Engaging, enthralling, and enormously energetic was singer ShafqatAmanat Ali’s performance in Delhi. Not to mention extremely enjoyable and entertaining. The resounding applause that refused to die down the moment he was introduced itself was evidence of the Pakistani singer’s fanfollowing in just Delhi, let alone India. He may have been dressed in his usual dark attire, but the artist definitely lit up the place. The energy palpable, the musicians ready and the audience waiting with bated breath, the stage was set.The “RockstarUstaad”, as musical duo Salim-Suleiman called him, soon began to cast his spell on the audience with unbelievably precise and resonating aalaaps and loaches.Familiar renditions like ‘Mora SayyaMose Bole Na’, ‘AankhonKeSaagar’ and even ‘Darmiyaan’, expectedly won huge rounds of applause. But what was more exciting was the singer’s spontaneity and his ability to make the audience dance to his tunes, literally. Some 200 people watched the show standing throughout the two and half hour performance. The remaining 1000 or so were too absorbed to notice.To perform before an audience is one thing and to involve or engage it is quite another and the maestro did so with ease. It’s very rare to see an artist go up to the audience and get as many people to sing as possible. The singer sang a popular ghazaland made some 20 people from the audience sing with him. The melody was ‘AajJaane Ki Zidd Na Karo’ and the audience was… well, delirious with joy.The artist also presented ‘YehHauslaKaiseJhuke’, ‘Mitwa’, ‘Diladara’ from ‘RA.One’, ‘AbhiNaaJaaoChhodKar’, once again blowing the audience away with his musical perfection.Son of Pakistani music maestro Amanat Ali Khan and a member of the Patiala gharana, Shafqathas certainly did his gharana proud with his rocking performance. The RockstarUstaad’s several fusion performances only magnified his versatility as a singer. In the end, while ShafqatAmanat Ali left with a lot of love and praises, the reluctant-to-disperse audience left with their hearts wanting for more.
