Kathmandu: The audience went berserk when Shafqat Amanat Ali made his way to the crowd singing the ever-romantic Mora saiyan mo se bolena and insisted everyone sing a few lines. Some teenagers gleefully obliged, some even got the rare opportunity to shake hands with the Pakistani musical sensation, and among them was Kamal Kumar who Ali personally took up to the stage to sing few lines from the popular song.

Kumar’s enthusiasm was but obvious when he came back after singing along with his favourite singer. “It’s all luck. I went through a lot of trouble to get the passes for this exclusive show and then I was performing with Shafqat Ali himself. It feels like a dream,” says Kumar, a third year student of Shri Krishna Gurukul Sangeet Pathsala.

The musical evening with Shafqat Amanat Ali organised by the Pakistani embassy on the April 24 at the Nepal Army Officers Club Auditorium, Tundikhel was full of surprises. The surprises were not only the brilliant fusion of classical, folk and rock but also the special appearances by various Nepali singers.

The evening started with Imran Ali along with the band performing Mahi ve and Dil yeh bhula nahi paya. Soon to everyone’s delight Shafqat Amanat Ali, son of Late Ustad Amanat Ali Khan, who represents the seventh generation of Patiala the Gharana, made his grand entrance. As soon as he went on the stage his frankness and humour won all hearts.

His first song was the romantic Tere bin jiya jaye na and the hall was filled with applause with almost everyone in the audience singing along. The romantic number was followed by a patriotic song Aye watan pyare watan that Ali dedicated “to all Nepalis for their country and to the nation we are from”.

When some of the guests left the auditorium in the middle of the show Ali even wittily asked, “Arey am I singing that bad?” and sometimes with rendition of classics like Bekarar karke hamey yun na jayiye.

It was not just with Saiyan that saw Ali approaching the audience. When the crowd requested him to sing a song, he too asked someone from the audience to join him. To everyone’s delight well-known Nepali singer Swaroop Raj Acharya came forward and together they sang the evergreen Asare mahina ma dedicating it to the original singer Choden Dukpa, who passed away recently.

The song was followed by yet another popular number Musu Musu. Ali presented a variety of songs ranging from fast tempo folkish like Mast kalander, rock number like Kuch ajab to soothing romantic like Aaj jane ki jid na karo. Nepali sufi singer Hemant Rana was also present who Ali introduced as “a brilliant singer with a bright future”.

During the event cash prizes and certificates was distributed to the winners of an essay writing competition organised by the Pakistani Embassy for O and A level students.

The show ended with Ali singing the Bollywood hit Mitwa, which saw the many of youngsters getting on to the stage dancing to the singer’s tunes. — HNS