Hubli foodies develop a taste for ghazals too

HUBLI: Ghazal shows are fast replacing orchestras at many restaurants and star hotels in the city with people developing a taste for the soothing music. Now, it has been a practice for hoteliers hold ghazal concerts for a week or fortnight to entertain people who come there along with their near and dear ones.
Each ghazal troupe, comprising a tabla player, a keyboard player and singers, entertains people for hours by treating to them with 20-25 popular ghazals.
Speaking to `The Times of India', Rupam Das, general manager of Clarks Inn here, said they hold food festival several times. "We thought of offering something unique to our patrons this time. The Jugal Bandi, a fortnightlong live ghazal programme concluded on Monday, was well received, and we saw a rise in footfalls," he said, adding: "We used to have 45-50 customers daily. But following ghazal shows, their number increased to 70-80."
Hotelliers Anjan Bhagat, Mohan Mangalorekar and others said ghazal programmes offer a unique experience to customers. "We are planning to host such concerts frequently to entertain our patrons. They also ensure good businees to us," they added.
Many hoteliers said serving quality food alone will not help. "We need to offer them something unique," they added.
Gazal singer Zameer Khan said there has been huge demand from hoteliers of Hubli for ghazal shows for the past one year. "We get offers from various hotels in the city to hold concerts for a week or two," he added.
Khan said people want them to render Pankaj Udas' famous numbers like `Chitti Aaye Hai' and `Thodi Thodi Piya Karo' and Jagajith Singh's non-filmy `Woh Kaagaz Ki Kasti.