You May Be Talking About Noori From Coke Studio, But Did You Know How Cool Their Mom Is?

Par Chana Dey begins on a subtle note. Ali Hamza’s goosebump-inducing voice makes you a little giddy. A few seconds later, Ali Noor and the brilliant Shilpa Rao join in and three begin to sing in unison. The crisp beat of the earthen pitcher further adds to the enchanting aura the three singers have created. When the song is about to enter the fourth minute, it is Noor Zehra’s surreal groove on the sagar veena that encapsulates the entire song from all its sides and it just goes on another plain, from then on.

This song ties Noori with their mother in a very special way

The fourth episode of Coke Studio 9 featured one of the most celebrated folk songs of the country – Par Chana Dey. The song was particularly special because the lead singers Ali Hamza and Ali Noor were not only accompanied by the incredible Shilpa Rao but also their parents – Noor Zehra Kazim and Ali Kazim. As the Coke Studio YouTube channel revealed, “with its soulful indie-rock feel ‘Paar Chanaa De’ is a grand duet of music directors, Noori featuring Shilpa Rao. An oral tradition passed on to the brother duo by their grandparents, it’s a song that they’ve considered as a family treasure since long.” Together, the family consisting of some of the most distinguished musicians of the country created some utter magic, by entirely revamping the meaning of exhilaration for most of us.

Noor Zehra Kazim, who also founded the Sanjan Nagar Institute of Philosophy and Arts has been practicing music for the past 40 years.

She is one of the most celebrated sagar veena players of the world. Noor Zehra has traveled around the world, playing sagar veena for a number of distinct audiences.  Her soul-stirring performance in Coke Studio’s Par Chana Dey is a living testimony to it. Her husband Ali Kazim, too, is heavily associated with the field.

After the song was on-aired, twitterati began expressing their sheer ecstasy through their praise-laced tweets.

https://twitter.com/LeaveAnasPlis/status/771780156054642688

Some people seem to have lost control of their emotions.

And others have found them

https://twitter.com/HaadeaP/status/771729309916684289

While everyone is just abuzz with praise for Noori

https://twitter.com/Eff__jai/status/771784032946360320

Thank you, Noori. We shall be eternally grateful to you for gifting us with this brilliant masterpiece.

Here is Noori’s version, brilliantly amazing by the way, of Par Chana dey, for your pleasure:

Cover Image Via: Noor Zehra Kazmi Via Facebook