Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan: A Eulogy
Satya Prabhakar
Few artists are blessed with the gift to inspire a change
in the mood of these who honor them with their attention.
Fewer still can inspire a wide variety of moods, drawing
from their vast repertoire of skills and their free spirit.
Fewer still can do so without premeditation as they erase
the line the performer and the performance. On the
shoulders of such does civilization rest and progress.
Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan of Pakistan is one such rare gem.
There were many times when Nusrat saab has transported me to
a state of rapture, to a state of melancholy, to a state of
ecstasy and to a state of romantic passion. Unable to say
much after such an experience, I just used to say loudly,
"Tu gao Nusrat mian, tu gate hi raho."
What distinguishes Sufi Quawwali performers in general and
Nusrat saab in particular is that, when performing, they
enter into a Zen-like trance that transcends opposites and
touches that elusive soul. Such "quality" can only come from
deep spiritual (not the same as "religious", mind you)
understanding of that thing we call "god" or "ultimate
reality."
I can only quote Shakespeare in saying,
Here was a man
Take him for all in all
We shall not look upon his like again
Or perhaps to quote a beer ad: I love you, man!
To close let me just say two things:
1. As an Indian, I apologize for fucking bigoted morons like
Bal Thackeray (the supposed Hindu leader) who engineered a
ban on performances by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.
2. Men and women like Nusrat Khan owe it to the world to take
better care of their health. How can such an accomplished
man be so stupid, one fails to understand.
Satya Prabhakar
(sprab...@tri.sbc.com)
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Tamil
I don't gather anything more about the artist
from this mail. Is he sick or what???
Anyway I think I have had the opportunity to
listen to this artist from Pakistan.