Jannat

महफिल की सिलवटें आंखो से टपक गयी
बादलों की गर्दिश रगों में दौड़ गयी
खलिश कि मिठास होंटों ने चखी
दुआ के रंगों में दिल रंग गयी
जब रूह कि मुलकात
इरफान, आपके
आवाज़ से हुई
तकदीर के इस तोहफे को हमने नाम दिया
जन्नत-ए-हयात
और तभी फ़रिश्ते कह पड़े
"जिस जहाँ के हिस्से में इतनी खूबसूरत आवाज़ हो
वह जहाँ जन्नत से कम नही
खुश नसीब हैं इंसान
जिनके दिलों के तख्त पे ऐसी आवाज़ राज करे
चाहत हैं हमारी
एक दिन के लिए ही सही
हम फ़रिश्ते इंसान बन जाये
ताकि हम भी पा सके सीना जिसमे इंसान का दिल हो
और हम भी सुन सके धड़कन
जिसमे इरफान की आवाज़ शामिल हो"

New Year Fever

Irfan will be rounding up a significant 2007 with a performance in Bhuvneshwar on 31 December, 2007. Here is hoping on behalf all his family, friends, fans, and well wishers that 2008 should pile his life up with more work, recognition, and a Filmfare award!

Watch more of Irfan! Read on...

For all of us whose ears ache to breath in his rich voice and whose eyes thirst to be filled with his electric stage presence, the wait has ended!

Here is where Irfan will be appearing on TV. Don’t forget to watch:

 29 December, 2007 (Saturday) – Voice of India Chote Ustad.
Will anchor part of the show and also sing

 5 January, 2008 and 11 January, 2008 – Bol Baby Bol
Watch him share screen space with the Adnan Sami

Keep visiting this space, for more updates!

Irfan: World over!

He has been globe trotting, our very own Irfan!
After the tremendous response he received in Colombo, he went on to perform in Dubai on 15 December, 2007. A rocker performance, as many of his Dubai fans have told me. Here’s hoping to see Irfan’s immortal voice color the air of many more countries with the substance and meaning of music.

Irfan: An Update

He successfully finished recording his song for Vikram Bhatt’s film on 30 October, 2007 with music director Pritam.
He is off to a trip in Colombo, Sri Lanka where he will perform on 7 November, 2007. Here is wishing him more success in the future. Good luck and safe journey.

इरफान...

कुछ खुश्क आंसू होटों को छू गए
इंतज़ार लम्बा है, केह रही थी आँखें
पर लब समझ न पाए आँखों की बात
वोह कापते गए,
रटते गए आपका नाम:
इरफान, इरफान, इरफान,
और हम इंतज़ार करते गए,
उस संदेसे का,
जिसपे लिखा होगा आपका नाम:
इरफान, इरफान, इरफान...

अल्फाज़

लोग कहते हैं ज़िन्दगी वक़्त की मोहताज हैं
सांसे दर्द से जुडी हैं
वोह कहते हैं कुछ रुखसार यादें
लम्हों के आईने सीचते हैं
और उन यादें से कभी कभी
एक ऐसी आवाज़ उभरती हैं
जो धडकनों की गूँज
और सांसो की आवाज़ बनती हैं
जो रातों को शबनमी
और दिनों को खुस्निसर बनती हैं
पर वोह ये नहीं कहते
जब ऐसी एक आवाज़
ज़िन्दगी के दीवार पे लटके तस्वीरें
को तिरछी कर दे
और लम्हों के रंग बदल दे
तो हम क्या करें?
अब आप ही की आवाज़ हैं -
जिसने ज़िन्दगी के चन मायने बदल डाले
अब आप ही बताएं
इरफान
हम क्या करें...

Irfan gets his due!

Irfan has received his first big break! He is singing a song for the Bhatts. Accroding to Mr. Mahesh Bhatt the song will do for Irfan what "Bhenge Honth Tere" did for Kunal Ganjawalla.

Here is the full article. Courtesy Mumbai Mirror.

Irfan Ali's early ouster from Amul Star Voice of India on Friday evening may be a blessing in disguise for him. Soon after his dismissal, on Saturday morning, Irfan received a call from Vishesh Films (Mahesh and Mukesh Bhatt's production company) asking him to sing for their upcoming Emraan Hashmi-starrer Jannat.

Irfan almost fell off his chair when he heard the offer. He is yet to recover from the shock about his dismissal from the contest, and here the Bhatts are keen on having him for one of the crucial tracks in Jannat. Irfan says, "Many people had called and messaged me saying that they were terribly upset about my disqualification. I had not recovered from that shock when my mentor Lalitji informed me about the film with the Bhatts."

It happened when Mukesh Bhatt was watching the particular episode of Voice of India where Irfan was eliminated. He immediately instructed his office to rope in Irfan for a track in Jannat. "According to me, he was the best amongst all the contestants. I think that I must give the boy his due," says Mukesh.

"We have sent him the lyrics and the tune. It's a rocking song. Bhege hoth tere of Murder made Kunal Ganjawala famous, this song of Jannat will make Irfan Ali famous too," he adds.

Meanwhile Irfan says, "I had never dreamt of getting into films so soon. I am thankful to the Bhatts for standing up for me. I'm ready to move on and take up work."

Irfan is a qualified engineer. He fulfilled his parents dream to become an engineer, now it's time for him to chase his own aspirations. He records the song at Krishna Studio in Goregaon today.

Alvida - Courtsey indya.com

Irfan...talent personified

True...Irfan has left the show. Whether it was a trick played by the show to keep other favorites of theirs, well, despite the extremly strong rumours, no one will know.
But one this is for certain: Irfan's talent is undeniable. Look at his fan following on the Internet. That is sufficient testimonial, if you like. He does not need a title to ascertain this.
All you event managers, India and abroad,
All Bollywood producers who happen to read this,
Please, please look at the videos on this blog and decide, whether Irfan should be up there, singing for your prestegious shows and movies. And take time with your decision. Because it will be the most important decison of your life. If you do choose to give Irfan a break in your movie or show, then remember, you will single-handedly be responsible for creating history. For introducing to the world of Indian music, the greatest singer in many decades.
This is what I have to say for Irfan:
"Ek us zamane mein Mohammad Raffi tha
Ek is zamane mein Mohammad Irfan hain."

An update...and a note of thanks

Firstly, a big thank you to all those who have visted my site, and are now re-visitng to read this site.
And Irfan, if you are reading this, please don't be dissapointed; India loves you. Especially after the way you moved our souls with "Piya Haji Ali", made Shahid Kapoor dance with your peppy rendering and got our parents recollect their good old days with the fabulous rendering of a Shammi Kappoor and Dev Anand classics. And of course, how can we forget how you broke our hearts with your painful rendering of Tadap Tadap the day you left.
But really, you have not left. You still live in our hearts, your voice adorns our souls.
Right India?
I have loaded some more videos, courtsey indya.com. Please take a look. Cheers.

Irfan: The Voice of Heaven

Have you ever heard a voice straight from heaven? A voice sculpted from nature and its scents and yet more beautiful, more spectacular than anything ever created? If you have not then listen to Irfan sing on Voice of India (Star Plus, Friday and Saturday night, from 10pm to 11pm).

His voice is the closest thing to divinity I have experienced. And experienced in a very real sense. My skin becomes numb, and unknown to me, effortless tears swept my face when he sings. I have been a keen student of music for the last four years, and if I have acquired even a fraction of knowledge from this infinite wealth of musical ambrosia, then I can say, hand on heart, that Irfan is undoubtedly the best singer I have heard in recent times.

You can see the videos on this blog for testimony (videos courtesy: indya.com).

Okay, so I know he is the best, a gifted singer of rare, unfathomable talent. So why have I created this blog, why should you be reading this blog?

Because I am about to tell you the a great weakness of us Indians that prevents genuine talent from reaching the fore. That of regional bias. It is true, and as an artist myself, I have experienced the dejection of being victim to regional bias.
Singers from the north whisk away all the votes of the North, and Hindi channels as we know, are not watched too much in the south. As a result, Irfan, the singer from Hyderabad, despite being the best singer of the show, is not garnering any votes.
This is what I solicit from you. Take it as my request. If you are a lover of music, and after sparing a few minutes on the videos, if you are convinced that my words hold some truth, please vote for Irfan.

Log onto indya.com, create a free account and vote for Irfan. Your votes, and a few minutes of your time can help true music and true talent come to the fore. Do it guys, it will take no more than 4 minutes to create account, and about twenty minutes to cast twenty votes (per person you can cast 20 votes). If you are amongst those generous individuals who does not mind spending money for it, then please watch the show and also cast votes via mobile.

Remember, the voting lines - online and via phone are open from Saturday 10 PM to Sunday 12 PM

The choice is in the hands of Indians now. Whether they will go beyond regional feelings and let true talent win, whether India is really shining or is ‘Chak De India’ just a mass commodity rather than a deep rooted feeling, remains to be seen.
One thing is for sure. If Irfan gets eliminated, I will lose faith in reality shows and television as an industry. Because it will not just be an insult to a great artists talent and years of practice, but also an insult to viewer sensibility. Above all, it is an insult to music, and that is not something I, as a worshiper of music, can take.

The ball lies in our court. Lets make a decision. And quick. Before its too late.
Feel free to contact me should you need more information. My email: sayhitoshas@gmail.com.

More Resources

The journey of Irfan along the path of music:

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2xpdq_irfantributesc_business

Irfan's videos on You Tube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42DSIYRqkmU

Irfan's videos on another popular site

http://starvoiceofindiashow.com/category/irfan/page/2/

His best performance - Dil Se...Video courtesy indya.com

Kaava Kaava: Courtsey indya.com

Rind posh maal - check how he takes up the tempo and pitch towards the end. Flawless
Video courtesy: indya.com

A mellow performance - look at the varitey. Suno na...video courtsey indya.com

Coming Soon...

Coming soon - Aakhri Alvida, Laga Chunri Mein Daag, Dil Chahta Hai and other powerful songs by Irfan.