CHINAR SHADE : HABIB PAINTER , HIS QAWAALIS AND KASHMIR

HABIB PAINTER QAWAAL ( 1915-1987 )

Habib Painter( 1915-1987 ) was a painter , poet and a well known Qawaali singer of India . Widely loved and admired for his style, he could sing Qawaali and Sri Krishna Leela with equal perfection.

He became a favourite of Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru and Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad . Admired by doyens of Indian cinema like Dilip Kumar ,Manoj Kumar , Raj Kapoor, late Nargis Dutt and actress Mumtaz , he was equally loved by writers and artists that included Khushwant Singh, Ram Kumar , and M F Hussain.

Habib Painter’s compositions presented a flavor of Humanism and his compositions centered around the core values and percepts of Sufi ideology. If he did not sing Kabir Vani directly ,he would intersperse his compositions with dohaas of kabir .

Habib’s singing represented a culture of the subcontinent that had evolved itself for ages at the shrines and Dargaahs of saints and Sufis visited by Hindus and Muslims .He was equally at ease singing about the Kaaba and the Shivala or about Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya and Sri Krishna. A vintage classic of his is the qawwali “Bahaut Kathin hai dagar Panghat ki”.
Habib was a widely traveled man and a frequent visitor to Kashmir. And just before his death , actress Mumtaz singlehandedly sponsored his troupe’s tour to East Africa where his style and genre received rave reviews in newspapers .

Credit goes to late Rais Mirza and his wife Taramani ( Head of Khadi Gram Udhoyg Bhawan ) for bringing a poor billboard painter cum nondescript singer from Aligarh to elite cultural circle of the country and introducing him as a Qawaal .

Habib Painter had an attractive nasal twang in his voice.He could also play many instruments notably harmonium.

Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad remained an ardent admirer of Habib Painter till his last day . I quote some Qawaalis sung by Habib Painter that became quite popular in Kashmir:-

(1) Karray Koyee Bharray Koyee
(2) Bahut Kathin hai Dagar Panghat ki
(3) Yahaan se chala Gayaa Kotwal
(4) Bhagwaan Issi Mein Miltein hain
(5) Nas Nas Bolay Nabi Nabi
(6) Hum Kaise Guzaara Kartein hain
(7) Baap Ki Naseehat Beti ko
(8) Bhalaa kis ko Maanoon Buraa Kis ko Maanoon
(9) Tumhay Koochaa e ishq ke Dastoor Nahin Maaloom
(10) Magar Mein keh Nahin kehtaa
(11) Dekh Tamaasha Lakarri ka
(12) Kaahe ko byaahi Bides

In 1962, Habib Painter visited border areas and sang to cheer up Indian army during Chinese invasion. Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru would call him ' Bul Bul e Hind' . He would be occasionally invited to Teen Murti House to sing for select guests with Pandit ji staying till the last song / Qawaali .

His style and compositions became popular in the entire subcontinent during his life time. He sang for about 50 years, and his accompanists remained loyal to him. None moved away from him though most of them received invitation from cinema world. His longtime trusted companion and co singer Rafiq Ali was also a great singer and musician . Habib Painter loved Banarasi Paans.

Whenever he was in Delhi ,He would invariably visit Dargah of Hazrat Nizam Ud Din Aulia .He called himself to be a disciple of Hazrat Nizam Ud Din and Amir Khusro.
In Kashmir, many elders have fond memories of the person and his qawaali Mehfils .

Habib Painter breathed his last on Feb 22, 1987 , and lies buried at his birth place, Aligarh. His son, Anees painter is also a well known Qawaal who carried forward his father's art and legacy.Anees too has a nasal twang like his father. I enjoy Anees singing 'Hum Kaise guzara karte Hain ' .

I end this mini post with a Dohaa of kabir ….

Kabiraa Jantra na baajiye toot gaye sab taar
Jantra bichaara kyaa karay chalaa bajaavan haar

( O kabbir ! should the stings be cut,
How can this instrument resonate with music ?
What music can the poor instrument play ,
should the player move away from it ?)

( Avtar Mota )

PS

Prof.Jaya Parimu from Srinagar informs me :-

“ Habib painter will be a page on history of Qawaali genre of music. He was gifted with a voice having perfect tonal quality which matched with the Qawwali style of singing.His modulated lilt with a clear vocal quality would enchant the audience of Qawaali listeners. Peace to these legendary musicians who soulfully entertained listeners for decades. “

Sh. Anwar Aftab Bakshi from Srinagar informs:-

“ The beauty of Habib Sahib was that he would attend a lot of competitions of Qawaalis , which was the norm of that era. He was one of the fastest verbal composer for replying his opponent while singing a Qawaali during a competition. He used to be my father Late Bakshi Abdul Majid Sahib’s (Peace be upon him) favourite too. As a child I remember playing with his harmonium and then he would carry me in his lap around the area where his programme would be. I would wonder why his mouth would always be red, till I later on realized he was very fond of betel or Paan .”

Prof Nighat Hafiz adds :-

“Habib painter had a unique style... Sharp sweet voice that could easily pierce a heart to make its way... I liked him for his clarity of word and expression... His words were never difficult to grasp or understand.”