The Lord must have wept....

Ustad Bismillah Khan saheb is no more. With his passing away we have lost a doyen of Indian Classical music. Ustad Bismillah Khan was single handedly responsible for giving the shehnai the pride of place it enjoys today. He brouught the instrument out from the marriage halls to the rarified heights of the classical music stage. A typical Banarasi – his language, courtesy, simplicity and straight forwardness were legendary. A story goes - narrated by Khan saheb himself - that a certain rich American gentleman once requested him to migrate to the US. To that Khan saheb remarked, "When I am out of the country (India), I see its image wherever I go and when I am in any city in India (Mumbai, Chennai etc) I see images of Benaras. Can you Sir replicate Benaras for me here, with the Ganges, Shivalas and temples. If you can't then I shall have to go back". A deeply religious man who read his namaz 5 times a day, irrespective of where he was, was once asked by Pandit Jasraj what he thought about missing his namaz when he was in the midst of a long recital, replied "Woh hi to asli namaz hai jo Allah kubool karte hai" i.e, "my music is the only prayer that is really accepted by the Lord". There are so many anecdotes about the man that I can't resist putting them down. Once at a musical function Pandit Jasraj was slotted to perform after Ustadji, to which he felt very guilty (in a typical classical music function the juniors are followed by the seniors and a hierarchy is maintained). When Panditji complained to Khan Saheb that the organisers had really goofed up (by scheduling him after the mestro), Khan Saheb told him, and I translate, " Beta (son), the organisers are God's own people and they follow the Lord's dictat (firman) and it is His wish that you perform after me, so why are you feeling bad! Just be yourself and sing".

Khan saheb also, sadly, stands testimony to the apathy we Indians can show to our truly legendary masters. Save for the last minute dash of a Rs. 2.5 lakhs cheque that the PM sent across, the great master lived in penury. At times I wonder if we, as a nation, deserve to have such stalwarts among us. What have we been able to give to such men? Had he been born in US or Europe he would have been able to live a much more comfortable life but then, on second thoughts, there is ‘life’ in India.

Lets us spend a few moments from our busy lives remembering the great master and wish for his blessings.