<b>Old-world charm</b>

The deafening silence of the room in which Pankaj Udhas does his riyaz is a bewildering contrast to the cacophony of the throroughfare on Mumbai’s Peddar Road, where the ghazal singer’s bungalow is located.

The room is incredibly old-fashioned and minimalist, what with the Sony walkman making its presence felt as the lone recording instrument. “I record my compositions on tape and listen to them on the walkman which I bought 20 years ago,” says the singer.
The walls celebrate Udhas’ glorious days. Two collages of frames of the singer with SD Burman, Amitabh Bachchan, Naushad, Lata Mangeshkar and Amjad Ali Khan adorn two walls facing each other. A stand-alone picture of the Beatles without Udhas in the frame is a diversion though. “I grew up listening to their songs. They swept the music world during my youth,” he says.

Udhas swept the ghazal scene in the Eighties, evident in the framed collages of the covers of his golden and platinum albums — Afreen, Naam, Tarrannum, Music India Legends and The Best of Pankaj Udhas series. A flattering list, just as the myriad awards, citations and honours that rest inside a floor-to-ceiling glass almirah. The only scroll missing there is the Padmashri that he received in 2006. That’s displayed in the drawing room.
“Motivation is great, but I don’t thrive on it,” Udhas clarifies, as he sits down for riyaz. “I practise for an hour and a half daily. It keeps the vocal chords fit for singing,” he says.

Udhas composes everyday irrespective of whether or not he’ll use the song in an album. “This is an art, not a 9-5 job that can be done within finite hours,” he says, seated comfortably on the wooden floor sans any mattress or carpet, strumming on his harmonium, ensconced by three sets of tablas and sitars. “Wood works well for tabla as it loses its resonance if played on a mattress,” he says.
The studio can accommodate seven musicians and one poet. “Some work on their poems alone and give me the final versions. Others like Mumtaz Rashid sit with me to decide the words,” he signs off.

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