it hits a low. Soon someone replaces it with someone else’s work or the singer brings forth his new work. A mega-hit album is a forgotten story after four months at the most. Pop musicians use many instruments that camouflage the flaws of their voice while you don't have this liberty with ghazal.

"One reason why the youth today is not showing interest in this field is its complexity. Binding themselves with a limitation of time and space renders them unable to succeed as there are no short cuts when it comes to singing ghazals."

Salman does most of the compositions himself but on occasions, seeks a musician’s services as well. "I do so because not every ghazal is fit for singing. Every word has its melody. I am careful to select only that poetry which can be understood by the audience easily. The message should get across easily and instantly. So, by the time that I move on to the second verse, they are with me and don’t sit there pondering on its meaning."

India is a dominant source from where ghazal originates having an abundance of enthusiasts of the Urdu language. But because of an increasing influence of Bollywood, its quality has been gradually following a downward trend. Salman opines. "No doubt, Indians are technologically superior and more knowledgeable because music is part of their culture, their religion. People, especially youngsters seek professional training in music, something that is unheard of in our land. But even then I feel that the understanding of ghazal here is more. In terms of the standard of poetry, we definitely have an edge too. You see, every genre of music has a traditional style, in which, over a period of time innovations are undertaken. If a ghazal is sung in the style of a geet, no doubt, it will sell more but it won't necessarily mean that quality wise too it has been improved, in fact, the case may be just the opposite.

"India has produced some great names in ghazal singing but they don't have a single person of the caliber of Mehdi Hassan, Iqbal Bano, Farida Khanum or Ghulam Ali, Talat Mahmood is the only name that I can think of. Jagjit is there, and he has a superb tone quality, I admit. What he has done is made the ghazal modem thereby making it appealing for the masses. The ghazal singers of our land can be termed as institutions on their own. Despite so many years, they have stuck to the original style of ghazal singing."

For a person who possesses a lot of dedication and is well informed, it's strange to notice Salman's s appearances on television are few and far between. The reason he cites is his hectic business schedule. "That's why I only perform on weekends, as that's the only time I am available." He goes on to add that media's role in this aspect hasn't been constructive at all. He observes that the print medium goes out of the way to cover concerts because of the appeal and glamour involved. Nothing wrong with that but sidelining one thing at the cost of the other is what irritates him. "Ghazal mehfils of credible singers must be given coverage if awareness of any sort is to be created among the masses."

Salman also points out that the role of the electronic medium in promoting ghazal hasn't been all that positive. There are only a handful of ghazal shows aired on television and that too in the wee hours of midnight. "Why can’t they be shown in the primetime slot? And why must they be presented in a boring manner?"

'Suroon Ka Rung’ was a show that Salman did sometime back which required him to discover the various raags that were used in popular songs. He took part in it with a belief that it would help promote ghazal in Pakistan. For the show, he had to find out the classical basis of the songs and inform the viewers about it. 'Ghazal Rung’ featured videos of ghazals, which was an innovation and was rated as one of the popular shows being aired at that time. "So it's not that ghazal doesn't have an audience because it does, it's just that we need sincere people to patronize it."

Recently, Salman Alvi undertook a rather interesting project that hadn't been done before. He restaged the glorious era of Pakistan's music by inviting the same musicians who were a part of the original song. This required him putting together a twenty?piece orchestra comprising of instruments like guitars, violins, flutes, rhythm sets, etc. Keyboard was the only electronic instrument used.

Speaking about this experiment, Salman comments, "We had a special set designed for this occasion. We faced a lot of difficulty, as there was no sound system big enough for this sort of an arrangement. The show began at ten and continued till three in the morning and nobody left the venue. Everybody was just mesmerized; they felt as if a spell had been cast. I had the show recorded but so far have been unable to get it sponsored. I am sure that had it been a concert, I wouldn’t have faced any difficulty in getting a sponsorship."

Having made a name for himself in countries like the USA, UAE, France and Germany, Salman feels that the ex?pats appreciate Urdu more, as being away, they long and cherish for anything from back home. He wants the government and the private sector to collaborate in the propagation of classical music and is willing to volunteer his services in this regard. And doing music for films is not off?limits for Salman because after all, that too is a medium of expression. However, the peculiar trend of films being made now leave no room for the kind of music that he indulges in.

Sajjad Ali is Salman’s pick from our pop industry, which he declares to be the only singer who has learnt classical music. "He can sing both western and eastern songs with equal ease. Of late, I don’t blame him for delving into commercial music as it is here that fame, money and glamour is." Salman is of the opinion that majority of the vocalists associated with the pop industry today would not be able to sing ghazal properly.