December issue 2010

It is not often that Karachi allows you an exhilarating experience devoid of pomp and glamour, but on November 11, 12 and 13, T2F hosted three evenings of enchanting entertainment — without a trace of the glitz that has increasingly become par for the course in Karachi events. “Tarteeb,” a musical showcase of eastern tunes from a group of stupendously talented individuals, comprising Yousuf Kerai, a composer and performer of tabla for 10 years, Ustad Khurshid Hussain, one of the few doyens of tabla in Pakistan today, his equally inspired son Zoeb Hussain, sitar maestro Sajid Hussain, his young disciple/son Shahroze Hussain, and prodigious sarangi player Gul Mohammed Hussain, who hails from a family of legendary musicians, was nothing short of pure magic.

All evening they filled the room with music that touched every chord, creating a wonderful ambiance. And an appreciative crowd, formed of the young and old alike, responded, swaying to their rhythmic beats, touched by the performers’ contagious enthusiasm for their art and the serenity of the music. What made the experience even more pleasant and personal was that it was not brimming with noisy socialites or eager photographers, just those who genuinely came to indulge in some quintessentially eastern orchestra music but with a global sound. Among the tunes played were Across the Seas, Musings in Mand, Hans Dhun, Within Fours, and a compelling finale, Still at Sea.

The three-night event served as a balm against the backdrop of trauma in Karachi in recent days.