The “life is a journey” metaphor is an age-old one that never fails to resonate. It’s made its way to every form of art and landed the lead in many of our most loved songs. Fittingly, in today’s age of uncertainty and unrest, it’s comforting. Now, joining the roster is singer-songwriter and producer, Reeshabh Purohit, with his latest offering – ‘Safar’.
On the latest release, Purohit uses his musical prowess to further the life of the ghazal, ‘Safar’, originally written by world-renowned Hindi-Urdu poet Nadi Fazli. Masterfully crafted, the ghazal speaks to the strength of the human spirit, asking to keep the fight alive. In all actuality, playing with this perceptive piece of writing would be exactly what one considers a daunting task. But, Purohit doesn’t fiddle.
In his rendition of ‘Safar’, Reeshabh merely collaborates with the writing, walking hand in hand, the best way he knows how – with music. Supported primarily by a steady, melancholic arrangement on the piano, the track arrives as a 5-minute ballad that tugs at your heartstrings. Purohit’s soulful voice lends itself seamlessly to the track, rendering it into the moving incantation that it finally arrives as. Surely, his extensive training as a Hindustani classical vocalist in the Agra-Gwalior Gharana lends to the poignancy of ‘Safar’. In fact, it is perhaps, what makes him capable of understanding and telling this story years after it was written, without disrupting or diluting the original.
Violinist and fellow artist, Shardul Bapat, lends to the ebb and flow of ‘Safar’, peppering the track with sparkling riffs on the strings. While Purohit’s voice and the piano ground the listener to face their journey and all that lies ahead, the dancing notes on the violin add hope.
‘Safar’ is a sincere effort at inspiring hope. And, it might just be the reminder you needed in these worrying times.
