Panchale weaves magic with his voice and poetry

Andaaz aarashacha vate khara asawa, bahutek manasache tau chehra asawa
Vachleli aikleli manse geli kuthe, pustakatun pahileli manse geli kuthe,
Roz atyachar hoto aarshawari aata, aarshala bhalaleli manse geli kuthe.
The words are unmistakably those penned by Suresh Bhatt. What gave them a fresh meaning and emotions was the robust voice of Bhimrao Panchale, the noted Marathi ghazal singer.
At a programme titled 'Ghazal Usne Chhedi' presented by the newly formed group 'Aapan' at the IMA hall on Friday evening, the audience had come for a rich musical treat. The artist on stage gave them all of it and much more. Panchale, who has received the title of ghazal nawaz from his mentor Suresh Bhatt, presented a soulful yet power packed evening of ghazals in Marathi as well as Urdu.
He began with Marathi ghazal Andaaz arashacha vate khara asava, bahutek mansacha tau chehra asawa by Ilahi Jamadar and followed by He ka kuni phulana sangayala have tyani kase rutunshi vagayla hawe written by Van Sardesai, Panchale wove fine patterns of pain, pining, heartbreak and misfortunes with his singing and poetry. 'Tu chor pawalani,' was a composition about love and the beloved and was rendered with all the wistfulness of such emotions.
For those who thought that the metre of ghazals can be filled only with words in Urdu and Persian, Bhimrao's presentations could be termed amazing. But for those whose language he sang in, it was an emotional connect over which both the singer and the audience bonded.
Ghazals with their profound messages and emotional content often establish a dialogue between the singer and the listener. This evening, Panchale had the attention of his audience as he recited Indivar's couplet 'Khwab ke jaise hi jhoothe mere yakin nikle, mehboob tau kya aap tau mere dost bhi nahin nikle.' He continued in the same strain with the couplets written by Khamosh Badarpuri, 'Baat kam kijiye jahanat ko chhupate rahiye, Ajnabee shehar hai dost banate rahiye,' establishing his mastery over both the languages.
Speaking of the sway that Panchale has over his audience, Shreerang Bagaday said it was the language he sang in which made him such a hit. "Ghazals are mostly written in Urdu which is sometimes not comprehended by us. Panchale is a favourite as he sings in our language and gives words to our feelings," Bagaday said.
Lauding the mastery of the singer, Prasanna Atalkar, the organizer of the event, said his group was aspiring to make Vidarbha a culturally active region. "What can be a more befitting start to our initiative than having Bhimrao Panchale, who hails from Amravati in Vidarbha and has taken Marathi ghazal to such heights," he asked.