National 8 (Spotlight Weekly)

Mixed Melody

Indian ghazal singer turned pop artiste Penaz Masani holds the audience captivated with her enthralling numbers

By A CORRESPONDENT

Penaz Masani : Fusion of melodies

The ghazal gayika hugged the show in her new incarnation as pop diva on April 24 at Birendra International Convention Center (BICC) where she kept the jam-packed auditorium in rapt attention as she sang song after song – ranging from sentimental numbers to foot-tapping ones.

Kathmanduites who were acquainted with the ghazal singer with mellifluous voice were in for a sweet surprise when Penaz Masani came with her dance troupe and performed remixed versions of old and new Hindi songs.

In her characteristic manner, Penaz also encouraged her audience to join her in the singing. Thunderous applause that followed her every number were testimony to the fact that she had a huge fan base in Kathmandu.

The people of Nepal and India share culture as well as melodies. The ghazals and songs of India are quite popular in Nepal as well. The voices of Kishore Kumar, Mohammad Rafi, Mukesh and lately Udit Narayan, Sonu Nigam and many others find resonance in this Himalayan Kingdom as well.

Likewise, Indian ghazal singers like Penaz masani, Pankaj Udas, Jagjit Singh and others are also a rage among Nepalese music lovers.

In order to promote bilateral cultural relations, Indian Council for Cultural Relations and Indian Embassy regularly invite Indian cultural ambassadors to Nepal. This time they brought the multi-talented Penaz Masani, who not only performed in Kathmandu but also in Birgunj. “I love Nepal. This is my fifth visit here and I am happy to be among the beautiful people here,” said Penaz Masani.“These events will strengthen the cultural relations at the people’s level,” said Sanjay Verma, first secretary at the Indian Embassy.

When Penaz sang a hit Nepali song “Rato Rani Phule…” unplugged, the audiences rose to thunderous applause.

Penaz Masani is one of the rare singer who has been equally successful in ghazal as well as pop music. When she decided to enter the Indipop arena with her album called “Tu dil de de..” a couple of years ago, she was instantly accepted as a versatile singer who can easily jump from soft and sentimental ghazals to fast-beat pop songs. Her very first foray into pop genre saw her topping the charts in Channel V and MTV Asia.

This time Penaz sang for two continuous hours including old Hindi songs of golden age as well as the latest chartbusters. Another major attraction in her show this time was marvelous dance troupe that accompanied her.

Global Summit of Women

A Global Summit of Women is going to be held in Seoul, Korea on May 27-29. The summit is organized annually by a non-profit organization headed by an international planning committee of American women leaders.

Nicknamed the “Davos for Women” the 2004 summit continues to focus on accelerating women’s economic development, with an emphasis on the use of technology to grow businesses, access other markets and expand networks. Over 700 delegates from over 70 countries will attend the summit in Korea. The summit is unique in its ability to gather and entrepreneur, a fortune 500 executive and a high-ranking government official in the same room to discuss how to best influence the direction of women in business. 1026

The 2004 summit will feature the first ever women’s expo (WEXPO). WEXPO participants will have an opportunity to showcase their products or services to prospective clients and partners.

The summit will host workshops on strategic networking, growing micro-enterprises into mainstream business through trade, e-commerce basics and a host of other topics. Increasing business opportunities, building markets and job creation for women are tangible stated goals for WEXPO and the summit.