Khatija Rahman’s ‘The Garden of Echoes’ bloomed with diverse songs

In a world increasingly unsettled by noise and dissonance, composer-singer Khatija Rahman emerges as a voice of solace. Her recent concert ‘The Garden of Echoes’ at The Museum Theatre, Chennai, offered something the audience did not know they were yearning for.

From the very first note, Khatija’s deeply-centred singing felt like a breath of comfort when abrasiveness has been normalised. Her music invited stillness.

The evening opened with the traditional ‘Maula ya salli, qaseeda burda’, where spirituality blended seamlessly with modern harmonies in a staccato-infused, contemporary choral arrangement. Without breaking the meditative spell, Khatija moved into the unplugged ‘Yaavum neeye’ from Tere Ishq Mein, written by Mashook Rehman and composed by A.R. Rahman, and elevated by the lush orchestral and choral presence on stage.

Khatija rendered ‘Chinnanjiru nilavae’ (Ponniyin Selvan 2) with emotional maturity.
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Special Arrangement

A rhythmic shift led to ‘Kannedhirae’ from R Parthiban’s Iravin Nizhal. It was a moment that invited even the most restrained listeners to sway. Dressed in white, blue and purple, Khatija rendered ‘Chinnanjiru nilavae’ (Ponniyin Selvan 2) with emotional maturity .A poignant moment in the concert arrived with ‘Ulagam oru naal’ from Maidaan, delivered with optimism. Its central message of aspiration found an immediate connection with the audience. The mood shifted to reverence with the naat-e-Sharif ‘Amna beebi ke gulshan mein’, a song Khatija said she has loved since childhood. Then, with a rhythmic sparkle, came ‘Rock a Bye Baby’, from the film MiMi.

A moment of poetic stillness and musings on love arrived with ‘Vizhigal sera, kadhaigal oora’. Khatija widened the emotional horizon with ‘Anbendra mazhaiyile’ from Minsara kanavu, paying tribute to the story of Christ’s birth through music, a reminder that love and humanity transcend divides.

The stage resonated with the warmth of Kalyani Nair’s Indian Choral Ensemble, featuring Aparna Harikumar, Sushmita Narasimhan, Nayansee Sharma, Ananya, Shridhar Ramesh, Manikandan Chembai, Neeraj MSG, Cyril Simon, and the cinematic sweep of the Sunshine Orchestra String Quartet comprising Vignesh, Nandhini Anbazhagan, Ebinezer Gnanraj and Deepa. The shimmering brass textures of Pavithra, Muhammad and Nandhu, headed by Lisa Sarasini, added sparkle.

Khatija’s core band comprised Chris Jason on the guitar, Bhuvanesh on the keys, Laxman Arvind on bass, Guberan on the drums and Nikhil Ram on the flute. The Front Of House Engineer for the show was Riyasdeen Riyan, who shaped the immersive sonic space of the evening. Mohan Raj’s lighting complemented the music.

The evening reached a zenith with ‘Farishton’ (music by A.R. Rahman and lyrics by Munna Shaokath Ali), sung like a prayer for the world. Then came an unexpected delight: the nostalgia-laden ‘Piya tose naina laage re’ and ‘Aapki nazron ne samjha’.

The ‘Ahimsa’ from the collaboration with U2 and A.R. Rahman delivered with spiritual depth, made for a perfect finale.. The audience sat in silence long after the last note faded.

Khatija Rahman Live is managed by Elounge (Rahul George) and promotion for The Chennai Scene (Srikanth Natarajan).