Maa'waraai

CT talks to Lahore-based singer Maham Suhail about music, life in Pakistan and Kolkata's music scene during her recent visit to the city.
Is this your first visit to Kolkata?
This is my second time in Kolkata. The first time was back in March 2015. I was in touch with ITC Sangeet Research Academy over emails and sent them a recording of a raag that I sang.They showed interest and based on their invitation letter, I applied for a visa and came down to Kolkata. I attended their three-day annual sammelan, following which I auditioned and got selected. It is difficult to get a visa that allows unhindered entry across India because of the tension between the two countries. I do hope things change for the better soon. I love Kolkata. Unlike other big metros, this city has a soul. The only problem is that artistes are really underpaid here.
Tell us about your kind of music.
For a few years now, I'm performing Sufi and Sufi fusion. I know, when it comes to Pakistani singers, people only think of Sufi music, but honestly , I do not follow trends. Personally , I relate to the Sufi journey . I have been trained in classical music by my late guru, Bhai Ghulam Mohammed Chand, whose forefathers traced their lineage to the family of Bhai Mardana. Rabindranath Tagore, too, is an inspiration for me because, apart from music, I write poetry too. My favourite Rabindrasangeet is Jodi prem dile na prane. I'm looking forward to visit Santiniketan in September to hobnob with the bauls there and learn their fascinating music. I love Parvathy baul of Bengal.
Did you always want to be a singer?

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I believe it's not something you want.It's something you are responsive to.I was doing BBA in finance and soon realized this is not what I want to do.Both my parents have very good taste in music and I was exposed to that from a very early age. From Kishore Kumar to Lata Mangeshkar to Bonny M and Abba and opera, I listened to everything. My first formal training was in western theory , as I started playing the piano when I was 12. I was also a part of the school choir where I played the melodica. During my teenage, I saved money and bought a guitar and started jamming with underground rock bands while writing lyrics for them. My eastern classical music training started only a few years ago in 2011, when I was finally convinced that I wanted to pursue music as a career. Apart from Sufi and classical, I also enjoy deep house, psychedelic, blues and jazz. I have jammed with folk musicians in the deserts of Cholistan, have performed with rock artistes from both mainstream and underground bands and have also practiced Rababi Kirtan. I guess that makes me versatile (smiles).
Is Lahore a conservative city when it comes to women performing artistes?
What are the challenges you faced during your journey? Anywhere in the world, certain schools of thought prevail. The other day , I met a really cool girl at a club in Kolkata. She comes from a well-known musical family and has been residing in England for a long time, but to my surprise, she told me, women in her family weren't allowed to sing publicly . Back in Lahore too, educated families are very conservative and have regressive thoughts. I have been blessed to have parents who have been immensely supportive of my musical career. It was a homely atmosphere at my Guru's place too.Women and men would sit together and practise music. Publicly , however, these women are not allowed to perform. A woman who is an artiste cannot say she's one without the fear of being judged. She can never be sure of the kind of reaction she might get frommen. When it comes to women, society's perception of a performing artiste is rather different. Some people will respect you for your art, some will judge you. It depends on the kind of background one comes from. But with bands popularizing contemporary music, things are progressing at a brisk pace.
Do you listen to Bollywood music?
Honestly , not much. In Lahore, people love Bollywood music as much as people here love Pakistani dramas! I love music that has a certain melody to it. Bollywood item songs are just noise to me. I love Sonu Nigam, Lucky Ali, AR Rahman and Shreya Ghoshal. In recent times, I loved the soundtrack of PK. - Times of India, Kolkata

Il nostro tour in India continua, lasciata Delhi atterriamo a Kolkata e raggiungiamo Bolpur di notte per attraversare con un fuoristrada la foresta fino a giungere nei pressi di Satkahunia, dove nel 1999 alcuni abitanti dei villaggi hanno costruito un centro teatrale nella natura: il Teapantar Theatre Village. E’ qui che dal 3 al 9 settembre siamo impegnati nella direzione della VI Sessione internazionale di lavoro al nostro progetto Stracci della memoria. Come ci spiega il direttore artistico, che gestisce il centro, Tepantar significa Grande spazio. L’idea di costruire questo particolare complesso, tutt’ora in espansione e composto da 2 spazi teatrali, due abitazioni, un dormitorio, una cucina, è nata dalla necessità di fare teatro in una zona rurale, in un ambiente naturale. Qui da ottobre a marzo la compagnia Ebong Amra (che significa “E noi”) composta da 25 attori, presenta regolarmente i propri spettacoli per la gente dei villaggi limitrofi, programma due festival, ospita compagnie di Calcutta in residenza, workshop e sessioni internazionali come la nostra. Sono gli stessi attori della compagnia che preparano i nostri pasti e si occupano con una cura particolare della manutenzione del villaggio, permettendo a noi e ai partecipanti di concentrarci sul progetto.
Il programma di lavoro è molto intenso: colazione alle 6 e dalle 7 alle 11.30 sessioni di Kalaripayattu (antica arte marziale indiana), training fisico e vocale appositamente creato per il progetto Stracci della memoria, studio di passi e tecniche performative tradizionali. Il caldo soffocante ed umido che supera i 40 gradi spezza la nostra giornata in due e riprendiamo alle 4 di pomeriggio con il lavoro ai canti e al processo creativo, invadendo con le azioni corali gli spazi del villaggio con i suoi vialetti fitti di vegetazione e i suoi palcoscenici naturali di terra rossa, raccogliendo suggestioni dall’affascinante contesto naturale. Infine quando cala la notte si accendono i riflettori sul grande palco di cemento e bambù per la sessione finale dedicata alla creazione di una struttura performativa. Il gruppo dei partecipanti è composto da 11 artisti tra cui una performer coreana, che ha già seguito le precedenti tappe del progetto, una danzatrice di Baratha Natyam (danza classica Indiana del sud), una cantante sufi Pakistana, ed altri attori e danzatori Indiani provenienti da differenti regioni, in prevalenza dal Tamil Nadu, nel sud dell’India, luogo ricchissimo di tradizioni.
In alcune fasi del lavoro siamo affiancati da Uttam Das Baul, musicista e cantante della tradizione Baul, che con i suoi vari strumenti interviene nel processo creativo con interessanti suggestioni sonore e ritmi. Come ci spiega lo stesso Uttam, la parola Baul in origine significava “matto” (letteralmente “toccato dal vento”) ed identificava un culto mistico diffuso nell’India del nord est, una risultante di più influenze (tantrica, buddista, e sufi), basato sulla ricerca sul corpo umano come immagine dell’universo. Oggi la tradizione Baul permane nella musica e nel canto. Ogni giornata di lavoro è un arricchimento culturale incredibile grazie anche alle sessioni dedicate allo studio delle differenti tecniche e tradizioni di appartenenza dei partecipanti e al processo creativo che porta verso l’attualizzazione di questi elementi e la scoperta di nuovi linguaggi che arricchiscono il lavoro del performer e il nostro bagaglio teatrale.

Segui le prossime puntate da Kolkata – Bangalore – Pondicherry su Instabili Vaganti On Tour – fattiditeatro - Fattiditeatro

LAHORE: Alhamra Art Centre, The Mall, gave the impression of an ‘art fare’ on Monday as fine arts fanciers in good numbers visited two newly inaugurated exhibitions.

The first exhibition by Maria Yousaf, a Gujrat-based artist, titled Shikwa Jawab-i- Shikwa, had a lot to offer and opened a new window to Allama Iqbal’s vision. The exhibition was inaugurated by Dr Munib Iqbal, grandson of the Poet of the East.

A student of Fine Arts Department at the University of Gujrat, Maria had put on display her thesis and some additional pieces at the exhibition. The artist told Dawn the show was her first solo exhibition. Through graphical visuals, illustrations and portraits she had tried to explain the very context of Iqbal’s famous poem, ‘Shikwa Jawab-i-Shikwa’.

Maria said these days not a lot of students were working on Iqbal.

“Through this exhibition, I would like to promote Allama Iqbal’s vision and generate interest in the poet among students,” she added. She said it was a travelling exhibition and she planned to take it to other cities of Punjab.

The next destination of the art show would most probably be Rawalpindi, she said.

The second exhibition by Maham Sohail, titled Scenes Less Seen, was a multimedia show primarily based on digital art. It was inaugurated by renowned tennis player Aisamul Haq.

Maham, a self-taught artist from Lahore, had displayed photographs, digitally treated artworks, installations and poetry embedded in art pieces. She is also a poet, singer and an instrumentalist.

The exhibition was the first solo show by Maham. The titles of her works jelled well with her pieces such as ‘Shades of Silence’, ‘Vertigo’, ‘Cloud Carvan’, ‘Dancing in the Rain’, ‘Mosaic Man’ and ‘Untouchables’.

The exhibitions will remain on display till Nov 28.

Published in Dawn, November 25th , 2014 - Dawn News

LAHORE: Though they are without an overall theme, Maham Suhail’s 39 art pieces on display at the Alhamra Art Gallery build around the idea of abstraction.

Suhail is self-taught for the most part and has been drawing since an early age. She published a book titled Shades of Grey in 2008 and has been experimenting with photography since 2009.

Her exhibition Scenes Less Seen is her first. It features two video installations, an LED drawing and prints. Suhail said she liked to categorise her work as mix media digital art. “You can call it digitised original art, but it’s primarily modern art photography,” she said.

In explaining the medium she uses, she pointed towards one of her pieces titled Earth in Rotation. “My work is mixed media artwork where I use various media. In this particular painting, I used broken glass and melted wax and then photographed the result… hence the classification digitised original art work,” she said.

Suhail said her work reflected her personal journey in life. “My piece Black and Light relates to my journey in life itself.” She said her video art represented the same. Some of the videos were used in her still photography. “It is basically the relationship of darkness and light… that is what I believe my inward journey is about.” She said she saw it in a spiritual perspective. “My journey reflects inner light and that’s what a lot of my work speaks of.”

This is why there is not a lot of representative imagery in her work, she said. “Most of my work has a lot to do with moods and the aura of the mind and soul.”

When asked about the inspiration for her work, the artist said it came from God and the collective consciousness of the universe.

“Everything stems from Him and everything goes back to Him. The world is created by Him. Everything related to life in this world inspires me,” the artist said.

Safia Hassan, one of the visitors at the exhibition, said she found Suhail’s work remarkable. “I am impressed… this is a new idea of art.”

Suhail has also been singing since childhood. Though she enrolled in the MA Arts and Design Programme at Beaconhouse National University last year, she took a pause to focus more on her singing.

Her exhibit will continue till November 28, Friday.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 25th, 2014. - Express Tribune

A first-time solo show (at a gallery) for the multimedia artist Maham Suhail, ‘Scenes Less Seen’ has high potential to send you tripping!
Photography, 2-D Digital Imagery, Poetry excerpts and Video/Sound installation, accompany a backdrop blend of home/performance recordings from her Music practice.
‘Scenes Less Scene’, the title itself resounds of the essence of a lot of Maham’s work which entails duality; paradox and duality themselves being basic elements of existence. Here, you get to see visual works, or ‘scenes’, from her life which have passed ‘unseen’, both lierally and metaphorically…sometimes perhaps even unseen to the artist herself at times of their happening…!

Guest of Honor:
Aisam Qureshi
(Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi (official))

Opening Night: Mon., 24th Nov., 2014
(5:00 p.m.)
Exhibition goes on till: Fri., 28th Nov., 2014
(9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.)

Venue: Alhamra Art Gallery, Lahore Arts Council - Friends Mania

Theatre Adda – The Park Street Sessions, 5th session, was held on Feb 12, 2016 from 7 pm.

This session will featured ‘Trunk Call ‘, by Janardhan Ghosh (India) & Maham Suhail (Pakistan).

Based on translation of Jibananda Das’ ‘Banalata Sen’, by Sunandan Roy Chowdhury, published by Sampark Publishing. This session will also feature poems of Maham Suhail and other poets from Pakistan.

The 40 mins session was in English & Urdu.
‘Trunk Call’
Mahal Suhail, is from Lahore. She is young – a singer, poet, image maker & a performing artist, who journeys into her neighborhood – for her love of ‘Indian’ classical music, and for a quest for creative discoveries. Janardhan Ghosh – a traversal personality having traveled the contours of ‘Bengali’ theatre of Badal Sarkar, Anjan Dutta & others, trained with Włodzimierz Staniewski. He is a poet, writer, actor, currently a lecturer of English at Vivekananda University. He is a scholar of religious philosophy and a raconteur.
The two artists meet in Kolkata on the Katha Koli platform. Katha Koli, is a new age storytelling platform, uses multimedia and interdisciplinary art practices to tell stories of – if we could quote D H Lawrence, ” Perfected bygone moments, perfected moments in the glimmering futurity”, as also of existential crises and and a less than perfect ambiguity.
‘Trunk Call ‘, is a dialogue between two characters. Centered around the enigmatic verses of Jibananda Das, this is the story of man who is afflicted with mental deformity, which confines him within the comfortable recesses of a pastiche of limited world-view, unable to fathom the depth or navigate the width of life. He converses obsessively with a woman – articulate and possessing clarity & fortitude. She has traveled far and beyond, and now she is drawn quite unfathomably to this obstinate man who is anchored like a boat to a sea washed rock, as the winds of change rocks him – but what does an anchored boat have to do with the wind – but to be smitten to pieces or to silently rot and rust.
‘Trunk Call’, is an attempt to reconfigure our relationship with our past & the present, in order to forge a paradigm in oral narrative & performativity. - Culture Monks

WHAT do you do on an evening of dissent? You dance, you draw, you perform and yes, you sing. For as the vibrant banners, strung at the annual SAHMAT cultural event, reminded us of Bertolt Brecht’s iconic words, “Yes, there will be singing about the dark times.” But you also speak. The responsibility of speaking was reiterated by Madangopal Singh’s beautiful rendition of Faiz Ahmed Faiz’s beautiful poem, “Bol ke lab azaad hai tere, bol zabaan ab tak teri hai.” If it is true that the commissions of the first day of the year carry the signs of the coming year then the 27th Safdar Hashmi Memorial Trust event on January 1, 2016 promises that the coming year will only strengthen our resolve to protest and hold on to freedoms that we have so assiduously struggled for.

SAHMAT’s beginning of the year event barely needs an introduction. An event that was meant to mark the memory of slain theatre and Communist activist, Safdar Hashmi has become, over the past three decades, an opportunity to ‘speak truth to power’; whatever may be the times. In that spirit, the annexe of the Constitution Club of India was decorated with colorful banners and posters. Ever since the refurbishment of the complex, some of us have come to miss the vibrant marquees that were set up for the occasion using protest banners and slogans. However, there was no dearth of colour otherwise. One could enter to an art exhibition bringing together a diverse set of contemporary artists using their personal style and mediums to strike a common chord of revolt against the growing atmosphere of impunity for the bigoted.

Along with the works created by the Delhi-based artists, on display in the make-shift gallery were works by over 45 artists both from Mumbai and Delhi. SAHMAT had received an overwhelming response in Mumbai when the exhibition was first put up in Mumbai in early December 2015. As many as 33 artists had done work for SAHMAT Avaaz Do in Mumbai. The exhibition’s curator Ram Rahman had appealed to artists to make banners in response to the attacks on freedom of expression and protest the growing atmosphere of intolerance.

The works were received from Amol K Patil, Atul Dodiya, Dhruvi Acharya, Meera Devidayal, Lalitha Lajmi, Sudhir Patwardhan, Sheetal Gattani, Nalini Malani, Ketaki Sheth, Shilpa Gupta, Shakuntala Kulkarni, Jehangir Jani, Gieve Patel, Navjot Altaf, Minal Damani, Yardena Kurulkar, Prajakta Pallav Aher, Jenny Bhatt, Madhu D, Sarita Chauhan, Ali Akbar Mehta, Anju Dodiya, Anjali Monteiro and KP Jayashankar, Sumeshwar Sharma, Zasha Colah, Kiyomi Talaulicar, Archana Hande, Bharati Kapadia, Jitish Kallat, Justin Ponmany, Prajakta Potnis, Reena Saini Kallat, Yogesh Barwe.

The show by Delhi artists was curated by John Xaviers and included works from Arpana Caur, Mahula Ghosh, Tanmoy Samanta, Sumedh Rajendran, Chandan Gomes, Saba Hasan, Veer Munshi, Anita Dube, Arpita Singh, Gigi Scaria, Inder Salim, Ita Mehrotra, Probir Gupta, Sheba Chhachhi, Subba Ghosh, Vasudha Thozhur, Sharmila Samant, Tushar Joag, Ram Rahman, Akhlaq Ahmad.

John Xavier had noted that in an atmosphere when speech is gagged, to speak out itself becomes a gesture. “It is the sensibility of the secularist values, that enable a generation of artists to voice' political concerns about the crisis in modernity that India is facing today with obscurantist political ideologies based on pseudoscience and false-history, expressed through rhetorics, showmanship and antics,” he said.

A poster exhibition ‘Assault on Reason’, documenting from Press coverage, the communalisation of Indian polity, culture and society, saffronisation of institutions and free run to the ideological bigots of the ruling party was also on display.

The cultural events of the evening were interspersed with the release of In Dark Times: Voices against Intolerance – an anthology of news clippings, statements, editorials and ‘award vapasi’ statements in the recent past to mark the intolerant ways of the present government and its lackeys. The book brought out by Sahmat and released by Ashok Vajpeyi, poet and critic and one of the first Sahitya Akademi recipient to register his protest carries a thoughtful introduction by Prabhat Patnaik on the importance of being an ‘intellectual’ in a democracy and the crucial responsibilities incumbent upon these privileged social actors. The earlier published The Republic of Reason: Words They Could Not Kill – a selection of writings from the larger oeuvre of Narendra Dabholkar, Comrade Govind Pansare and MM Kalburgi – was also released at the event along with its Hindi translation, Vivek Ka Parisar. Another book edited by Rajendra Sharma Ashishnuta ke Daur Mein was also issued.

A special poster based on the work of Hema Upadhayaya made just before her tragic death, with a Faiz Ahmad Faiz poem was also released. The remembrance of the two artists who were associated with SAHMAT since its very inception-Shamshad Husain and Mrinalini Mukherjee was marked by displaying the reproductions of their 1989 poster soon after the fatal attack on Safdar Hashmi. A calendar with Shamshad’s 1992 work done soon after the demolition of the Babri Masjid was released as a homage to him.

The afternoon programmes commenced with two street plays. The play Taqseem (Division) based on a story by Pragya Upadhayaya was put up by Delhi-based theatre group Bigul. The play quite-graphically brings out the divisive polities of the religious bigots. A theatre group from Haryana, Rangbhoomi enacted from poems underlining the secular and egalitarian values.

Music performances of the afternoon began with Tanveer Ahmad Khan and Priya Kanungo who sang Kabir, Meera and Khusaru, the Sufi Bhakti poets who rebelled against the tyranny of religious fundamentalism.

A recitation of Urdu protest poetry by Dr Saif Mahmood was greatly appreciated. The scintillating modern dance performance of eminent dancer Astad Deboo, which is by now a regular feature over the last 26 years, enthralled the growing audience. Other musicians who performed include Maham Suhail from Pakistan and Rekha Raj. Navtej Jauhar gave a Dastan Goi performance.

Popular singer Jasbeer Jassi performed again this year and his energetic presentation of folk songs was quite popular. Jassi, who probably registers in our consciousness as a singer of mainstream bhangra-pop, had surprised quite a few last year with his diverse abilities and upon receiving a fair amount of encouragement had spent a fair bit of time on the stage singing some Khusrau for his audience. This year his performance was crisp and energetic.

Moloyshree Hashmi, street theater activist with Jana Natya Manch, introduced a young comrade from the Freedom Theatre, Palestine who is presently touring different parts of India in a joint production with the former. The Palestinian drew analogies with the conditions back in Palestine to a rapturous audience, perhaps an important reaffirmation of India’s historic support for the Palestinian freedom even as successive governments in the last decade have been kneeling one over another to impress upon the occupying Israeli State. The young Palestinian activist was clearly overwhelmed from the reception he and his troupe had received in India and spoke of continuing the struggle against all forces of oppression. Madangopal Singh and his ensemble brought the evening to a close, performing songs from a wide set of artistic provenance and contexts, from Kabir to Bob Dylan. He was accompanied by musicians from Wood Stock.

As is now to be expected from this evening, the people in the audience mirrored the diversity of performers and vocations on stage. Intellectuals, academics, photographers, actors, artists, young students and professionals were seen milling around on a barely cold evening, sifting through the SAHMAT book stalls or conversing at the food stalls when not sitting in for the performances. Despite the familiarity which the event has come to acquire, many would admit that the SAHMAT event for 2016 happened in a context of heightened frenzy in the country. It is true that SAHMAT and its friends have been there, since that dastardly day when Safdar Hashmi was murdered in broad daylight, to witness the demolition of the Babri Masjid or the ruthless killing of Muslims of Gujarat in 2002. It is true that SAHMAT and its friends are no strangers to days and nights when the secular fabric of Indian society has been torn apart by different constituents of the ruling elite. But in the last one year, something more sinister, something more insidious has come to represent the tone of our times. It begins with a whisper, soon it is being bellowed through a loudspeaker and before you can dispute the canard, a man, any man is dead. In these times, when the siege on India’s Constitutional commitment to secularism and social justice is more pervasive what struggles await SAHMAT in the coming year? - Peoples Democracy

LAHORE - The three-day Mystic Music Sufi Festival concluded on a rapturous note, bringing together a diverse group of Sufi singers and musicians to showcase the true spirit of artistic expression in mysticism.

The versatility of the performers in their delivery of Sufiana Kalam left the massive crowd spellbound at Alhamra Cultural Complex on Sunday.

The artistes that performed on the last day were Maham Suhail, Wahab Shah, Shah Jo Raag Fakhir, Taj Buladi, Shoukat Dholia, Karishan Laal Bheel, Sain Zahoor, Sanam Marvi and Abu Muhammad Fariq Qawal.

On the occasion, Rafi Peer Theatre Workshop CEO Usman Peerzada said that this would be the last festival at Alhamra Cultural Complex. “We are finding a new venue because the audience has to face a lot of problems at this venue. There is a long journey to establish mystic music Sufi festival and I hope you guys will support us as always,” he said. He requested the audience to observe one-minute silence in the memory veteran artiste Qazi Wajid and rights champion Asma Jahangir.

The festival opened with a performance by Dhol orchestra. Their charismatic performance stole the show and made the audience dance to the drumbeats.

Maham Suhail’s mellifluous renditions rightly earned her the credit for placing the folk music on the country’s cultural radar. She grabbed the attention of the crowd with her melodious voice in collaboration with Mithun Sain and other group members.

Wahab Shah has worked as a choreographer to greats such as A R Rehman, Sonu Nigam, Usha Uthup, Stereo Nation and more on international tours. His performance at the festival was fascinating and amazing.

Shoukat Dholiya started playing Dhol in his childhood when he was just five years old. The popularity of Shoukat rose from the shrine of Baba Shah Jamal. He also won the award of China Centre that was awarded by Pak-China officials. He performed a dance and some stunts with his drumbeats that enthralled the jam-packed audience.

Krishan Lal Bheel from Cholistan can sing in all local languages but when he sings in marvai it brings out the true ethos of the land. He also dresses himself in the local costume and creates an aura through various aspects of his performance. He sang in a very stylised manner with his Aik tara, the traditional instrument, and kept the audience glued to their seats.

Sain Zahoor, Sanam Marvi, Abu Muhammad Fariq Qawwal had yet to perform when this report was filed on Sunday night.

Faizan Javed - The Nation

Lahore-Maham Suhail, a young Pakistani music performer, composer and sound artist, has been selected as one of 10 global musicians to participate in the ‘Pop Kultur Nachwuchs’ program.

This ten-day tour including a 2-day music festival shall be held in Berlin, Germany, between August 16 to 26. Maham’s ‘Goethe Talents (Music) Scholarship’ is funded and hosted by the government of Germany, under auspices of the Music Board Berlin. The event invites an international community of music industry professionals, including artists, producers and political/economic decision-makers in the field. During her stay, Maham shall attend workshops, intern with a selected music professional, collaborate and perform with fellow artists, and present her work within the context of the Pakistani music scene.

The letter of Music Berlin Board, which The Nation received, read: “We hereby invite you, Maham Suhail, to take a chance of further musical development. We invite 10 talents from around the world to attend the ‘Goethe Talents Scholarship’ and join workshops of ‘Pop Kultur Nachwuchs’. We all pair them with professional musicians, economic and political leaders and decision makers out of the music industry.”

Talking to The Nation after achieving this feat, Maham said: “It is a great honour for me, my family and the entire nation that I am going to represent my country in a global event, where I will not only try to excel but also present a soft, loving and peaceful image of my country.”

-Azhar Masood - The Nation

LAHORE-Combining the rhythms and traditions of Sufi-folk tunes with her deep and textured vocal tones, Maham has been closely in contact with music for many years. Her mellifluous renditions have rightly earned her the credit for placing the folk music on the country’s cultural radar.

Maham has worked assiduously to promote folk music through her efforts both national and international. Through her powerful performance, she manages to convey the realms of musical fantasia into the audience. Her work helps the younger generation understand, appreciate and respect the rich traditions of folk music. In an exclusive interview with The Nation she talks about her career and success. Following are the excerpts:

*****************

"Can you tell us about your training in music and how did you decide to choose singing as a profession?"
"My training in music started since my childhood, by studying the Western theory and classics in school both in Piano-playing and Choral singing practices. Since 2011, I formally started my Eastern/sub continental classical vocal training with Ustads (teachers). My longest attachment was with the late Bhai Ghulam Mohammed Chand, and my current teacher is Naseer-ud-Din Saami sahab. As a teenager, I am jamming and writing lyrics with underground rock bands. I chose Music as a profession in 2013; nothing else made clear sense to me and captured my imagination the way singing did. And so, I dropped all other fields of work."

*****************

"You have the honour of being selected at Goethe talents scholarship programme as a musician from Pakistan among other global artists, share your experience?"

"My experience of the Pop Kultur Nachwuchs, as part of the Goethe Talents’ Scholarship programme was an eye-opener in some ways, as to how the global music industry thrives. I attended workshops at the Pop Kultur Festival (where I also performed), collaborated with international artistes and experimented new ideas some of them inspired by the trending electronic influenced in the general Berlin music scene. I got to meet some lovely people from the metropolitan mix of the Berlin scene, explored some experimental sound art and in the process helped some folks see a Pakistani woman musician in a new light."

******************

"What are you performing this year with at Mystic Sufi festival?"

"I shall be doing a debut live performance of my special piece titled ‘Dhol Tarana’, the studio production of what is going on these days. This song, a musical experiment of a unique 5.75-bt cycle (invented by Mithu Saaein on Dhol), with its vocal melody composed by me; a Tarana (Classical form of song), sitar, flute, electric and bass guitar will be accompanied by my vocals."

*****************

"Actors nowadays are trying to put their hands on singing, do you feel it’s giving lesser opportunities to professional singers?"

"I believe, whoever is true to music, should be allowed to be a part of it. If professional singers are sincere and dedicated in their work, they don’t need to be afraid of any additional competition. In fact, all performing artistes should work together in harmony."

******************

"There aren’t too many female music directors in Pakistan, why do you think this is so? Do you think there is lack of music education in Pakistan?"

"Yes, there are lesser of female professionals in the music direction and production departments. That is not due to lack of music education in our system though, I believe, but mainly due to lack of initiative in society to see women in leadership roles in music. A change of mindset about gender roles in music, plus the right kind of healthy working environments where serious female artists may do internships at music studios (without feeling harassed) and take the lead if they have the potential, this will change the state of affairs for sure."

******************

"How is folk music relevant to us today and how can we include it in our modern lives?"

"Folk music traditions are very important part of our identity. These are the roots linked directly with our culture, land and value system. If we disconnect our organic and authentic music with its strong elements of language, instrumental sound and beat, then we will lose a basic sense of self-identity. This actually, is a big reason for intolerance in our society, when we move away from our real essence. We can include more of folk music in our lives by exploring it more as artistes and listeners by helping our younger generations learn more about our own language and tradition."

****************

"Since you have a passion for Sufi music, tell us who is your favourite Sufi poet?"

"I love Sufi poetry and spirituality is a recurring theme in my own poetry too. But I have no one particular favourite as such, because I deeply respect, love and sing kalams by various poets in different languages, including Hafez, Ameer Khusrow, Baba Farid, Kabir, Guru Nanak, etc."

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"Tell us a little about your E.P. (mini-album), Pari Sufna?"

"Pari Sufna (Dreaming of a Fairy), is my first E.P. which I produced last year. This project was initiated by some songs which I directed an ensemble of 15 folk/3 electric musicians and 6 vocalists in a 9-day rehearsal period, for the Fusion Festival, Punjab-Gilgit-Baltistan. The main idea for this first-time musical fusion between the Punjabi and Gilgit-Baltistani instruments/folk traditions was mine, so are some of the compositions and all music arrangements in this E.P. of 5 songs (7 languages)."

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"What’s next for Maham Suhail?"

"For now, I can only tell you that I have the video pre-production of my single ‘Sajjan Yaar’ going on. Plus, I look forward to the releases of my E.P. ‘Pari Sufna’." - The Nation

Being an emerging vocalist from the provincial capital, Maham Suhail is also a poetess and part-time visual artist who has made great efforts for promotion of music.

This year, she was one of the 10 singers selected from around the world to have received the Goethe Talents Scholarship 2017 by the Music Board Berlin, Germany. She is also a co-producer, music director/composer and participant in a self-conceived inter-provincial music production, which was a folk fusion between Gilgit-Baltistan and Punjab. She has also contributed as a vocalist and producer to a project in Kolkata in 2016. She created an international ensemble working with folk jazz fusion, including Bengali folk instruments and language.

Maham told Dawn that she would be performing at the upcoming Rafi Peer Mystic Sufi Music Festival in collaboration with dhol maestros Goonga and Mithu Saeen, “One will be an experimental traditional song, titled ‘Dhol Tarana’ (tarana being a non-verbal language of syllables woven into melody form -- an invention of Sufi saint Ameer Khusro), on a unique dhol rhythm devised by Mithu Saeen,” she explained.

She wrote and composed the tarana during joint rehearsals last year with Mithu Saeen. It is currently in production and would be performed live for the first time at the mystic Sufi festival. Akmal Qadri, Amir Azhar and Rakae Jameel are scheduled to accompany the troupe on flute, guitar and sitar, respectively.

She said her passion for music convinced her to take it up professionally a few years ago. Since then she has been performing, composing as well as recording and producing. The piano was the first instrument she learnt to play and has been vocally trained through choir singing in her early days as well as eastern classical in the past few years. Her influences include a range of genres from eastern/western classical/semi-classical, to folk, rock ‘n roll, blues, jazz to name a few. Her voice is a blend of these styles, and her music translates more often than not into world music.

Maham also works as a research writer, taking keen interest in fading cultural and music forms, and performing with indigenous musicians and instruments from around the world.

In 2013, she introduced the fading Sufi music form of Shabd Kirtan as a vocalist for the first time to the annual All Pakistan Music Conference in Lahore. She started practicing music professionally the same year, having the honour of being the last disciple of the last Shabd Kirtan raagi of the Rababi lineage, Bhai Ghulam Muhammad Chand.

She has lived in Kolkata, Santiniketan and New Delhi for six months during which she was a scholar at the prestigious Sangeet Research Academy, Kolkata for two months.

Lahore will have a new vibe of cultural activities starting from the first week of the new year as the Lahore Music Meet (LMM) starts from Jan 6 at Alhamra Art Centre, The Mall.

The two-day festival is being organised this time in collaboration with the Punjab Council of Arts. It would be the third edition of the LMM; however, the council is collaborating with this festival for the first time, said additional secretary culture and executive director of the council, Saman Rai. She said Natasha Noorani, the moving spirit behind the festival, and the council had mutually decided to feature a blend of old, new and contemporary vocalists and instrumentalists during the two-day festival. Meanwhile, Ms Rai said the Information and Culture Department had got the approval of Rs80m for the Artistes Welfare Fund. She said the government would now issue 1,000 Khidmat Cards to the artistes all over Punjab.

In another development, the Information and Culture Department would run cultural buses on Dec 25. There would be cultural performances in the buses, mostly music-based. The department has got decorated three buses from the Lahore Transport Company for the purpose.

All Pakistan Music Conference will hold a musical event on Jan 1 at Alhamra Art Centre, The Mall.

Dr Amjad Pervaiz, Nauman Akhtar Khan, Akmal Qadri, flutist Muhammad Aslam and Sarangi player Zohaib Hassan would perform in the event.

Agalaxy of film stars, directors, producers, fashion models and film cast attended the premier of Arth- The Destination, a film by Shaan Shahid, at Cine Star Cinema, Township on Thursday night.

The red carpet had Saleem Sheikh, Meera, Iffat Omar, Syed Noor, Afzal Khan Rambo, Irfan Khoosat, Uzma Hassan, Shaan and Humaima Malik.

The film before its release had made a great hype because its Shaan’s first ever musical film having a nice blend of romance. Films cinematography, production and Uzma Hassan’s superb acting are a few things which need to be mentioned. The film is a remake of Mahesh Bhatt’s 1980s movie Arth and Shan, in his own words, wanted to strengthen the film trade between the two countries by going for the remake of the Indian movie.

Shaan has stepped into Raj Kiran’s shoes, Humaima Malick playing Smita Patil’s role; Mohib Mirza Kulbhushan Kharbanda, and Uzma Hassan—playing Shabana Azmi’s role.

- Shoaib Ahmed

Published in Dawn, December 25th, 2017 - Dawn News

Talking to The Nation from Spain on Thursday, Maham said: “The unique aspects of my Sajjan Yaar video are that it went through a few changes of decisions for directors, and I am very happy with the director, production crew and digital agency that I eventually found, just a few months ago. Raphay Shahzad, a dear old friend, a vocalist/songwriter himself, and through this project, I discovered his immense strong will and strength as a director.

“It was a very emotional experience for us all involved, as we shot in tough locations on Sophist Production’s RAW (Mini-Ursa) video camera, between slippery rocks, monsoon humidity, tough rocks and waterfalls. It was all my idea, the location, as I am a nature and adventure lover, and my concept revolves around spiritual evolution and transcendence attained through a journey of that longing to connect with the Beloved.
There is some mystical symbolism in some of the scenes, where elements like water, rockface, greenery, convey inner human conditions,” she added.

It has been interesting how this song has been so appreciated both Eastern and Western audiences alike, including music industry people. I look forward to a good release, Insha Allah,” Maham concluded. - www.nation.com.pk

BERLIN: Maham Suhail was among the 10 young talented musicians who showcased their talent and explored German music in the Pop-Kultur Nachwuchs programme, which brings together “young musicians, DJ’s, producers, label-, club-, and festival-managers, journalists, bloggers and students of these disciplines consists of workshop” from around the world.

A young musician from Lahore, she came to Berlin to explore the German music industry wanted to find the best music genre which resonates well with her music style in western society.

This year, 837 young people from over 50 countries worldwide applied for the 250 spots in the programme. This was an increase of over 60% from last year.The third edition of Pop-Kultur festival attracted 10,000 visitors Kulturbrauerei in Berlin. In three days, more than 100 programme elements, including live concerts, DJ sets, talks, film screenings, readings, and exhibitions, took place.

The musicians travelled to Berlin in collaboration with Goethe Institut for a week before the beginning of the festival to take part in short internships at Berlin initiatives like Spex, Stil vor Talent, and SAVVY Contemporary e.V. What’s more, at the Soda Terrassen, they were able to participate in exchange with the city’s professional music and cultural scenes and with international guests.

Talking to Geo.tv, Maham said that the Goethe Talents Scholarship programme will enhance her music portfolio. Her performance was a hit at the festival. She sang the soulful poetry of Sant Kabir on classical piano tunes, which she composed in collaboration with a German pianist and a music composer from Taiwan. The performance fused folk music with electronic beats, resulting in a beautiful piece of music.

Maham says an important aspect of this experience was to engage with talented musicians from various genres and cultural backgrounds. “I expect to translate these interactions into collaborations with some of these artists,” she said. The young musician was all praise for the “metropolitan culture” of Berlin, are said that the people are “open to diversity”. - www.geo.tv

The Unsigned Only Music Competition announced the 2019 winners. The 2019 Grand Prize is awarded to a South African artist, Anna Wolf, for the song “Believer.” The winner of the World Music award is OYME (Moscow, Russia) with the song “Vaya,” which is based on an Erzya folk song.OYME performs traditional and contemporary world music based on the music of Mordovia, a region in Russia. It is characterized by polyphonic vocal styles, traditional instruments electronics.

Born in Pretoria, South Africa, Anna Wolf beat out almost 6,000 entries from more than 100 countries to be named the Grand Prize winner. The press release indicated that “Wolf is a singer with hauntingly beautiful vocals, and a songwriter with depth and vulnerability. The winning song, “Believer,” is a powerful track, inspired by Wolf’s desire to break the silence about domestic violence and serves as a personal refusal to become the victim of her circumstance.”“I feel such gratitude for this honor,” said Anna Wolf. “The message of ‘Believer” is burnt into every fiber of my being: to let go of expectations, to face my own vulnerabilities and to always keep faith that tomorrow will be the day I get to share my music with the world.”

In addition to winning $20,000 in cash (US) and $40,000 (US) in merchandise and services, Wolf also receives one-on-one mentoring from a group of upper-echelon music industry executives, including: Pete Ganbarg (President of A&R, Atlantic Records); Nick Haussling (Senior VP of A&R, Warner Records); Liz Cohen (A&R, RCA Records); Kim Stephens (President, Forward Entertainment / A&R, Lava Records); David Silbaugh (Talent Buyer, Summerfest); Brinson Strickland (President, Collective Artist Management); and Kristyn Ciani (Talent Buyer, C3 Presents).

Unsigned Only is now accepting entries for the 2020 competition. More information can be found at: www.unsignedonly.com.

Unsigned Only is open to all artists who are unsigned to a major record label and gives artists exposure, recognition, and validation for their artistry.

A total of $150,000 in cash and prizes is awarded to 38 winners, including an overall Grand Prize winner and a First and Second Place winner in each category. An additional group of Honorable Mentions were also selected. Over the years Unsigned Only has become an important source for discovering new talent. Since its inception in 2012, five Grand Prize winners have been signed to record labels.

The complete list of 2019 Unsigned Only winners:

Grand Prize

Anna Wolf (Pretoria, South Africa) – “Believer”

AAA (Adult Album Alternative)

First Place
Adrian Chalifour (Victoria, BC, Canada) – “Head Down Heart Up”

Second Place
Whitefield (Werrington County, NSW, Australia) – “Ivy”

Adult Contemporary (AC)

First Place
Madison Olds (Kamloops, BC, Canada) – “Thank You”

Second Place
CAEZAR (Gloucester, GLR, England) – “Hold On”

Americana

First Place
Kenny Foster (Joplin, MO, USA) – “Wood & Steel”

Second Place
Roger Street Friedman (New York, NY, USA) – “Everyday”

Blues

First Place
Layla Zoe (Victoria, BC, Canada) – “The Deeper They Bury Me”

Second Place
Teresa James And The Rhythm Tramps (Canyon Country, CA, USA) – “Forgetting You”

Christian

First Place
Avery Blank (Sedgwick, KS, USA) – “Not Over”

Second Place
Francesca Ani (Tampa, FL, USA) – “Heart On Fire”

Country

First Place
Tyler Dial (Phoenix, AZ, USA) – “Damn, Denver”

Second Place
Kaylee Bell (Waimate, CT, New Zealand) – “Keith”

EDM

First Place
Krane (Los Angeles, CA, USA) – “Movin”

Second Place
Friendzone (Salt Lake City, UT, USA) – “Neighbors”

Folk/Singer-Songwriter

First Place
Tom Freund (Venice, CA, USA) – “Freezer Burn”

Second Place
Clinton Clegg (Pittsburgh, PA, USA) – “Spain”

Instrumental

First Place
Roman Smirnov (Toronto, ON, Canada) – “Kuwaka”

Second Place
Symphonex Orchestra (Charlestown, RI, USA) – “Dreams In Bloom – The Encounter”

Jazz

First Place
Chico Pinheiro (Sao Paulo, Brazil) – “Flor de Fogo”

Second Place
Chris Parker (Port Jervis, NY, USA) – “The Chimney”

Latin

First Place
Gio Cadario (Santa Cruz, Bolivia) – “Devuelveme”

Second Place
Teff (Caracas, Venezuela) – “Te Equivocaste”

Pop/Top 40

First Place
Cray (Norway) – “Monkey Wants Banana”

Second Place
Tia P (Inglewood, CA, USA) – “Come Together”

R&B/Hip-Hop

First Place
Alexander Lewis (Los Angeles, CA, USA) – “Pearl Magnolia”

Second Place
Coco Jones (Lebanon, TN, USA) – “Just My Luck”

Rock

First Place
Fink Tree (Poznan, Poland) – “Love Somebody”

Second Place
Dogtooth (Glasgow, Scotland) – “Trying To Save You”

Screen Shot

First Place
Bryan Elijah Smith (Dayton, VA, USA) – “In Through The Dark”

Second Place
Big Little Lions (Royston, BC, Canada) – “Find Your Tribe”

Teen

First Place
Carolyn Hao (Toronto, ON, Canada) – “Losing Count”

Second Place
Camryn Quinlan (Sayville, NY, USA) – “Monsters”

Vocal Performance

First Place
Rhia (Melbourne, VIC, Australia) – “Crystalline”

Second Place
Pedro Barbosa (Maputo, Mozambique) – “Crazy Love Is”

World Music

First Place
OYME (Moscow, Russia) – “Vaya”

Second Place
Kidum Kibido And Boda Boda (Bujumbura, Burundi) – “Nipe Nguvu”

Fandemonium Winner (winner selected by online public vote)

Corvyx (Staten Island, NY, USA) – “Alive”

Grand Slam Promotion Winners

Week 1 – Get Exposed Online With Digital Distribution and Promotion
Sara (Belgrade, Serbia) – “Player Of Mine”

Week 2 – Get Licensed With Your Music
Charlie Grant (Totnes, DVN, England) – “Black Lines”

Week 3 – Get Published With Your Songs
Goodnight, Sunrise (Toronto, ON, Canada) – “WVV”

Week 4 – Get Paid For Your Music
Dylan Holton (Ottawa, ON, Canada) – “I Used To”

Win Some Love Promotion Winners

First Place: Kat Beck (North Vancouver, BC, Canada) – “Hooked On Your Love”
Second Place: Maham Suhail (Lahore, Pakistan) – “Pauna”
Third Place: Angus Brill Reed (Adelaide, SA, Australia) – “Be You”

Video Only Promotion Winners

Professional Video Winner
Tia P (Inglewood, CA, USA) – “Come Together”

Homemade Video Winner
Matt Ellis (Sydney, NSW, Australia) – “Some People” - www.worldmusiccentral.org

Folk Singer Maham Suhail is set to serenade music lovers with her soulful Sufi renditions at the Mystical Sufi Music Festival. The three-day music festival would bring together 26 singers from all over Pakistan, and there would be some performers, including musicians, who would delight people through their art. Maham was one of the 10 singers selected from around the world to have received the Goethe Talents Scholarship 2017 by the Music Board Berlin, Germany.

In 2013, she introduced the fading Sufi music form of Shabd Kirtan as a vocalist for the first time to the annual All Pakistan Music Conference in Lahore. She has lived in Kolkata, Santiniketan and New Delhi for six months during which she was a scholar at the prestigious Sangeet Research Academy, Kolkata for two months.Talking to Talkofthetown Maham said, “Sufi music is an effective tool to bring about a revolutionary change in our society. I will be performing a debut live performance on the second day of the Sufi festival. It is a special piece titled ‘Dhol Tarana’. This song is a musical experiment of a unique 5.75-bt cycle (invented by Mithu Saaein on Dhol), with its vocal melody composed by me; a Tarana (Classical form of song), sitar, flute, electric and bass guitar will be accompanied by my vocals,” she said. - www.talkofthetownpk.com

The ceremony was attended by renowned musicians, producers and artistes from Punjab and Gilgit-Baltistan. Mr Kamran Lashari, DG, Lahore Walled City Authority and former Chairman Alhamra Arts Council, was chief guest while Prof Mrs Sara Zaman, National College of Arts and Mr M Nizam, former Vice Chancellor University of Gujrat, also participated.

Speaking on the occasion, Maham Suhail said that the song describes the realities of life and the video of the song explores the different perspectives of life and especially Sufism. “The each word of the song has an inbuilt world in it, as one listens deeply, one moves from one world to another, getting out from hectic and worldly life. The song explores ways and means to seek, attract Almighty’s blessings and guidance for the real world, the ‘Hereafter’.”

Maham lauded the efforts of her parents Khawaja Suhail Iftikhar and Prof Dr (retd) Sabrina Suhail and sister Ushna Suhail in the completion of her video. She thanked her teammates, especially Producer, Director Mr Rafay Shahzad, Mr Wali, Mr Zahid Mayo and others, whose hard work and support made her pre-screening ceremony a memorable event.

Director General, Walled City Lahore Authority, (WCLA), Kamran Lashari greatly appreciated the efforts, talent and hard work of Maham, saying he saw lot of promise and talent in her past performances and the Sajan Yar, which solicits human effort to earn the blessings of Creator.

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“The song Sajjan Yaar is an excellent effort by young and sensational Maham, which is not less than a master piece in the field of Sufi Music. She is highly talented and committed, she is bound to excel at higher level.”

He also wished success in her upcoming Master’s Degree Program at one of world’s best music universities, Berkley College, next month, in field of Audio and Video Production, Innovation Technologies.

Similar tributes and appreciation was paid by Prof Mrs Sara Zaman, NCA, speaking briefly as a professional, commenting on her skills and hard work and terming her work as an extraordinary, brilliant effort. - www.nation.com.pk