Keeping the poetry in Ghazals

CHENNAI: When Sachin Shankor Mannath started the Global Ghazal Project in 2017, he wanted to give ghazals new arrangements that would appeal to contemporary listeners. Nearly a decade later, the city-based vocalist and composer is returning with a broader vision for the project, one that places equal importance on live performance, the poetry of ghazals and collaborations with musicians from different cultures.

The Global Ghazal Project will perform on October 31, from 6 pm to 8 pm at Max Mueller Hall, Goethe-Institut Chennai. The concert marks a new phase for the ensemble, which brings together vocals, acoustic guitar, tabla, harmonium and keys while remaining rooted in the traditional aesthetics of ghazal singing.

“When I started Global Ghazal Project, my idea was to release ghazals with new arrangements so that contemporary audiences could enjoy them. Now, in 2026, the vision has evolved into something bigger and better. Such great poetry and music need to be preserved and conserved in this noisy post-COVID world. And with live concerts, the idea is to bring audiences together and give them an experience they can never get on a mobile phone,” says Sachin.

For him, taking ghazals to new audiences does not mean changing their sound entirely. The poetry, with its layers of emotion and meaning, must remain at the heart of the music. The challenge is to introduce contemporary arrangements without allowing them to overshadow the words.

“When we decided to relaunch the project on October 31, the first question that came to my mind was whether I should focus more on changing the arrangements and giving the songs a different colour altogether, or preserve the traditional essence while adding a little bit of contemporary arrangement here and there. And we decided that we should go with the second approach,” he says.

“For me, the poetry should always remain at the centre. The arrangement should support the words and emotions, rather than overpower them. In the future, we will collaborate with many musicians from India and abroad, creating more of a world-music sound.”

Sachin brings a diverse musical background to the project. He trained in Carnatic music with Neyyattinkara Mohanachandran and Parassala Ponnammal, and in Hindustani music with Ustad Ghulam Akbar Khan of the Rampur Sahaswan Gharana. His work also spans contemporary music, folk and film composition. He is the official vocal coach for Vijay TV’s Super Singer and founded Chennai-based Theia Institute of Vocal Arts.

The current quartet features Sachin on vocals, Matt Bacon on acoustic guitar, Rajesh Dhavale on tabla, and Debtanu Dutta on harmonium and keys. Each musician brings a different background to the ensemble. Matt, a graduate of the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University, has worked in classical guitar, film recording and cross-cultural collaborations, and has led the guitar faculty at AR Rahman’s KM Music Conservatory since 2015. Rajesh, trained in the Mehboob Khan Sahib and Jahangir Khan Sahib gharanas, has accompanied leading Indian musicians and performed internationally. Debtanu, trained in Hindustani vocal music, is also a vocalist with the KM Sufi Ensemble.

The combination allows the project to move between traditional ghazals and other compositions that lend themselves to the form. While tabla and harmonium provide a familiar foundation, the guitar and keys offer room to explore different textures. “My idea is that some of the traditional songs will still be presented with harmonium, tabla, and guitar, whereas some songs, including Punjabi geet or thumri, as well as some film songs that originally have a ghazal-like format, will have contemporary arrangements and fusion ideas.

“The harmonium and tabla bring that traditional warmth and familiarity, while the guitar and keys allow us to explore different textures and emotions without losing the original character of the songs. Especially with Matt Bacon, who is an American guitarist and often collaborates with Indian artists, I think audiences can expect a completely different emotional take on every song we sing.”

The October concert is the first in a series of planned performances. The ensemble is scheduled to perform in Puducherry in November, with hopes of taking the project to music and literature festivals across India and eventually to international stages.

“When we announced the relaunch itself, the response was overwhelming. We really hope we can take the Global Ghazal Project to multiple music festivals and literature festivals, where music and poetry are celebrated, and bring in world musicians playing different instruments to collaborate with our current ensemble, so that we can create an unimaginable new ghazal sound in the future,” concludes Sachin.