There cannot be another Bismillah Khan
(No Ratings Yet)There cannot be another Bismillah Khan saab. His death is a big loss to the music world. Having said that, I also think an artist never dies - they keep living in the minds of the people through their work. And Bismillah Khan saab will always be remembered for the work he has left behind.
Khan saab was from Varanasi and I am also from there. I knew him since I was a child. Both my mother and grandmother knew him very well. I grew up hearing his music. He was a great musician. I feel proud in saying that I belong to the same place where such a great musician lived.
He did quite a few jugalbandis with my mother Siddeshwari Devi. I was also fortunate enough to get an opportunity to perform with him. In 1985, there was a charity show in Varanasi and we performed together on stage. When he was told that I am going to sing on stage with him, he said, “First, I want to hear her sing, so call her.” I went to his place and sang. He liked my signing but said, “I will perform with you only on one condition - you will have to match the pitch of my shehnai.”
I went home practiced very hard came back to his house and sang again. He okayed it. When I went on stage I was apprehensive because I was going to sing with such a great musician for the first time. I told him I am very nervous. He said, “Don’t worry, you will do well.”
And then we did the jugalbandi - I would sing first and then he would play the same tune on his shehnai. We were also accompanied by Vaidyanathji - he was a great sarangi player. Thankfully, the show turned out to be a huge success. And everybody appreciated it.
After the show he told me it was one of his best shows and blessed me. And I still remember his blessings.
Earlier, shehnai was just a part of weddings, Ram Naumi and other festivals. But it was Khan saab who took it to such great heights. He really worked hard for it. First he learnt classical music as it is essential for every musician. Then he started using classical ragas on his shehnai. After that he incorporated chota khayal and bada khayal and then started doing jugalbandis.
He was an honest man. He never used to discriminate against people on the basis of caste or creed. He was an artist above all this. He used to worship his work. Also, Khan saab always encouraged good talent.
He was a very good human being. We met at many occasions and would chat a lot. He was very fond of singing too. While talking he would break into song and his all-time favourite was “kajori gali”, a Mirzapuri song. He was a good singer too and would enunciate the ‘bols’ very well.
Varanasi is a Hindu pilgrimage city but for the people there he was an artist, nothing else. You can understand this from the fact that he used to practise on the banks of the holy river Ganga and frequently performed at the Kashi Vishwanath temple there.
I remember an interesting incident. There was a wedding in Varanasi and Khan saab was invited to perform there. I was also invited. We went there and Khan saab started playing the shehnai, but people were too busy to concentrate. Hence Khan saab couldn’t concentrate. He asked me “What’s happening here?” Then I picked up the microphone and introduced him. After that everybody settled down and enjoyed his music in rapt attention.
He performed all over the world and his fans are spread across the globe. He will always be remembered as a great artist. He was a thorough professional too. He had a good understanding of his profession and always handled it well.
(The author is herself an acclaimed Hindustani classical singer and daughter of legendary thumri queen Siddheshwari Devi. This column - as told to Arpana - is her tribute to legendary shehnai maestro Bismillah Khan, who died of cardiac arrest Monday at a hospital in Varanasi at age 91.) — IANS
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