Musician vows to keep up fight for art sake

KARACHI - Despite the fact society at large have no appreciation for singers; some families are still unwilling to surrender and to give up familial profession of music. One of those families is Sindhi Kachhi family, which has third generation to continue the passions of there forefathers. Currently related with the career, Ghulam Qadir Kachhi, who is settled in cosmopolitan city Karachi expressed his sad heart to one of the correspondent of The Nation. Talking about his family's contribution in Sindhi music, he showered praise upon his prominent grandfathers Ustad Haji Usman and Mithu Kachhi and said that they had enjoyed honour in their age. To justify his point of view, he pointed that Ustad Mithu and Haji Usman and his uncle Mohammad Hasan Kachhi had mesmerized the audience in the musical events arranged by Mir Ghulam Hussain Talpur and as a tribute they were saluted in the form of soldiers. He recalled a great musical Mahfil organised by then collector Himat Singh in Bhooj Town Hall in 1980 in which Ustad Mithu along with his brother and nephew Mohammad Hassan Kachhi participated and showed musical grip and singing authority. Ghulam Qadir Kachhi narrated that the then famous music lovers and musical directors Kalyan Ji and Anand Ji, had appreciated them and implored them to stay there for a while so that they could exchange art abilities. He told that they got music training from their childhood, adding that he had started learning from the age of seven years from his grandfather Ustad Mohammad Hashim Kachhi and remained in his company for nine years when he was sixteen years old. By then, he moved to another Gurru, Ustad Zafar Ali to quench thirst for the career; he enjoyed his guidance for four years (2000 to2004). Meanwhile, he has been running Classical Musical Academy, and claimed to have shifted his knowledge to around over 200 students. Only 25 of them could survive in the field and rest mended their ways for bread. He also pointed out that his two students, Wasi Offendi and Junaid Sheikh, had participated in an Indian programme titled Sar-e-Gama and have received satisfactory response. About his performance, he asserted that he has sung in different PTV programnmes namely Parkh, Katchehri, Loak Rung, Sindhi Sangeet, Roshan Tara etc. In a query on musical varieties, he replied that only his teacher Ustad Mohammad Hashim used to sing on Dhoulak as it was difficult to maintain balance between singing and musical instrument Dhoulak-this classical instrument is limited to Sindh and is like drum. Following footsteps of his teacher, he also presented performance on Dhoulak and in addition to it he had good command over Harmonium also. Commenting on the crisis of hovering in classical singing, Ghulam Qadir Kachhi sighed in-depth and added that elite Sindhi class had ceased to arrange musical events, where great singers would sing and highlight their abilities. Also, Sindhi Media has shallow approach towards the art.