New album to feature ghazals of Kabeer father-son duo

NAGPUR: Music album releases have become rare in this age of online music. But city based Urdu poet Sameer Kabeer says it is a much awaited event for ghazal albums. “There is a niche market for ghazals and avid listeners look forward to new releases,” he says.
Sameer’s poetry along with that of his father Shahid Kabeer, will feature in a soon to be released album Aameen.It is a collection of eight ghazals releasing by the end of this month. It is also perhaps the only album that features writings of both father and son. Besides three ghazals penned by Sameer there are two by Shahid Kabeer, two by Bashar Badr and one by a Lucknow poet Shariq Barelvi.
“The music company was in possession of a book ‘Pehchan’ written by my father. Both the ghazals have been picked from there,” says Sameer. His own poetry ‘Yaaron phoolon ki zindagi dekho, do ghadi hain magar khushi dekho,” has been penned in everyday language and can be understood by even those who do not understand Urdu. “The simplicity of the language, though conveying profound thoughts, made my father’s poetry so popular,” says Sameer. Poetry appeals to all class of people as it expresses thoughts concerned with everyday life, he says. “Shayari is also part of literature and just as people enjoy reading good books, they also enjoy listening to ghazals as the content is often philosophical,” he adds.
Poets and shayars are very spontaneous and their writings usually reflect the current social and political environment, he feels. “They are sensitive too and are able to empathize with situations and issues that plague mostly the poor or less privileged. This hits a chord with the listeners,” says the poet.
Though the manner in which people listen to music today may have changed, Kabir says that it still brings recognition to the poets and they are able to make money on their writing. “People always try to find out the writer if they like the lyrics and this makes us popular. Besides, now we also get digital royalty. Whosoever uses a song or a composition will have to pay a royalty,” says Kabeer who is a member of Indian Performing Rights Society. “Copyright laws are stringent now and IPRS monitors live performances and use of music in serials or any other media. They collect a royalty and distribute it to writers, authors, composers and singers,” he adds.