شام چوراسیہ گھرانا

शाम चौरासिया घराना

Vocal Gharana Sham Chaurasi, Punjab Earlier

Founded By

�, یاں چاند اور �, یاں سورج خان

شام چوراسیہ گھرانا ہندوستانی کلاسیکی گلوکاری کا ایک موروثی گھرانا ہے، یعنی گلوکاروں کا ایک خاندان، جس کا نام ہندوستانی پنجاب کے ضلع ہوشیار پور کے قصبے شام چوراسی سے آیا ہے۔ روایت اسے سولہویں صدی کا بتاتی ہے۔ یہ نام Shamchaurasi اور Shaam Chaurasi بھی لکھا جاتا ہے۔ اس کا آغاز دھرپد سے ہوا اور بیسویں صدی میں یہ خیال کی طرف آیا۔ ڈان نے 2009 میں لکھا کہ اس کے موسیقاروں کی کئی نسلوں نے جگل بندی، یعنی دو گلوکاروں کی مشترکہ گائکی، کو پروان چڑھایا۔

روایت اس کی بنیاد کا سہرا دو بھائیوں، چاند خان اور سورج خان، کو دیتی ہے اور انہیں اکبر کے دربار میں تان سین کا ہم عصر بتاتی ہے۔ 2003 اور اس کے بعد کے اخباری بیانات یہی بات دہراتے ہیں، مگر مغل دور کے کسی ریکارڈ کا حوالہ نہیں دیتے۔ 2014 میں دی فرائیڈے ٹائمز کو دیے گئے ایک انٹرویو میں شفقت علی خان نے خاندان کا بیان سنایا۔ ان کے مطابق یہ دونوں سوریہ ونشی راجپوت کسان، سدھاکر اور دیواکر، تھے جنہوں نے اسلام قبول کیا اور اکبر کے دربار میں نئے نام اپنائے۔ خاندانی داستان میں یہ بھی آتا ہے کہ انہوں نے سوامی ہری داس سے تربیت پائی۔ خاندان شام کا نام راجا شیام سے نکالتا ہے اور کہتا ہے کہ اکبر نے انہیں 84 گاؤں لوٹا دیے۔ خشونت سنگھ 2003 میں دی ٹریبیون میں دو مقامی روایتیں بیان کرتے ہیں اور کسی کو ترجیح نہیں دیتے: ایک یہ کہ یہ برہمنوں کا گاؤں تھا جس کا نام شام پنڈت یا شیاما کے روپ میں کرشن پر رکھا گیا، دوسری یہ کہ یہ نام وہاں دفن صوفی بزرگ شامو شاہ سے آیا۔ ان کے خیال میں چوراسی سے مراد 84 گاؤں کا ایک محصولی علاقہ ہے، جسے مثل دار بگھیل سنگھ نے قائم کیا اور مہاراجا رنجیت سنگھ نے برقرار رکھا۔

خاندان کے بیان کے مطابق اس کی گائکی تینوں سپتکوں کو برتتی ہے اور ٹھہرے ہوئے آلاپ سے راگ کو قدم بہ قدم کھڑا کرتی ہے۔ خاندان سپاٹ تانوں، یعنی سیدھی دوڑتی تانوں، کو اپنی خصوصیت بتاتا ہے، اور کہتا ہے کہ گلوکار ایک راگ میں کسی تان کو شاذ ہی دہراتا ہے۔ یہ لے پر مہارت پر بھی زور دیتا ہے، جس میں سول فاختہ جیسی نایاب تالیں اور طبلہ نواز کے ساتھ سوال جواب شامل ہیں۔

سلامت علی خان اور ان کے بڑے بھائی نزاکت علی خان نے اپنے والد ولایت علی خان سے تربیت پائی، اور آغاز دھرپد سے کیا۔ ایسوسی ایٹڈ پریس آف پاکستان کے مطابق ان کی پہلی محفل 1941 میں ہربلبھ میلے میں ہوئی۔ 1947 میں تقسیم کے بعد وہ پاکستان کے شہر ملتان میں آباد ہوئے، اور تقریباً ایک دہائی بعد لاہور منتقل ہو گئے۔ اسی خبر رساں ادارے کے مطابق دونوں کی جوڑی 1974 میں ٹوٹی۔ خاندان دونوں کو ذخیرے میں خیال، ٹھمری، دادرا اور کافی کے اضافے کا سہرا دیتا ہے۔ سلامت کے بیٹوں شرافت علی خان اور شفقت علی خان نے یہ سلسلہ آگے بڑھایا۔ دی فرائیڈے ٹائمز شفقت کو پاکستان میں اپنی نسل کا سب سے نمایاں گلوکار کہتا ہے، اگرچہ وہ اپنے والد کی موسیقی پر کسی ایک گھرانے کا لیبل لگانے کو رد کرتے ہیں۔

اہم فنکار

  • چاند خان، روایت کے مطابق شریک بانی، سولہویں صدی
  • سورج خان، روایت کے مطابق شریک بانی، سولہویں صدی
  • ولایت علی خان، نزاکت اور سلامت کے والد اور گرو، جنہیں ڈان گھرانے کی نمایاں شخصیات میں شمار کرتا ہے
  • نیاز حسین شامی، گلوکار اور معلم، سلامت علی خان کے چچا
  • نزاکت علی خان، خیال گلوکار، سلامت کے بڑے بھائی اور جوڑی دار
  • سلامت علی خان، خیال گلوکار، 1934 تا 2001، تمغۂ حسن کارکردگی اور ستارۂ امتیاز 1977
  • شرافت علی خان، گلوکار، 1955 تا 2009
  • شفقت علی خان (شفقت سلامت علی خان بھی)، خیال گلوکار، پہلی عوامی محفل 1979 میں سات برس کی عمر میں

ماخذ

  • Khushwant Singh, This Above All, The Tribune (2003)
  • Inayat Illahi Malik, The revolutionary duo, Dawn (2006)
  • Dawn، شرافت علی خان پر تعزیتی مضمون (2009)
  • Ally Adnan، شفقت سلامت علی خان سے انٹرویو، The Friday Times (2014)
  • Associated Press of Pakistan، سلامت علی خان کی برسی پر تعارفی مضمون (2020)

Origins & History

Tradition credits the founding to two brothers, Chand Khan and Suraj Khan, and makes them contemporaries of Tansen at Akbar's court. By the family's own account, given by Shafqat Ali Khan in 2014, they were Suryavanshi Rajput farmers, Sudhakar and Diwakar, who took new names on converting to Islam at Akbar's court. Family legend adds that they trained under Swami Haridas.

The name has several stories. The family derives Sham from a Raja Shyam and says Akbar returned 84 villages to him. Khushwant Singh, writing in The Tribune in 2003, gives two local versions without choosing: a Brahmin village named after Sham Pandit or after Krishna as Shyama, or the Sufi saint Shamoo Shah, buried there. He reads Chaurasi, eighty-four, as a revenue zone of 84 villages set up by the misldar Baghel Singh and confirmed by Maharaja Ranjit Singh.

At Partition most Muslims of Sham Chaurasi left for Pakistan, and the singing tradition declined in the town. The family settled first in Multan and moved to Lahore about a decade later. In 1953 people of Sham Chaurasi invited Nazakat Ali Khan back to sing in his birthplace.

"gave birth to a family of singers thereafter known as Sham Chaurasi Gharana"

— Khushwant Singh

This Above All, The Tribune (2003)

تاریخی ٹائم لائن

1941

Debut at the Harballabh Mela

The Associated Press of Pakistan dates the first public performance of Nazakat Ali Khan and Salamat Ali Khan as a duet to 1941, at the Harballabh Mela, where they sang Raag Mian ki Todi.
1947

Partition and the move to Multan

At Partition most Muslims of Sham Chaurasi leave for Pakistan. The family settles in Multan and moves to Lahore about a decade later.
1953

Nazakat Ali Khan sings in Sham Chaurasi

People of Sham Chaurasi invite Nazakat Ali Khan back to sing in his birthplace, after the singing tradition had declined in the town.
1977

Pride of Performance for Salamat Ali Khan

Salamat Ali Khan receives Pakistan's Pride of Performance and the Sitara-e-Imtiaz in the same year.
1979

Debut of Shafqat Ali Khan

Shafqat Ali Khan, youngest son of Salamat Ali Khan, makes his public debut at the age of seven.

Lineage & Legacy

The guru-shishya tradition passed down through generations

The family traces its singers to the two founding brothers. In the 20th century Vilayat Ali Khan and his brother Niaz Hussain Shami taught Vilayat Ali Khan's sons Nazakat Ali Khan and Salamat Ali Khan, starting them in dhrupad. Salamat's sons Sharafat Ali Khan and Shafqat Ali Khan carried the line into the 21st century, and his sons Sakhawat and Latafat also sang with him.

Founding brothers

Chand Khan

16th century, by tradition

Founder by tradition

One of the two brothers tradition credits with founding the gharana at Akbar's court. Khushwant Singh records that Chand Khan was known for night ragas.

Suraj Khan

16th century, by tradition

Founder by tradition

Chand Khan's brother and co-founder by tradition. In Khushwant Singh's account he was known for day ragas, a play on suraj, the sun, and chand, the moon.
Guru-Shishya Tradition

Teachers of the 20th century

Vilayat Ali Khan

Singer and teacher

Father and teacher of Nazakat Ali Khan and Salamat Ali Khan, who started both sons in dhrupad before they turned to khayal.

Niaz Hussain Shami

Singer and teacher

Vilayat Ali Khan's brother and a teacher of his nephew Salamat Ali Khan. Inayat Illahi Malik calls him basically a dhrupad singer.
Guru-Shishya Tradition

The duet brothers

Nazakat Ali Khan

Died 1984

Khayal singer

Elder brother and duet partner of Salamat Ali Khan, born in Sham Chaurasi. He trained first in dhrupad under his father and later turned to khayal.

Salamat Ali Khan

1934-2001

Khayal singer

Born in Hoshiarpur district, he sang with his brother Nazakat from childhood and later performed solo. He received the Pride of Performance and the Sitara-e-Imtiaz in 1977.
Guru-Shishya Tradition

Salamat's sons

Sharafat Ali Khan

1955-2009

Singer

Salamat Ali Khan's son, born in Multan in 1955, who carried the family's singing on until his death in 2009.

Shafqat Ali Khan

Khayal singer

Also known as Shafqat Salamat Ali Khan, the youngest son of Salamat Ali Khan. He made his public debut in 1979 at the age of seven.

The gharana system is rooted in the guru-shishya (teacher-disciple) tradition, where musical knowledge and style are passed down through direct apprenticeship over three or more generations.

Key exponents

  • Chand Khan, co-founder by tradition, 16th century
  • Suraj Khan, co-founder by tradition, 16th century
  • Vilayat Ali Khan, father and teacher of Nazakat and Salamat
  • Niaz Hussain Shami, singer and teacher, uncle of Salamat Ali Khan
  • Nazakat Ali Khan, khayal singer, elder brother and duet partner of Salamat
  • Salamat Ali Khan, khayal singer, 1934-2001, Pride of Performance 1977
  • Sharafat Ali Khan, singer, 1955-2009
  • Shafqat Ali Khan (also Shafqat Salamat Ali Khan), khayal singer, debut 1979

موسیقی کی خصوصیات

Distinctive style, techniques, and aesthetic philosophy

Overall Style

Generations of the gharana's musicians specialised in dhrupad and developed jugalbandi, duet singing, which Nazakat and Salamat Ali Khan practised from childhood. In the family's own description, the gayaki uses all three octaves and builds the raga step by step from an unhurried alap. The family names sapaat taans, straight runs, as a speciality, and stresses command of rhythm, including rare taals such as Sul Fakhta.

Duet singing

The gharana developed jugalbandi, two voices singing together. Nazakat and Salamat Ali Khan sang as a pair from their childhood debut until they parted.

Sapaat taans

The family names straight taans as a speciality, and says a singer seldom repeats a taan within one raga.

Rare taals

The family stresses rhythmic command: singing in rare taals such as Sul Fakhta and Ikwai, and trading rhythmic exchanges with the tabla player.

Unhurried alap

In the family's description, the singer opens with a slow alap, builds the raga step by step and uses all three octaves.

Signature Repertoire

The gharana's repertoire began in dhrupad. The family credits Nazakat and Salamat Ali Khan with adding khayal, thumri, dadra and kafi. At their first public performance, at the Harballabh Mela in 1941, the brothers sang Raag Mian ki Todi.

Compare with Similar Gharanas

Understand how شام چوراسیہ گھرانا differs from other traditions

Select a Gharana to Compare:

شام چوراسیہ گھرانا
(Current)
پٹیالہ گھرانا (خیال)
(Comparing)
قِسم Vocal Vocal
ماخذ Sham Chaurasi, Punjab Patiala, Punjab
Era Earlier Late 19th century
Style Generations of the gharana's musicians specialised in dhrupad and developed jugalbandi, duet singing, which Nazakat and Salamat Ali Khan practised from childhood. In the family's own description, the gayaki uses all three octaves and builds the raga step by step from an unhurried alap. The family names sapaat taans, straight runs, as a speciality, and stresses command of rhythm, including rare taals such as Sul Fakhta. Aditi Bhaskar describes Patiala singing as a convergence of the older Delhi, Gwalior and Jaipur gharanas, and Meenakshi Vashisth stresses its tie to Gwalior. Punjabi folk music, the tappa above all, shaped its taans and ornament. Its singers favour fast, fluid taans and complex layakari, rhythmic play, and the musicologist Shahbaz Ali says they sing from the chest.

Influence & Legacy

Nazakat and Salamat Ali Khan, trained in dhrupad, became leading khayal singers in Pakistan by the early 1950s and widened the family's repertoire. Salamat Ali Khan's first gramophone record, by Inayat Illahi Malik's account, came from His Master's Voice in 1945. After the brothers parted, Salamat sang solo with his sons, and Shafqat Ali Khan carries the line today.

اکثر پوچھے جانے والے سوالات

What is the Sham Chaurasia gharana?

It is a hereditary school of Hindustani vocal music, a family of singers named after Sham Chaurasi, a town in Hoshiarpur district, Punjab. Its traditional origin lies in the 16th century, at Akbar's court. It began in dhrupad and turned to khayal in the 20th century, and is known for duet singing.

Who founded the Sham Chaurasia gharana?

Tradition credits two brothers, Chand Khan and Suraj Khan, and makes them contemporaries of Tansen at Akbar's court. By the family's own account their birth names were Sudhakar and Diwakar, Suryavanshi Rajput farmers who took new names on converting to Islam. In the same account, the brothers studied with Swami Haridas.

Which musicians belong to the Sham Chaurasia gharana today?

Shafqat Ali Khan, also known as Shafqat Salamat Ali Khan, is the youngest son of Salamat Ali Khan and made his public debut in 1979 at the age of seven. His elder brother Sharafat Ali Khan died in 2009. Their brothers Sakhawat and Latafat also performed with their father.

How does the Sham Chaurasia gharana differ from the Patiala gharana?

Both are Punjab schools of khayal. Sham Chaurasia is a family line that began in dhrupad and is known for duet singing and, by the family's account, for sapaat taans and rare taals. The Patiala gharana grew at the Patiala court in the late 19th century, with fast taans shaped by the Punjabi tappa.

Is the Sham Chaurasia gharana a khayal or a dhrupad gharana?

Both, at different times. The gharana began as a dhrupad tradition, and its 20th-century singers trained first in dhrupad. Nazakat and Salamat Ali Khan then turned to khayal, and the family credits them with adding khayal, thumri, dadra and kafi to the repertoire.

Why is it called Sham Chaurasi?

The gharana takes the name of its town in Hoshiarpur district. Khushwant Singh reads Chaurasi, eighty-four, as a revenue zone of 84 villages, and gives Sham Pandit, Krishna as Shyama or the Sufi saint Shamoo Shah as the source of Sham. The family derives it from a Raja Shyam.

Who are Nazakat Ali Khan and Salamat Ali Khan, and what did they change?

They were brothers, sons and pupils of Vilayat Ali Khan, who sang as a duet from 1941. Trained first in dhrupad, they turned to khayal and by the early 1950s were leading khayal singers in Pakistan. The family credits them with adding khayal, thumri, dadra and kafi. They later parted, and Salamat sang solo.

Why is the gharana now based in Pakistan when Shamchaurasi is in Indian Punjab?

At Partition in 1947 most Muslims of Sham Chaurasi left for Pakistan, and the singing tradition declined in the town. The family settled first in Multan and moved to Lahore about a decade later. In 1953 the town invited Nazakat Ali Khan back to sing in his birthplace.

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