Dastan-e-Akhtari

About the Performance:

Duration: 1 Hour 40 mins

Language: Hindustani (Hindi-Urdu Mix)

Akhtari Bai Faizabadi, also known as Begum Akhtar was a unique singer of her time. In her unique voice and andaz, she produced such hauntingly sweet notes, coupled with her spontaneity, that the audience were immediately captivated. Beginning at the age of Seven, Begum Akhtar kept her audience spellbound for almost six decades.This was Begum Akhtar, the Singer; but her personal journey is equally captivating and inspiring. She was a brave, fiercely independent-minded person, who drew her life path herself amidst the struggles that life threw at her. At a time when the social and political landscape of the country was gradually changing, she set her own standards of life and arts, not withstanding the constraints of times and emerged as a stronger person and better singer by living upto those standards.With all its highs and lows and awws and wows, Dastan-e-Akhtari is the story of the life of the legend of her time and beyond, Begum Akhtar. In this performance, the story of her life will be told by Kafeel Jafri – a Dastango (‘storyteller’ in Urdu), interspersed with rendition of her songs – Ghazals & Thumris by Yusra Naqvi, a trained Hindustani Classical Singer.

About the performers

Yusra Naqvi is a vocalist and instrumentalist, pursuing Alankaar (Masters) in Hindustani classical music from Gandharva under Khushal Sharma and Pt. Madhup Mudgal. She belongs to Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, where she did her schooling and simultaneously learnt classical music from Dr. Rupam Bajpai for six years.Currently a student of History at the Jamia Milia Islamia University, Delhi, she is also a performing artist of khayal, dhamaar, thumri and dadra in the classical genre, and of ghazals and bhajans in light classical music. She learnt Soz and Salaam from elders in her extended family and has been reciting these forms from a young age. Yusra is an enthusiast of Urdu resistance poetry.

Yusra will be accompanied by renowned musicians:

Kedarnath Havaldar on Tabla

Rooted in the dictum “Swara Matha, Laya Pita,” Kedarnath Havaldar expresses his musical lineage through the tabla. Trained initially in vocal music, his accompaniment reflects the nuances of Khayal gayaki. He trained for over a decade under Pt. Rajgopal Kallurkar and Pt. M. Nagesh, and is currently a disciple of Pt. Samir Chatterjee. His Gurukul training in New York enriched his understanding of tabla in depth. Kedarnath has performed at prestigious venues including Carnegie Hall (NY), World Music Festival (Chicago), London International Festival, and Sawai Gandharva Festival (Pune). His collaborations span international ensembles, Sufi-rock band Junoon, global music productions, and academic initiatives, including teaching “World Rhythms” at Azim Premji University.

Sarfaraz Khan on Sarangi

Sarfaraaz Khan, born on 29 January 1996 in Dharwad, hails from the illustrious Kirana Gharana and represents the 9th generation of musicians in his family. His grandfather, Ustad Abdul Khader Khan Sahab, was a sarangi maestro and staff artist at All India Radio, Dharwad, while his great-grandfather, Ustad Sheikh Abdulla Khan, served as a court musician in the Gwalior and Mysore palaces and for the Nizams of Hyderabad. Sarfaraaz’s father, Ustad Faiyaz Khan, is a renowned vocalist and sarangi maestro, under whose guidance Sarfaraaz began training in vocal and sarangi music at the age of four. He later received advanced taalim from Padma Vibhushan Pt. Ram Narayan Ji, with his Gandha Bandhan ceremony held in Mumbai in 2011.

An A-grade artist approved by All India Radio, Delhi, Sarfaraaz Khan is the only sarangi player in South India known for his versatility across pure classical and semi-classical music, and for his work in South Indian film title songs and background scores. He has performed at prestigious festivals and institutions across India and abroad, including the Gangubai Hangal Music Foundation, Dharwad Music Festival, Miraj, Bhopal, Singapore, Europe, and the Consulate General of India in Dubai, and has accompanied his father and many eminent maestros. His accolades include the AIR National Award and Acharya Allauddin Khan Memorial Award (2013), Inspiring Indian Youth Icon Award (2017), Yuva Puraskar, and a Silver Medal from Baba Harivallabh Sangeet Sabha (2011).

Kafeel Jafri (Writer, Director, Dastango) is a Bangalore-based theatre artist and poet. Trained in theatre acting and techniques by eminent gurus, Kafeel has acted in over 20 theatre productions, one feature film, several short films and ads. He has also translated two plays from English to Hindi.He has also conceptualised and performed shows around Urdu literature. Some of these shows are Life and works of Faiz, An evening of Ghalib and his Ghazals, Manto ki Kahaniyan. His love for Urdu comes from his culturally rich upbringing in Lucknow, especially from the tradition azadari, the mourning tradition of Muharram. As a Dastango, he has performed more than 50 shows of the Classical Dastans. He also teaches acting through workshops for individuals and delivers drama & storytelling-based training in organizations for diversity and inclusion sensitization and Sales. He has also written New Dastans like Dastan-e-Ishq, Dastan-e-Sitayana, Dastan-e-Maseeha and Dastan Yusuf aur Zulekha ki.