A musical tribute was paid to the legendary singer Talat Mahmood by Media net Works on his centennial through a beautiful musical soiree in New Delhi recently
Delhi witnessed an evening that enthralled music lovers across generations on 15th July, 2024, at the Kamani Auditorium, New Delhi. Media net Works organised this captivating evening celebrating the 100th birth anniversary of the legendary Talat Mahmood in esteemed collaboration with Jashn-E-Talat by Sahar Zaman.
The event started with artist Amrish Mishra (Grade A artist from All India Radio and ICCR accredited) who rendered soulful songs of Talat Mahmood and so beautifully captured the mood of romance, sadness, happiness through his ghazals and songs. The artist captured a wide range of Talat Mahmood tracks such as yeh hawa yeh raat yeh chandni, Jalte hain jiske liye, ae mere dil kahin aur chal, zindagi dene wale sun, phir wohi shaam wohi gham, and many many more in his one hour of exclusive tribute. And even deftly captured the essence of his golden voice- the slight tremble or kampan which is signature style of this great artist.
Ghazal Singer Amrish Mishra emoted, “Talat Mahmood ji’s voice has captivated audiences for generations. My earliest memories of Talat saab songs are of my father listening to and humming Talat Songs such as Zindagi dene waale sun, Tasveer banaata hoon. It’s an honour to pay tribute to his legacy by singing these beloved songs for a whole new generation of listeners.”
This soulful serenade was followed by a captivating interlude. Author and grand-niece of Talat Mahmood, Sahar Zaman took the stage for an intriguing book talk, offering insightful glimpses into the life and legacy of Talat Mahmood. While discussing her book ‘Talat Mahmood: The Definitive Biography’, with Jainendra Singh, the anchor and moderator of this event, Sahar Zaman said, “My grandfather’s music has been the soundtrack to my life. It is a privilege to present little anecdotes from the life of a man behind the golden voice.” She shared anecdotes from his life and times .. how he was the first artist to have started World tours and also was the first one to raise his voice on royalty rights of artists and led a “Mike down” protest (as writers would do a Pen down protest) and where artists in Bollywood did not record for almost three months. And also revealed that Talat Mahmood had sung songs in Telugu and even Bengali, he even was rechristened as ‘Tapan Kumar’ in Bengali music industry as a deliberate attempt to create a new identity lest people may not accept him.
The evening culminated in a mesmerizing dance performance by the Moving Souls, capturing the very essence of the era. Led by choreographer Ravi Rastogi, Founder and Creative Director, Moving Souls, this was a unique spin on songs from the past. Lead dancer Ravi Rastogi of Moving Souls shared, “Honoured to be part of an evening dedicated to one of my favourites and a maestro of all times. Hoping to do justice to his legacy.” Since Ravi is a master of contemporary style, he and his group performed Salsa on these golden numbers of Talat Mahmood. Imagine salsa meets ghazals of the yore!!
Overall a crisp creative curation with not a moment to even bat an eyelid. The best part was that one could people across generations, from young adults to middle aged and elderly, all watching it together and loving it all the way. That’s the stuff classics are made of… they cut across generations and all other boundaries.
This event was a brainchild of mediaperson Sudesh Chawla, who expressed her fervent enthusiasm – “We are incredibly honoured to present this unique tribute to the maestro Talat Mahmood. His voice continues to resonate through the ages, and we are extremely grateful to God for helping us make this event a fitting commemoration of his extraordinary contribution to Indian music.”
This extraordinary confluence of music, literature, and dance was an unforgettable experience for all who attended it. Open to one and all, the evening allowed everyone the opportunity to immerse oneself in the timeless melodies of Talat Mahmood and celebrate the enduring magic of his musical legacy.
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