Crooner Belaal Patel – His Musical Journey and Our Nostalgia
By Ras H. Siddiqui
Music and songs in the many languages of South Asia never really leave us immigrants. Our many decades of living in America have only helped us appreciate them even more. Just like people here look back fondly to the years of Elvis, Tom Jones, Nat King Cole and many more, we from Pakistan and India, some of whom are now senior citizens, look back and are found humming the songs of Lata Mangeshkar, Noor Jehan, Mehdi Hassan, Rafi Sahib, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and of course Kishore Kumar.
It is only natural that these songs from our youth remain with us. And this nostalgia is enough for us to occasionally get together at gatherings over beverages, a meal, or snacks to relive the old connections through live performances.
Just recently a singer by the name of Belaal Patel performed at a series of events in the Sacramento region, first at a fundraiser, then at a private residence, and finally a commercial ticketed performance. Blind since birth Belaal reminds us of America’s Stevie Wonder and Ray Charles. He belongs to a Gujrati speaking (Memon) migrant family from Karachi. And for a series of amazing reasons, he became a devotee of India’s late singing superstar, Kishore Kumar ((1929-1987), whom he tries to emulate, and succeeds.
It is no secret that there are political differences between India and Pakistan which have kept the people separated. But cultural overlaps are still many, and a bridge remains through Hindi, Urdu, and Punjabi language, poetry, and centuries of great music. A pre-teen (at the time), Belaal, a sight challenged kid from Pakistan, developed a devotion to Kishore Sahib and found his calling by crossing the border to pursue it. For most South Asians in the old days, the songs from India’s “Bollywood” film industry travelled across the border via radio to Pakistan and its own “Lollywood” film voices similarly returned the favor to India. Belaal was so motivated by Kishore Kumar songs that he has made it a lifelong project to excel in reproducing the voice of someone whom he regrets never to have met.
We witnessed the results of Belaal Patel’s devotion in Sacramento at the three venues with varying people in attendance. The longest performance by him was at the commercial event held on Friday, March 3, 2023, which was attended by people from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. What turned out to be lucky for us, Shakila Ahmed who is from Bangladesh and one of the finest Ghazal singers in this region and an old friend of Belaal’s, was also present at this event. This generated at least two Bengali songs from him in her honor. Some may not be aware but Kishore Kumar himself was an ethnic Bengali.
Event emcee Dr Firdos Sheikh had this to add. Belaal Patel is truly an inspiration. He is visually challenged but has turned his handicap into a commanding skill. His voice is soulful, clear and reaches your heart. She said that he not only has a voice akin to the legendary Kishore Kumar but has an attitude that is awe inspiring. He has a happy and positive demeanor that is contagious!
To conclude here, these performances were well-received. Belaal, armed only with a keyboard and a wonderful voice, belted out some of our favorite songs from the 1970’s and 80’s which the late yodeling master Kishore had already made memorable.
