Na rend ra Chan ch al: Shrill but piercing ly beautiful

In the demise of Narendra Chanchal, we've lost an exponent of devotional music, whose ‘Mata ki Bhent’ bhajan, in a typically shrill, but 'piercingly beautiful' (to use the late Khushwant Singh's apt phrase) voice, enthralled the devout and the masses for decades.

Though Chanchal also sang popular numbers like 'Beshak Mandir Masjid Todo....' (Bobby, 1973) and ' Main Benaam Ho Gaya...' (Benaam, 1973), he became famous, rather a cult figure, with his devotional offerings. The most beautiful aspect of these pious renditions was the rather untrained rusticity of his voice, known in Persio-Arabic Quranic musical parlance as Aawaaz-e-Baazkhayee. Those who've listened to devotional music will vouch for the trance-like state that descends on the performer, as well as the listeners.

Listen to 'Dhan So Des Jahan To Wasey ' by Sumund Singh Ragi or 'Tu Mera Pita' by Gopal Singh Ragi, or Egyptian exponent of 'Qeerat' (musical rendition of Quranic verses), Ali Ah'an Azlan or Purushottam Das Jalota and his son Anup Jalota, you feel divinely surcharged, even if you happen to be a non-believer.

Music, particularly, devotional music, has the power to move hearts. Narendra Chanchal was a pastmaster in creating that effect, with his drooling maata. Those who've visited Vaishno Devi and Katra have fond memories of seeing the modest man sing bhajans in his free-flowing voice.