Mehdi Hassan

Mehdi Hassan is my drinking partner, you can say.

Literally, it's not much probable. But I developped a peculiar habit of drinking alone, almost hiding in my bunker-like room, and listening to his awesome pieces.

I actually started learning Urdu to understand his ghazals. I was sure, there must be something in the lyrics that a man would chant with such grace. Note to people, I know your parents might have listened to so many of his soundtracks from popular Urdu movies, but I'm talking about his ghazals. The ones he sings are always full of pangs of a disheartened lover, who lost his dame, lost in drinks, or have been refused the opportunity to be her lover at all. Simple fact, but I never cease to be amazed, how Hassan's voice makes the Urdu words surmount the hurdles of incomprehensibility of the language. If it's sorrow, you would immediately understand the way his voice bleeds around the word "Gham", and you can visualize yourself perhaps, being tormented ... or you can see your intoxicated eyes when you listen to his awesome piece, Main Nazar se pee raahaan hoon, I'm drinking with my eyes. And he sings the hardest parts of song with such ease, any student of classical music would understand the difficulty one would have to undergo to sing like that.

Perhaps it's a pavlovian response, but my reactions to his Ghazals are the same as to strong alcoholic beverage (Vodka and Rum I drink only). I feel elated, light and lofty, everything becomes so soft and smooth and agreeable, my heart becomes a floating feather.

Mehdi Hassan has been suffering from stark illness, he ceased singing, and I know his days are numbered. But I would lose one of my best companions if he dies. Salute to Hassan.