The passing of a great soul from our midst is a reminder of the kind of qualities that make a person’s memory immortal. Being wealthy in the material sense is certainly not one of them. So what lives on? The wealth of knowledge shared, perhaps, or the memories of beautiful moments, or (with a little help from technology) the music wrought through hard work and sublime sensibilities. In the case of sarangi maestro Ustad Sabri Khan, who breathed his last week, all three apply abundantly. In his passing we have lost one more titan who saw India grow from a colony of the British Raj to a sovereign nation, one more silent pillar who contributed his unique knowledge to the building of India’s cultural identity.
Not all great artists can also be great teachers and pass on the art to later generations. And not all teachers qualify as gurus. Again, in the case of Ustad Sabri Khan, this accomplishment seems to apply. He not only reached pinnacle of performing success, he also created a legion of good sarangi players and guided them in a way of life he believed in, says his son and well known sarangi exponent Kamal Sabri.
“He was a unique personality who created good music himself and moulded disciples who also did good work. And he was happy in their success, he didn’t grudge it,” says Kamal. “He was the kind of person who took his career forward while also teaching his disciples how to move ahead keeping in mind one’s principles. He told them if you work with honesty, Allah will surely reward you,” he adds.
The ustad, born in 1927, was among those who had an important place in the celebrations of India’s Independence. “When Lord Mountbatten announced that India had become Independent at midnight on August 15, 1947, he was in Parliament hall and played Vande Mataram,” says Kamal.
The ustad began playing for All India Radio at the age of 12, says his son, and he gave 50 years of his life to the national broadcaster. Long after retirement though, he remained immersed in music till the very end.
Besides Kamal, several of the other members of the ustad’s family have become musicians of repute. These include his sons, Sarwar Sabri and Gulfam Sabri; and his grandsons Suhail Yusuf Khan and Nabeel who play the sarangi, Faisal and Shariq who play the tabla, and Junaid who plays the guitar. Apart from close family, he is credited with having taught a large number of sarangi exponents who made successful careers for themselves in India and abroad. If not directly his teaching, his example and his music influenced at least two generations of aspirants.
Murad Ali, the well known young sarangi exponent, son and disciple of Ustad Ghulam Sabir Khan, speaking eloquently of the personal and musical qualities of Ustad Sabir Khan, mentions that his father too learnt under the ustad.
Kamal adds, “Today, the largest number of sarangi players across the world are his shagirds.”
However, says Kamal, his father was the kind of person who “just never considered himself great.”
Here, renowned musicians pay their tribute to the samrat of sarangi.
Pandit Dhruba Ghosh (sarangi exponent)
Sabri Khan sahab was renowned for his fidelity to chaste traditional sarangi. He had become a benchmark for traditional sarangi accompaniment and solo recitals.
He was a favourite accompanist of many vocalists and had supported the legendary masters who were very much senior to him in age and he had the humility to accompany several junior vocalists as well.
The world of sarangi will miss an acknowledged stalwart.
My salutations to Khan Sahab. May the Almighty grant him eternal peace.
Pandit Madhup Mudgal (Hindustani vocalist and Principal, Gandharva Mahavidyalaya)
He was a truly great accompanist. I was privileged to have sung on All India Radio with his sarangi accompaniment. And as a soloist too he made a great name for himself. I remember him with a smile on his face always. He always had nice words for everyone and never spoke ill of others.
Murad Ali (sarangi exponent)
To speak words in praise of Ustad Sabri Khan sahab is like holding a candle to the sun. In terms of contribution to the art of sarangi, he and Pandit Ram Narayan are at the same level. You cannot talk of the sarangi without mentioning him. My father learnt from him for a few years, so he was like a guru to me too. No one can ever take the place of Ustad Sabri Khan. I don’t think there will ever be another sarangi nawaz like Sabri Khan.
Kamal Sabri (sarangi exponent, son and disciple of Ustad Sabri Khan)
As an accompanist he has played alongside all the greatest musicians of every gharana. He played Dhrupad on the sarangi, which is considered an impossible feat. He accompanied the elder Dagar Brothers as well as the later generations.
He played in orchestras. He also played with (violin maestro) Yehudi Menhuin, in 1970 in the U.S. and then on All India Radio. He also worked with the Beatles in the late 1960s. He was a visiting professor at the University of Washington (in the department of ethnomusicology) in the early ‘80s. He did all these things before any others had done so, travelling to places we hadn’t even heard of. Who knew Baltimore, for example, back then?
Besides Hindustani Khayal, he also played Thumri, Dadra, Chaiti, Kajri and other forms in a way that made it seem easy. The sarangi is known as the sau-rangi (an instrument of a hundred colours). And he brought colours out of it that no one has seen before.
Ustad Iqbal Ahmed Khan (Hindustani vocalist)
I am saddened to hear about the demise of sarangi maestro Ustad Sabri Khan Sahab. He was a great artist and an incredible human being. It’s the end of an era and a huge loss to the music fraternity. He will be sorely missed.
