Remembering Pyarelal: The singer who leaves behind a void in

They sang as one voice. So much that often it was difficult to distinguish between the two voices when they were in tandem. The sheer purity of their swaras was at once mesmerising and calming – no matter what they choose to sing – be it Sufiana kalam, kafis, tappas, traditional compositions, albeit all with a classical base.

As their voices touched the higher octaves with effortless ease, one couldn’t help but stop and listen.

With the boatman coming for Pyarelal Wadali, the junior of the duo, one can’t help wonder as to what the impact will be on their music and the collective voice that was one at a physical and metaphorical level. Despite touching tizzy heights of success and a huge fan following they retained the rustic charm and simplicity of their rural roots – as of their music. Their philosophical bent came across in their exquisitely wise similes inextricably linked to the rich multi-lingual heritage of the region.

They both spoke in a dialect of rural Punjab that I had to sometimes stop and ask its meaning when they would talk about their life, times and music. Once I was interviewing them and their freewheeling conversation was peppered with rustic humour and charm. Pyarelal was pulling his elder brother Puran Chand Wadali’s leg saying that he had no inclination towards singing! “When our Bauji (father) used to insist that Bhaji (the elder brother) sing, he used to hate it! He would pull him by his hair and one day he got fed up and took a rupee from ma (mother) and went and chopped off his hair! But despite his disinterest, father did teach him! And thank heavens for it, or else how would he have learnt?” he had said with a laugh. When people asked him to sing ‘sufi’ music, Pyare would tell them that it is a misnomer to call it sufi music.

“The singer is a sufi and not the music. It is the baani of a faqueer, who acts like the trigger point of setting the curd. Milk, curd, butter, ghee – these are all levels of purity of the soul as it inches towards becoming pure like ghee! There is a saying in Punjabi – jo haad tappe aulia, behaad tappe peer, jo haad behaad tappe, odda naam faqueer! Signifying the various levels of attainment of purity of the soul’s journey. That is why I can never tell before hand what I am going to sing on stage. Whatever is His hukam or order, I sing,” he said, quoting from the Granth Sahib.

Our traditional music is like simmering incense, which once lit, lingers and its fragrance lingers for even longer the Duo often remarked.

“People find it hard to believe that we know our entire repertoire by heart for we are completely illiterate, so in any case there is no question of reading the words to remember them. I remember what Bauji used to say, the words should be such an intrinsic part of you that none should be able to remove it from your tongue. That is why I would sit at the feet of the ustads to learn the correct pronunciation of the words! Such a journey it has been from a reluctant singer to an avid singer!” he quipped with pride of having traversed the long journey. They had begun with singing qawalli. They were auditioned at the All India Radio by some experts who heard them at the Harballabh chowki and also continued to remain B grade artistes for 20 years, he lamented. They got higher ranking only after they got the Padmashree. “But in those early years I remember how we used to be petrified of the mike, believing that it would suck out our voice from our throat!  

The producer would position the mike and we would want to sing from as far as possible from the mike!”

So many times they were asked why do you persist in living in your village Guru Di Wadali – literally meaning the village of the gurus? “I tell them – today if we leave them, what if they leave us tomorrow? Walion ke gaalion ke kutte bhi wali hote hain!” Meaning even the dogs of the lanes where the wise live are wise!

The author is art writer, curator and artist and can be contacted on alkaraghuvanshi@yahoo.com