Path: Lehigh.EDU!Lehigh.EDU!sm0e From: sm0e@Lehigh.EDU (SAMIUDDIN MOHAMMED) Newsgroups: rec.music.indian.misc Subject: Aziz Ahmed Khan Warsi: An exceptional quawwal Date: 8 Dec 1995 00:11:58 GMT Organization: Lehigh University Lines: 130 Distribution: world Message-ID: <4a7vse$1ctg@fidoii.cc.lehigh.edu> NNTP-Posting-Host: ihb103f.cc.lehigh.edu Keywords: Aziz Warsi, Quawwali Ashok's recent post on the quawwali from Garm Hawa ("AaKHaa Salim Chishti, maula Salim Chishti....") reminded me of one of the top quawwals of India, Janaab Aziz Ahmed Khan Warsi. I tried to find out more about the above quawwali and came to know that it's relatively recent, and may well have been written by Kaifi Azmi. However, I'm not certain about it. Aziz Warsi was a household name among the Urdu-speaking circles of Hyderabad. Many a Muslim wedding would feature Aziz Warsi's quawwalis in a mehfil of KHadardaans. Unfortunately, I was too young at that time to really appreciate his quawwalis. I was at the age when running after misri-baadaam was more important :-) (Misri-baadaam luTaana is a regular feature of Muslim weddings in Hyderabad, and the kids would run around trying to grab as many as possible). That was the age when uncles used to ask me to venture into the zanaana (female gathering) section and tell aunty that it was time to leave and she ought to come out. Oh, how I used to detest running those errands!! And by the time, I actually grew up to enjoy venturing into the distaff territory, the requests from uncles mysteriously stopped :-) More unfortunate was the fact that by the time I grew up and really started appreciating his quawwalis, Aziz Warsi was no more. His son has since taken over, and has a quawwali in the recent Doordarshan serial Farmaan, which has a Hyderabadi backdrop. Anyway, among the vague memories that I have of Aziz Sahab and his troup, the most distinct one is the taali (clapping) of his chorus singers. They used to make a unique type of sound with their hands, and that was part of the orchestra (Ikram, now u know where I got my talent for taali-bajana :-) ). I also remember the respect which Aziz Warsi commanded from the elders, esp. for his devotional quawwalis. Aziz Warsi had a very heavy and expressive voice, highly suitable for quawwalis. Most of his quawwalis had very catchy tunes. The use of the chorus, which is so very important in quawwalis was excellent. The repetition of lines was well controlled, and he knew which lines/words to place extra emphasis on, conveying the real message of the lyricist in the process. Even when the Sabri brothers enthralled many Mehfils in India, many purists dismissed them as "commercial quawwals" attaching more importance to orchestra than the quawwali itself. For these purists, "Aziz Mian ki baat kuch aur hi hai". In recognition of his talents, Aziz Ahmed Khan Warsi was awarded the Padmashri by the Govt. of India. In addition to the quawwali mentioned above, Aziz Sahab's gems include "Bheekh de jaaie apne deedar ki, marnewaale ka armaan nikal jaaega...", "Kab tak mere Maula....", "Hare jhanDe ke shehzaade...", "Aaya bana aaya, hariyaala bana aaya...", etc. I'm posting the lyrics of one my fav. Aziz Warsi quawwalis, written by Amjad Hyderabadi who used to grace many a mushaaira back home in Hyderabad. This devotional quawwali is different in that the devotee is not the one addressing God, but God Himself is talking to his subject. It is about a devotee asking God for help and not getting his prayers answered. He is about to give up hope and turn back, when God's Mercy (Rehmat) addresses him. The refrain is "phir maang, phir maang" urging him not to give up hope and to continue his supplication until his prayers are answered. The optimistic message of this quawwalis not to give up hope regarding something you yearn for dearly never fails to move me. Each of the lines of the quawwali (after the opening lines) are sung first by Aziz Warsi and then repeated by the chorus. Listening to this quawwali is truly inspiring, but I hope you will also enjoy reading the beautiful lyrics. I've included the meanings (source: phone call to my mom :-) )for some of the difficult Urdu words. Sami Mohammed (A Naushad fan)... a Hyderabadi who adores Aziz Sahab's quawwalis. Quawwal & Music: Aziz Ahmed Khan Warsi Lyrics: Amjad Hyderabadi Jo maangna hai musabbib-e-sabab se maango |musabbib-e-sabab = one who shows Minnat se, KHushaamat se, adab se maango | the logical path; in this Kyun GHair ke aage haath phailaate ho | context = God Bande ho agar Rab ke to Rab se maango (What a wonderful line!) Maayus saayal ne jab ghar ki raah li |saayal=sawaal karnewaala, beggar Aankhon me aansu thhe, thhi jholi KHaali |Maayus=disheartened, depressed Itne me Rehmat jhunjlaake ke boli Maayus jaata hai kyun haath KHaali Saayal idhar aa, phir maang, phir maang KHush hote hain hum, teri sada se Aa phir sada de, dilkash ada se Ai bande mat rooTH apne KHuda se Le haath phaila, phir maang, phir maang Aa aa idhar aa, phri maang, phir maang Kis se muquaatib hi, kya keh raha hai Kya teri KHwaaish hai, kya mudduaa hai Sar ko paTak-kar kyun ro raha hai Humne to dene ka waada kiya hai Le haath phaila, phir maang, phir maang Paida Sikander ko kisne kiya thha Aadam ke haathon me kisne diya thha Tu kya samajhkar waapas chala thha Maayus jaane ko kisne kaha thha Aa aa idhar aa, phir maang, phir maang Hum apni Shaan-e-Rehmat dikhaaen Sab aarzuen teri bar laaen |bar laana = poori karna Tu maangta ja, hum dete jaaen Tu chup na hoja, phir maang, phir maang Tu maangtaja, hum dete jaaen Le haath phaila, phir maang, phir maang Ab ye sukoon hai, ye bequaraari Zor aur zar se, behtar hai zaari |zor=force, zar=wealth, zaari=mehnat Chhai hai tujh par, Rehmat humaari Har dam Humaare Fazl-o-karam ka Jaari hai dariya, phir maang, phir maang Tu hai bhikari, Hum hain daata Le bharle "Amjad" kaasa hawas ka Hum bhi to dekhen, hai zarph kitna Le haath phaila, phir maang, phir maang Aa aa idhar aa, phir maang phir maang kaasa = vessel or begging bowl; or "bartan" if I may dare say so :-) Sorry, cudn't resist the crack. hawas = desire zarph = capacity Sami Mohammed (A Naushad fan)