NATIONAL 6 -(Spotlight Weekly)]

Endless Passion

Some critics call them one of the biggest bands in the world. The Billboard charts suggest that Junoon is the subcontinent’s "biggest crossover success after the late Nusrat Fatteh Ali Khan (the famous Pakistani Qauwali singer)." The Pakistani band made its debut in Kathmandu last week.

BY AKSHAY SHARMA

Junoon means "passion" in Urdu and as Time magazine once wrote, "Junoon uses soaring guitar riffs to deliver the Sufi message of mystic harmony." The band mixes Sufi poetry that had reached heights in the 12th century.

After their tribute concert at New York’s Central Park to the Pakistani legend Nusrat Fatteh Ali Khan, The New York Times suggested that Junoon’s music was, "Rock mixed with religious raptor". Salman Ahmed, Ali Azmat and Brian O’ Connell are the members of the band.

Junoon artistes : Transcending borders

"Sufism was a reality with no name," as Salman puts it. "None of the mystic poets called themselves Sufis. They were dervishes and their message to humanity was a connection with each other through love: the love of God, the eternal, and it’s a great message because it looks at humanity as a whole and does not divide people into religion, nationalities, ethnicity or race. I have a deep interest in Sufi poetry and feel privileged that our music carries its spirit, but we will not call ourselves Sufi rock or Sufi whatever."

The music of the band speaks or sings for itself and, as Brian adds, "We get inspiration from great artists like Nusrat Fatteh Ali Khan and Abida Parveen. They sung from the heart. They were very close to their music. There is a spiritualism that emitted from them and that inspires us as musicians. We don’t want to replicate that. If we do it would indeed be an honor."

After the band’s performance at "The House of the Blues", The Los Angeles Times wrote, "Junoon’s ability to captivate audiences is inspiring like the Beatles."

"The spirit of music makes people from different culture relate to us," the front man of Junoon, who also happens to be the songwriter of the band, told reporters in Kathmandu. "The dolhak and tabla revive Punjabi and Sindhi rhythm and I compose my songs after I write them. Because the sound of these are already imprinted in my subconscious."

"The concert is an confirmation of our faith in this region’s age-old ties and contemporary cultural realities," said Dr Sabina Shah Pahari of the Kanti Children’s Hospital, Maharajgunj. "Junoon is the biggest band in the region and have mesmerized the audiences with their style of Sufi pop around the world."

The band has been known for its powerful lyrics and its latest release is ISHQ. "22 hours. That’s all the time I have in Karachi. It’s Shehyer, the Junoon manager’s wedding reception. I have scissored through the serpentine red tape bordering India and Pakistan and watch me! I’m here, I’m here," excerpt from ISHQ.

The band had struggled financially and it was not an overnight success. The band members remember months of living only on ‘dal’ (pulses) and rice, the staple Pakistani diet. In 1996, Junoon scored its first hit with the song "Jazba-e-Junoon". The song roughly translated: "If you have the passion, never give up! The one who perseveres reaches the stars."

"In rough-and-tumble Balochistan, an audience of tribals applauded by shooting their rifles skyward," wrote Carla Powers. "At one concert in Karachi there was no electricity. When Ahmed asked at a nearby Islamic seminary if they could run a cable to their amplifiers, the mullah paused. Then recognized the guitarist as the author of the spiritual hit ‘Saeen’ (Saint). He mentioned Allah in the song so let’s give him a line."

Junoon’s linear notes in their labels read like an unofficial history of Pakistan’s turmoil. After Karachi was rocked by violence in 1995, Junoon wrote a song titled ‘Petition’ — an appeal for peace that open with the first words of the Koran.

1996 saw Junoon put out another label called ‘Ehtesaab’ (accountability). The songs in the album mocked Pakistani politics. The band was banned from state-owned Pakistan TV. The reasons were that the songs would destabilize the country before elections. But this decision saw the band’s popularity graph skyrocket.

The music video included a scene of a horseriding at a luxury hotel — a non-too-well appointed stables where Asif Ali Zadari, Benazir Bhutto’s husband, was rumored to keep his polo ponies. As the government banned Junoon from PTV, the ban critique had some impact.

After Nawaz Sharif became prime minister and launched a program to trim Pakistan’s debt, one of his aides had asked Ahmed to write a song called "Get Rid of the Debt and Save the Country". But Ahmed declined.

"Being a musician of a Third World has given my writing and music a creative tension that I would not have in a more affluent get-up," Ahmed says.

In 1997, Junoon recorded an album titled ‘Azadi’ (Freedom) on the label of EMI/Virgin, and made its debut in India. ‘Sayonee’ from that album became an instant hit in South Asia and the Middle East, as it shot it way to top the Asian charts. For over two months, the album held the top slot on the two predominant music channels of the region, MTV Asia and Channel V.

Salman composed the song ‘Azadi’ at the request of the Quaid project for the movie ‘Jinnah’ (the story of the founder of Pakistan Mohammed Ali Jinnah). "Freedom comes only through love and passion. Liberty lies in the cradle of Sacrifice," part of the song says.

"Socio-political turmoil, economic disparity and corruption are so vivid in Pakistan that by pretending that all’s well, and singing love songs, we would be only fooling ourselves," Salman says. It was ‘Sayonee’ that brought the band into the limelight and hit the records with platinum sales in a period of four months. The band played at the star-studded Zee Cine Awards in Mumbai in 1998. "The song may have been a hit because it speaks directly to the people," Salman says.

"Why should we change now?" asks Brian. "If we start getting involved in the non-music or non-art aspect to our job — the fame, the popularity, the money — these are all distractions. Because what’s selling is our heart, not our pretty faces."

Infinity International will donate Rs 100,000 in proceeds from "Junoon Live in Kathmandu" to the Kanti Children’s Hospital," said Dr Pahari. "This amount will be used to purchase much-needed cardiac care equipment."

Those interested in making a donation to this cause may contact Dr Pahari at kanti@kch.mos.com.np