Page 56 - English Tehelka Issue 7 - April 15, 2018

column
Culturati
ArshiyA sethi
Dr. Arshiya Sethi writes
on cultural issues.
After a rich career of
working on tangible
and intangible aspects
of the ecosphere of the
arts, she runs the Kri
Foundation that
promotes arts,
activism in the social
and development
sector, especially via
‘artivism’, and the
generation of knowl-
edge on intersecting
issues.
56-58 Column-Arshiya Sethi.indd 2-3
music
And Heer Sings for Him: A their defining black, red
and green Naga shawls,
Tribute to Pyarelal Wadali they didn’t really like
recordings. Why not?
“Because bade Bhaiya
(elder brother),” claimed
Hailing from humble backgrounds and always sticking to their the younger brother, af-
roots, the Wadali brothers were perhaps the last among the fectionately called Pyare
(Beloved), “thought that
musicians who focussed only on their singing prowess if we made recordings
people would not invite
t a time when Sufi music village that has been blessed by the stay us for concerts”. Yet
is experiencing unprec- there of the fifth Sikh Guru, Guru Arjan their discography, even
edented popularity in Dev, himself the architect of Gurmat though mostly based
the world, tragedy has Sangeet and an exceptional practitioner on their concerts, is
struck the first family of of music, as well as the birth place of impressive. It includes
A Sufi music in India. Yes, the sixth Sikh Guru, Guru Hargobind ji, ‘Aa Mil Yaar’, ‘Paigham-E-
the younger of the two Wadali broth- the brothers were the fifth generation Ishq’, ‘Ishq Musafir’, ‘Folk
ers, Pyarelal Wadali, is no more. He of musicians dedicated to singing the Music of Punjab’, ‘Yaad
passed away in a hospital in Amritsar, poetry of Sufi and Bhakti saints. They Piya Ki’ and ‘The Best of
on March 9 this year, after a cardiac were adept at all kinds of singing for Wadali Brothers’. Actually
arrest. Seventy five-years-old at the having practiced intensely and without it was only after enter-
time of his passing, Pyarelal was one distraction from films, radio, books and ing the new millennium
of the two significant voices fused into even school, since both brothers were that they made their
the harmonised sound that we know as unschooled, but were rich in musical first recordings and also
the Wadali Brothers — legends in their knowledge. They excelled in almost all Bhatia of All India Radio, Jalandhar, Puranchand, was a treasure trove sang their first film songs. In fact,
lifetime. Eight years younger than his genres, from Sufi qalaam, qawwali and heard them and recorded their first of traditional poetry and a bundle of their first song was ‘Darda Marya’ in
brother Puranchand, Pyarelal entered kaafi, to bhajans, shabads and ghazals. song. jokes that reflected his earthy sense 2003, for Gulzar in the film Pin-
music in a far more focused manner. They received their initial training It was rather apprehensively that of humour. But always the first to jar. Subsequently, they sang such
Puranchand spent as many as twenty from their father, Thakur Das, and then they sang during their radio debut catch on to his humour was none unforgettable songs like ‘Rangrez
five years in the ‘akharas’, preparing to the elder of the two Wadali brothers, Pu- at the All India Radio, for here they other than his usually more serious Mere’ from the 2011 Kangana Ranaut
be a ‘pehalwan’ and do ‘kushti’. ranchand, learnt classical music under sang for the first time to a micro- younger brother, Pyarelal. hit film Tanu Weds Manu and ‘Ik tu hi
If the elder brother would be at Pandit Durga Das of Amritsar, Ustads phone and no audience; they feared Though they were happiest tu’ from the Sonam Kapoor, Shahid
the akharas, young Pyarelal would be Ashiq Ali Khan, and Machchan Khan as that the mic would “take away” singing for live audiences, draped in Kapur 2011 starrer Mausam.
playing the role of young Krishna in well as from the Patiala gharana titan their voice. It was only later that Despite the fact that they are a
the temple Raasleela, that earned him Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan. Puran- they realised that the microphone household name, wherever Sufi
some money in the form of donations chand learnt the hard way with beatings added to their voice. Yet they were Even after they music is loved around the world
from the general public. It is said that and service to his Gurus. In contrast, delighted when many years later, they have kept themselves cut off
the Raasleela performance, that would Pyarelal learnt in a more loving and they got an opportunity to sing at were famous, for from the cut-throat commercial
attract a large audience from as many as nurturing environment from his elder Fatehpur Sikri where once Emperor several years the circuit and consciously close to
ten villages, assured the family a steady brother, whom he virtually worshipped. Akbar would hear Tansen sing. their roots. For several years they
income. But the transformation from For years they performed in their Those were times when there was Wadali brothers did not own a car preferring to
dancer to singer was midwifed by a Sufi village without microphones, show- no artificial amplification. There didn’t own a car cycle to where they were invited.
saint, Baba Mastan Shah, who advised ing the power of their strong voices. they sang Akbar’s favourite Raag They believed that it kept them
him to remove his ghunghroos and go in The very first musical performance for Darbari without microphones but and preferred to in touch with their friends and
for singing Sufiana kalaam. The spiritual which they went outside their village with perfect coordination, picking cycle to where neighbours, for whom they would
connection remained intact as he now was at the Harballabh Temple in Jal- up each other’s ‘taans’ seamlessly, to shout out a greeting, or hop off
started singing in the famous temples of landhar in 1975. The brothers were keen complete them and to show to the they were invited. to exchange a warm hug or a few
Amritsar area including the Durgiana to perform at the Harballabh Sangeet world how they may be two-bodied words with. There is a story that
temple, and even local jagratas — all Sammelan but was not allowed to sing but were one in music. They believed that cricketer Shikhar Dhawan, a Sufi
night singing sessions in the honour of because of their rustic appearance and The Wadali brothers are inter- it kept them in music junkie, likes to tell about how
Gods and Goddesses. clothing. Disappointed at being rejected, twined in their music and their he chanced upon Pyarelal Wadali
Born and brought up in their ances- they decided to use the opportunity laughs. Pyarelal Wadali was the qui- touch with their at an airport. Being a fan, Shikhar
tral home in the sacred village of Guru and travel to make a musical offering at eter of the two, especially since the roots went up to him and introduced
ki Wadali near Amritsar, known to be a the Harballabh temple, where an M.N. more loquacious one, elder brother himself. Pyarelal apparently had no
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