Listen with Irfan

परवीन शाकिर: मौसम की पहली बारिश Courtesy Book: Tarikh Mein Aurat by Ashok Pande/Support this Podcast Channel i.e. Listen with Irfan :-Bank Name: State Bank Of IndiaName: SYED MOHD IRFANAccount No:32188719331Branch: State Bank of India, Vaishali Sec 4, GhaziabadIFSC–SBIN0013238UPI/Gpay ID irfan.rstv-2@oksbiSupport LwI by contributing:  ⁠https://rzp.io/rzp/Memorywala⁠PayPal ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠paypal.me/farah121116⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 

Kis Ki Kahani | Gulzar's Dastkhat | Voice Sher Tookhi

I am delighted to present some of the sketches from the book Mere Mohtaram, a compilation of three works-Roshandan, Langarkhana, and Ujale- written by the esteemed Javed Siddiqi. The narration is voiced by my dear friend, the passionate bibliophile, cinephile, and an art aficionado Sher Tookhi. I have curated this recording to make the book accessible to those too who are not well-versed in reading Urdu. No copyright infringement is intended. All rights belong to the original owners, and this post is shared for the greater good, with no commercial interest involved.Cover: Irfan

Badi Sarkar Ke Naam from Sannata by Ahmad Nadeem Qasmi/The narration is voiced by US based my dear friend, the passionate bibliophile, cinephile, and an art aficionado Sher Tookhi. I have curated this recording to make the book accessible to those too who are not well-versed in reading Urdu. No copyright infringement is intended. All rights belong to the original owners, and this post is shared for the greater good, with no commercial interest involved.Cover : IrfanCredit to the Photo on Cover Sher TookhiMusic Courtesy Pixabay sigmamusicart-sad-documentary-background-music-520545

Kuldeep Nayar aur Peer Sahab by Gulzar / Voice Sher TookhiCover: Irfan

18 March 2018, New DelhiCompere Sanjiv KumarRecorded and Curated by Irfan

वो शहनाई नवाज़ों का गाँव था। तीस साल पहले जब मैं वहाँ से गुज़रा तो सड़क के दोनों तरफ़ लगे पोस्टरों और बैनरों को देखकर दंग रह गया था जिन पर लिखा था बुकिंग के लिए यहां संपर्क करें। 38 साल पहले मैंने पटना में शहनाई नवाज़ उस्ताद बिस्मिल्लाह खान को रात भर शहनाई बजाते हुए सुना था और सुबह जब वह प्रोग्राम ख़त्म हुआ तो उनके साथ एक तस्वीर भी खिंचवाई थी। एक मामूली सी पिपिहरी से क्या क्या हो सकता है यह उस्ताद ने अपने जीवन काल में कर दिखाया था। 35 साल पहले मैं उनसे बनारस में उनके घर मिलकर भी आया था। अब भितरगाँव से गुज़रते हुए अचरज से भरता रहा और तभी इन शहनाई नवाज़ों के गाँव का एक दौरा किया और पाया कि शहनाई के लुप्त होते स्वरों के बीच इन बजंतरियों का जीवन कैसे कैसे संकटों से भरा है। बारह साल पहले यह सपना पूरा हुआ कि इस गाँव में ठहर कर शहनाई की इस दुनिया पर एक डॉक्यूमेंटरी बना सकूं। यूट्यूब पर देखें The dwindling art of Shehnai playingकैसे कैसे हुनरमंद लोगों से भरे हैं हमारे देश के सुदूर अंचल और कैसी क्रूर अवहेलनाओं से न केवल उनका अस्तित्व संकट में है बल्कि वे कला रूप जो एक सभ्यता की कहानी संजोए हुए हैं, अपमानित और अंततः विलुप्त होने की ओर तेज़ी से बढ़ रहे हैं यह सब अपनी आँखों से देखना किसी अज़ाब से काम नहीं था। कलाकारों को उनकी दैनंदिन व्यस्तताओं के बीच एक स्थान पर जुटाना और उनसे वह संगीत सुनाने का आग्रह करना बहुत मुश्किल था क्योंकि यह अब उनके जीने में कोई मदद नहीं कर रहा था। कमेंट बॉक्स में ऐसी ही एक रिकॉर्डिंग सुनी जा सकती है जिनमें लगता है वादक किसी बदले की भावना से साज़ों को बरत रहे हों। 

Text Pramod Singh/Voice Actors Vimal Verma and Irfan/Audio Engineer Anirban Sadhu/2015, Mumbai

Delhi, 28 September 2016

Recorded and Curated by Irfan/More than fifteen years ago, I travelled extensively across Central Uttar Pradesh in search of the authentic yet gradually vanishing sounds of Nautanki ; the immensely popular folk performance tradition that once captivated large parts of India. Beyond entertainment, Nautanki shaped public imagination, social consciousness, and collective memory for generations through its music, poetry, storytelling, and performance.During those journeys, I encountered extraordinary singers, musicians, writers, and performers carrying forward this rich artistic inheritance despite immense hardship and fading patronage. Many of them were struggling simply to survive, even as they preserved a remarkable cultural legacy.This small audio clip is a humble document from that time ; an echo from a vibrant folk world now standing at the edge of disappearance.Photo and Cover: Irfan

Ashok Chaudhary sings Gorakh Pandey's Ghazal/Lokrang, Kushinagar, 8 May 2016/Recorded and Curated by Irfan

Vimal Verma an Actor and Director Share his one of the life anecdote/Recorded and Curated by Irfan/27 May 2016/Kolkata/**Every life carries a few stories that quietly stay with us - moments, encounters, conversations, journeys, surprises, losses, laughter, or revelations that refuse to fade with time.For this ongoing audio series Aur Sunao Guru, I invite friends, comrades, artists, listeners, and fellow travellers to share one such memorable or deeply impressionable anecdote with me.I request them to narrate it in a way that has a beginning, a middle, and an end, so the experience unfolds like a lived moment. A duration of around 6 to 7 minutes would be ideal.What has always fascinated me through these recordings is the unexpected honesty and surprising revelations people often arrive at while remembering. Sometimes a forgotten corner of life suddenly begins to breathe again through voice.I look forward your feedback after listening to these stories.Cover: Irfan

Introduction by Dr Bhupen Singh / Recorded and Curated by Irfan/Haldwani, February 2017/Psychologist Meena Kharkwal offered a deeply insightful lecture and interactive Q&A session exploring the emotional, cultural, and psychological fabric of Uttarakhand’s communities. Moving beyond textbook psychology, the session touched upon collective memory, migration, identity, traditions, resilience, and the subtle behavioural patterns shaped by mountain life. Through lived experiences and thoughtful observations, she highlighted how geography, culture, and community practices influence human psychology in profound ways. The conversation opened a meaningful window into understanding Uttarakhand not merely as a region, but as a living emotional and social landscape.Cover: Irfan

There are journeys that merely take us from one destination to another, and then there are journeys that quietly transform the way we look at humanity itself. My years of travelling across the length and breadth of India and abroad as a journalist have never been limited to assignments, deadlines, cameras, or reports. They have been an ongoing education in human emotions, contradictions, resilience, beauty, and the astonishing plurality of life.Every city, every village, every railway compartment, every tea stall, every backstage corner of a theatre, and every modest household has introduced me to people I had never imagined I would meet. And perhaps that is the greatest gift of travelling with open eyes and receptive ears- the world constantly surprises you. Society reveals itself not merely through headlines or events, but through ordinary individuals carrying extraordinary stories within them.Over time, I realised that my true fascination did not lie only in meeting deadlines or “covering” events. My heart was increasingly drawn towards people- their obsessions, passions, peculiarities, silences, artistic madness, vulnerabilities, and invisible emotional landscapes. Some people devote their lives to preserving a dying musical tradition. Some quietly nurture literature in forgotten towns. Some continue creating despite poverty, loneliness, or complete absence of recognition. There are also those whose tenderness, pain, humour, and courage never become visible to the larger world, yet remain unforgettable once encountered.As a documentarian and storyteller, I often feel that my responsibility extends beyond information. Documentation, for me, is not the mechanical act of recording facts. It is an emotional and ethical process of preserving the fragile textures of human existence before they disappear into silence. Memory is not merely nostalgia; it is continuity. It helps societies remain connected to their emotional, artistic, and moral inheritances.There are countless moments from my journeys that continue to live within me like secret lamps- illuminating my understanding of people and creativity. Many experiences cannot even be fully articulated. Some encounters become deeply personal treasures, impossible to translate entirely into language. They remain within me as guiding lights for an unsuppressable creative impulse that continues to shape my work and my perspective.I have often felt that the world moves too quickly to truly listen. We are surrounded by noise, speed, consumption, and endless distraction. In such a climate, attentive listening itself becomes an act of resistance. To sit with someone, to allow them space to remember, to speak, to sing, to reflect - these are deeply human acts. Through audio, visuals, conversations, interviews, and archival efforts, I try to preserve not only personalities, but also the emotional atmosphere surrounding them.One such memorable moment came while I was working on a documentary exploring the journey of Marathi theatre. During the course of filming, I met at the home of the accomplished singer Shaila Datar. It was one of those gentle, unplanned encounters that remain etched in memory far beyond the formal purpose of the assignment. Prachi displayed immense warmth and kindness towards me, she graciously agreed to hum a few lines in her beautifully trained and tender voice.That small moment may appear insignificant in the larger scheme of things, but for me, it carried the essence of why I continue doing what I do. It was not merely about recording a voice. It was about preserving an atmosphere, a sensitivity, a fleeting human exchange that otherwise would have vanished into time. Cover and Text IrfanSuch moments remind me that documentation is not simply technical work- it is an act of emotional preservation. Read more in Memorywala journal.

Manglesh Dabral recites his Poems | 2015/New Delhi/Recorded and Curated by IrfanBECOME A PATRON : Work on Listen with Irfan takes time, money and hard work to produce. As of now it is being done voluntarily with the family, friends and listeners who came forward for hand holding from its inception.  If you like the Podcasts, admire it, and benefit from its content, please consider awarding us an honorarium to make the future of this Podcast Channel robust and assured. यहाँ आपको मिलती हैं वो दुर्लभ आवाज़ें खुद बोलती, गाती और बहस करती। मनोहर श्याम जोशी, कमलेश्वर, कृष्णा सोबती, बी वी कारंत, शमशेर बहादुर सिंह, बलराज साहनी, अज्ञेय, रसूलन बाई, निर्मल वर्मा, मंगलेश डबराल, राजेंद्र यादव, चंद्रकांत देवताले, भवानी प्रसाद मिश्र, इस्मत चुग़ताई, सत्यदेव दुबे, त्रिलोचन, अमरीश पुरी, इब्राहीम अल्क़ाज़ी, मोहन उप्रेती, गोरख पांडेय, नैना देवी, वीरेन डंगवाल, मन्नू भंडारी, भीष्म साहनी, देवकी नंदन पांडे आदि के अलावा अनगिनत भारतीय और विदेशी समकालीन विचारक, कलाकार, लेखक, कवि और सांस्कृतिक लड़ाके। किताबों पर चर्चा के पॉडकास्ट, संगीत, फिल्म रिव्यू और स्ट्रीट रिकॉर्डिंग्स का एकमात्र पॉडकास्ट मंच। चैनल को फॉलो करने और इस यात्रा के सहयोगी बनने के लिए लिंक कमेंट बॉक्स में है।  Details to support this Podcast Channel i.e. Listen with Irfan :-Bank Name: State Bank Of IndiaName: SYED MOHD IRFANAccount No:32188719331Branch: State Bank of India, Vaishali Sec 4, GhaziabadIFSC–SBIN0013238UPI/Gpay ID irfan.rstv-2@oksbiSupport LwI by contributing:  https://rzp.io/rzp/MemorywalaPayPal ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠paypal.me/farah121116⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 

पीते टाइम मैं कोई रिस्क नहीं लेता   / तारापद राय की बांग्ला कविता का हिंदी अनुवाद / अनुवादक : अनिर्बाण साधू / आवाज़ : इरफ़ान 

Irfan talks to his schooldays friend Ravi. Recorded and produced on 8th May 2026Details to support this Podcast Channel i.e. Listen withIrfan :-Bank Name: State Bank Of IndiaName: SYED MOHD IRFANAccount No: 00000032188719331Branch: State Bank of India, Sansadiya Saudh, New DelhiIFSC–SBIN0003702UPI/Gpay ID irfan.rstv-2@oksbiPayPal ⁠⁠paypal.me/farah121116⁠⁠RazorPay Support Listen with Irfan by making a contribution: ⁠https://razorpay.me/@memorywala⁠Cover Photo and Art: Irfan

Irfan talks to his schooldays friend Ravi. Recorded and produced on 8th May 2026Details to support this Podcast Channel i.e. Listen withIrfan :-Bank Name: State Bank Of IndiaName: SYED MOHD IRFANAccount No: 00000032188719331Branch: State Bank of India, Sansadiya Saudh, New DelhiIFSC–SBIN0003702UPI/Gpay ID irfan.rstv-2@oksbiPayPal ⁠paypal.me/farah121116⁠RazorPay Support Listen with Irfan by making a contribution: https://razorpay.me/@memorywalaCover Photo and Art: Irfan

In conversation with IrfanListen an earlier conversation of 2005 hereRadio Feature on World Theatre Day : Listen HereCover : Irfan

Ek The Bhai | Text Javed Siddiqi | Voice Sher Tookhi /Curation Irfan/I am delighted to present some of the sketches from the book Mere Mohtaram, a compilation of three works-Roshandan, Langarkhana, and Ujale- written by the esteemed Javed Siddiqi. The narration is voiced by US based my dear friend, the passionate bibliophile, cinephile, and an art aficionado Sher Tookhi. I have curated this recording to make the book accessible to those too who are not well-versed in reading Urdu. No copyright infringement is intended. All rights belong to the original owners, and this post is shared for the greater good, with no commercial interest involved.Cover : IrfanCredit to the Photo on Cover Sher TookhiMusic Courtesy Pixabay sigmamusicart-sad-documentary-background-music-520545

Voice Caster and Broadcaster Munish Sharma talks to Irfan, 23 February 2005, New Delhi

Kahani Zindagi Ki, 2025/BBC/Host Irfan

Kahani Zindagi Ki, 2025/Host Irfan

Details to support this Podcast Channel i.e. Listen with Irfan :- Bank Name: State Bank Of India Name: SYED MOHD IRFAN Account No: 00000032188719331 Branch: State Bank of India, Sansadiya Saudh, New Delhi IFSC–SBIN0003702 UPI/Gpay ID irfan.rstv@oksbi PayPal paypal.me/farah121116 RazorPay etc https://irfaniyat.stck.me/

Host and Producer: Irfan

Host and Producer Irfan

Recorded in 2007 Voice and Presentation: Irfan

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