Pankaj Udhas live at Sydney Opera House: A Surreal Experience

By Sheba Nandkeolyar

I recently had the opportunity to attend the Ghazal Maestro show by Pankaj Udhas at Sydney Opera House. This was presented by Akash Lodhia and indeed a once-in-a-lifetime experience to celebrate his 40-year musical journey.

It was truly an amazing concert.

Pankaj Udhas was accompanied by some highly talented musicians. His songs stirred the audience with their soul-stirring and nostalgic lyrics. When he sang his most iconic song that shot him to fame, ‘Chitthi Aai Hai’, it moved the audience through its emotional notes that echoed all through the theatre hall at the Sydney Opera House.

Not only that but it was a surreal experience getting to hear beautiful traditional ghazal music being played to the audience in Sydney, Australia. Ghazal such as ‘Aahisat Keeje Baatein’ and ‘Todi Todi Piya Karo’ had the audience totally enthralled. When I walked out of the theatre, the sounds were still ringing pleasantly in my ears – that’s how memorable his performance was!

As I listened to one of India’s most legendary ghazal singers perform at his musical milestone on 4 September 2022, I began to feel extremely proud of my Indian heritage! India is certainly on the world stage – not just for technology and innovation, but also for culture, arts and music.

This was an event which will stay with me forever, especially when I received a copy of his CD which he released on the day to mark his 40^th milestone.