Sounding Board

Ali Raj

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Sounding Board is an audio series about South Asian music, Islamic sound arts and the Urdu literary tradition. It features readings of essays by influential Urdu scholars, musicologists, poets and critics from the 19th and 20th centuries, exploring themes of identity, inheritance and imagination. The project is supported by Columbia University Society of Fellows/Heyman Center for the Humanities and Humanities New York. Produced by Ali Raj

−3 d

The Recitation of Mir Anis - Naiyer Masud

Naiyer Masud (1936-2017) was a noted Urdu scholar, critic and short story writer. The essay excerpted in this episode was published as part of his trailblazing 1990 book, “Marsiyakhwani ka Fann” (The Art of Marsiya Recitation). It analyzes the recitation style of the master Lucknow poet Mir Anis (1800-1874), and how it revolutionized the art form of the Urdu marsiya recitation. Masud narrates vivid anecdotes about Anis’s delivery from a variety of extant sources, delves into a discussion about the formal differences between storytelling and acting, and how syntactical and semantic flourish are subtly communicated through the medium of tehetul lafz.Featured recitations:1. Lata Mangeshkar - Husain jab ke chale2. Hamid Kararvi - Jab rann mein sarbuland
6 juli

Husain Kashifi and the Oratory of Karbala - Mujtaba Hasan Kamunpuri

Allama Mujtaba Hasan Kamunpuri (1913-1974) was a Shi’i scholar from India. Born in Ghazipur, he earned his Ph.D. at Al-Azhar, and held various teaching and administrative roles at the Lucknow and Aligarh universities. The essay excerpted in this episode was published in a 1969 issue of the journal Sarfaraz. It talks about the central role of the Timurid scholar and orator Mulla Husain Vaez Kashifi (1436-1504) in shaping modern Shi’i oratory, and the Indo-Islamic mourning culture surrounding the Battle of Karbala. Kamunpuri traces Kashifi’s biography, delves into the debates surrounding his Shi’i persuasion, and critically analyzes the historical, literary, and aesthetic dimensions of Kashifi’s landmark work, “Rawzatush Shuhada” (The Garden of Martyrs). Featured recitation: Umme Habiba - Aan Imam-e Ashiqaan (Allama Iqbal)
22 mars

Early Days of Music in Dhaka - Abbasuddin Ahmed (Eng.)

Abbasuddin Ahmed (1901-1959) was a renowned Bengali musician, scholar and recording artist. He was among the earliest Indian artists to take to the gramophone, and gained widespread acclaim in Calcutta before moving to Dacca in 1947. The essay featured in this episode is part of his 1961 autobiography, translated into English by his granddaughter, the musician and scholar Nashid Kamal. It talks about the early days of life in a newly independent East Pakistan, and the various struggles that Ahmed had to endure to establish a foothold in Dacca. Ahmed recalls traveling across the country, singing songs of hope to his fellow citizens, his many trips representing Pakistan at folk festivals across the world, the unease of East Pakistani musicians in singing songs of an 'Islamic' character, and the future of classical and folk music in the region. Featured music: 1. Abbasuddin Ahmed - Zameen Firdaus Pakistan ki Hogi(Courtesy of Absar Ahmed) 2. Abbasuddin, Hemlata - Naiyur Chariya Dau Mor
19 feb.

Hindu Dhrupad vs. Muslim Khayal - Adeeb Suhail

Adeeb Suhail (1927-2017) was a poet, editor and music scholar. Born in Munger, Bihar as Zuhurul Haq, Suhail migrated to East Pakistan and remained stationed in Dacca and Saidpur. He was editor of the East Pakistan Urdu daily "Pasban," and coined popular Urdu slogans against the Ayub Khan regime. Suhail migrated to Karachi in 1974 and worked as a contributing editor at various literary magazines. He also contributed to music programming on Pakistan Television. In the essay featured in this episode, Suhail speaks to the core differences of the khayal and dhrupad styles of Indian classical music. He frames the differences in the context of Muslim contribution to Indian music, a major theme in Urdu musicology, and identifies the various historical figures and lineages that contributed to the development of khayal's overarching dominance. Featured music:Roshan Ara Begum - Mishra Pahari
8 feb.

The Law of Tones in Indian Classical Music - Atiya Fyzee-Rahamin (Eng.)

Atiya Fyzee-Rahamin was an educationist, musicologist and socialite. Born in 1877 in Ottoman Turkey, she was arguably the first woman to have authored a text on North Indian classical music. Atiya was also among the founders of the first All India Music Conference, which was held in Baroda in 1916. The essay featured in this episode, is part of her 1914 introduction to Indian music, which she authored under the pen name Shahinda. It covers the fundamentals of the laws of tones (sur addhya) in North Indian music, elaborating on the temperaments, deities, costumes and colours of each of the seven musical notes. Music courtesy Eternal Tarang.
27 jan.

The Dawn of Tehet in Karachi - Syed Aley Raza

Syed Aley Raza (1896-1978) was a renowned ghazal and marsiya poet. He was born in Unnao, and practiced law in Lucknow before moving to Pakistan in 1947. A pupil of Arzu Lakhnavi, Raza was one of the boldface names of the modern marsiya. He is more widely remembered for penning the salam-e akhir (farewell salutation), which was recited by Nasir Jahan and ended the Ashura transmission each year on Radio Pakistan and Pakistan Television. Raza was a proponent of the modern style of tehetul lafzkhwani. Tehet is a form of non-melodic marsiya recitation, delivered with a sensitivity toward poetic meter and semantic connotation. The 1965 essay featured in this episode provides a history of tehetul lafzkhwani in Karachi after the creation of Pakistan. Raza begins with the state of the marsiya in Lucknow at the turn of the century, how a new style of oratory was being popularized by Maulana Sibte Hasan, and how the traditional Mir Anis style of affected marsiya recitals was going out of vogue. He explains the logic, not only behind his breaking from tradition in writing the marsiya, but also behind his style of recitation, and how it differed from the theatrical style of Zulfiqar Ali Bukhari, which gained widespread popularity over the airwaves. Raza provides insight into the city's cultural scene during the early years of independence, and into the modern marsiya tradition and its 'philosophical' pretensions.Featured recitations: 1. Syed Aley Raza - Shahadat se Pehle 2. Zulfiqar Ali Bukhari - Bakhuda faris-e maidan-e tahavvur tha Hur
19 jan.

Pakistani Music in Bangkok - Mumtaz Shireen

Mumtaz Shireen (1924-1973) was a pioneering Urdu critic and short story writer. Born in Hindupur and raised in Mysore, she migrated to Pakistan in 1947 and soon became a prominent voice against the autocratic tendencies of the Progressive Writers' Movement. In this reportage, written some time between 1958 and 1961, Shireen provides an account of the editor and musicologist Shahid Ahmed Dehlvi's series of lectures and workshops on Pakistan's musical heritage. Dehlvi toured Bangkok, where Shireen briefly resided, under a Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) arrangement, and was invited to address audiences as part of a broader cultural exchange between member states. While describing the contents of Dehlvi's presentations, Shireen elaborates on his unique expertise in both music and literary production, and how the two came together in his enduring contribution as an editor and essayist.Featured music: Turab Ali Khan - Raag Hemant
2 jan.

The Lullabies of East Pakistan - Nasim Ahmed

Nasim Ahmed (d. ?) was a writer based in East Pakistan, who frequently contributed to Urdu and Bengali periodicals. The essay featured in this episode provides an overview of the culture of Bengali lullabies in the cities and villages of Pakistan's eastern wing. Published in 1963, the essay covers the various themes that feature in these lullabies, including the topography of the Bengal region, its flora and fauna, and the mother's prayers for the safety and success of her child. The conversation is punctuated by translations of various Bengali lullabies in non-standard Urdu, which is spoken by various communities in the region.

Sounding Board is an audio series about South Asian music, Islamic sound arts and the Urdu literary tradition. It features readings of essays by influential Urdu scholars, musicologists, poets and critics from the 19th and 20th centuries, exploring themes of identity, inheritance and imagination. The project is supported by Columbia University Society of Fellows/Heyman Center for the Humanities and Humanities New York. Produced by Ali Raj

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Ali Raj
Aktiva år

2025 - 2026
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27
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Sounding Board