MUSIC

Dying notes

67-Durga-Prasanna Artistic oblivion: Durga Prasanna at the Assi Ghat in Varanasi.

Shehnai, the oboe of north India, has fewer takers, makers and players

Mohammad Yunus, a shehnai-maker in Varanasi, shooed away his sons from his poorly-lit workshop. “Go and study! Get some education. There is no future here,” he told them, as he peered into the bell of the shehnai he was crafting. Not so long ago Yunus used to make a decent living by crafting shehnais. He now gets an order for one or two instruments a month and, hence, has started making percussion instruments like tabla and dhol tasha.

In the age of digital music, the extraordinary notes of the shehnai are no longer coveted in Varanasi, which once used to be filled with shehnai-vaadaks (players). The last few shehnai-vaadaks in Varanasi are facing penury, forcing them to seek other work. There is little initiative from the government or private agencies to help them and preserve the art.

The shehnai, which is made of wood, widens towards the lower end and has six to nine holes. A wind instrument, it has three parts—the reed mouthpiece, the main pipe made of sheesham wood and a bell mouth made of brass. Playing shehnai music requires special talent from the player and excellent craftsmanship from the maker. Even a minor adjustment in the positioning of the hole, they say, could impact the quality of sound. The legendary Ustad Bismillah Khan’s mastery over the instrument raised the status of the shehnai. On August 15, 1947, Khan played the shehnai and delighted everyone who had assembled at the Red Fort in Delhi to hear Jawaharlal Nehru’s famous ‘Tryst with Destiny’ speech. In fact, the Republic Day parade, till a few years ago, was preceded by beautiful melodies by Khan, who died aged 90, in 2006.

The Shehnai entered Indian living rooms through the signature tunes of Akashvani composed by Walter Kaufmann, a Jewish immigrant. Later, Doordarshan used to air the tune played by Ustad Ali Ahmad Hussain Khan, at the inauguration ceremony of the channel in 1973.

68-Mohan-Lal The show must go on: Mohan Lal performs, seated on a boat at the Assi Ghat in Varanasi.

In its heyday, Varanasi used to resonate with the sounds of the shehnai in every nook and cranny. Every house had a shehnai expert, said Mohan Lal, who, till recently used to visit the ghats in the morning to play the shehnai. Today, nobody notices him, but Lal fondly remembers the days when tourists would sit around him, engrossed.

The death of Bismillah Khan was a nail in the coffin for the shehnai. It was Khan who ensured the shehnai got its due even during difficult times. His concerts drew the right crowd, and kept the music alive.

I met Ustad Fateh Ali Khan, who is in his mid 40s. He began playing the shehnai when he was seven. He had just returned from a concert in the UK, and told me there was better appreciation for shehnai overseas. I was taken aback when Khan showed me visa stamps in his passport. Such was the state of shehnai-vaadaks in Varanasi that Khan said people didn’t believe them unless they showed them the proof. “Today, no student wants to learn the instrument. There aren’t any good teachers, too,” said Khan.

Playing the shehnai requires accompaniment. But with few performers left, people like Khan use digital accompaniment for their recitals. Roshan Ali Khan, who is not invited to concerts abroad, has attached himself to a local band from Punjab, which allows him do a recital occasionally.

Shehnai-vaadak Durga Prasanna, 64, teaches music at his home, as he could not survive by playing the shehnai alone. Prasanna said he was finding it tough to make ends meet, as the youth were hooked to western music and instruments.

69-Roshan-Ali-Khan (from left) Roshan Ali Khan, Zarrar Husain and Rajesh perform at Ganga Ghat in Varanasi, where Ustad Bismillah Khan used to play the shehnai.

Said classical singer Soma Ghosh, “Bismillah Khan had once said, Allah agar ilm de toh muqaddar bhi de [If God gives a person talent, he should also bless the person with good fortune].” Ghosh is a Padma Shri recipient who shared a close bond with Khan and is known as his adopted daughter.

Ghosh lives in Mumbai and frequently travels to Varanasi. A project conceived by her—Bismillah Khan Sangeet Gram—will soon come up in Varanasi. The institute will promote and preserve various forms of endangered instruments, dance and traditions of Indian gharanas (schools). Ghosh also has a non-profit organisation, which supports ailing musicians. The Uttar Pradesh government announced that it would provide land for the Bismillah Khan Sangeet Gram.

68-Shehnai-maker Made to last: Shehnai-maker Mohammad Yunus crafting a shehnai; made of wood, it widens towards the lower end and has six to nine holes. It has three parts—the reed mouthpiece, the main pipe made of sheesham wood and a bell mouth made of brass. Even a minor adjustment in the positioning of the hole, could impact the quality of sound.
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Topics : #Varanasi | #music

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