A jugalbandi kept the elite audience spellbound at Rashtrapati Bhavan, and ended to an overwhelming applause. It was the year 2006, and the then President of India Abdul Kalam was among the listeners. It was a duet by shehnai maestro Bismillah Khan and his manasputri, Soma Ghosh, a leading exponent of classical music. Ustad Bismillah Khan, who always refused to perform with other singers, including Lata Mangeshkar, discovered a daughter in Soma Ghosh, whose melodious voice resonated like a shehnai.
A tentative proposal on the cards for Ustad’s centenary, which began on March 21, is the Bismillah Khan Memorial Lecture by film maker Goutam Ghose, and the screening of his documentary.
Remembers Soma Ghosh, “Khansaab was a true father figure to me. I don’t have words to describe the affection he had for me. I am proud to be the only vocal artist who performed jugalbandis with him. We first performed together at Nehru Centre, Mumbai, in 2002, and then at the Parliament in 2003. Our last concert was at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in 2006. He had divine musical powers.”
The great shehnai player’s mind was rooted in India. He never dreamt of shifting out his hometown Varanasi, unlike Ravi Shankar and Ali Akbar Khan, who migrated to the U.S. Ustad Bismillah Khan’s shehnai, like Ustad Vilayat Khan’s sitar, could spell musical revolution and soothe restless minds. Pious, Ustad Bismillah Khan had respect for all religions. He was not temperamental and never compromised on values. When composer Vasant Desai requested him to play for the background score of ‘Gunj Uthi Shehnai,’ he was initially reluctant.
Desai finally got the maestro to perform, after days of persuasion. The result was magic. A section of intellectuals felt Ustad Bismillah Khan’s modesty was a mere pose. But Khansaab did not care about inane criticism. In fact, he once admitted to Salil Chowdhury that he was not interested in playing the shehnai for films after ‘Gunj Uthi Shehnai’ as he found the atmosphere artificial. For Satayajit Ray, he made an exception and appeared in Ray’s ‘Jalsaghar’ as he could relate to the filmmaker.
His inspiration was his Mamujan (maternal uncle). This has been well depicted in the docudrama, ‘Yaadein Bismillah,’ written and directed by Subhankar Ghosh. The director was overjoyed at being able to capture the myriad moods of the icon. Two decades prior to Ghosh, director and cinematographer Goutam Ghose shot a brilliant documentary on the Ustad. Says Ghose, “His eyes had a hypnotic effect when he performed and his childlike nature was so touching.”
Very few know that the likes of Bhimsen Joshi and Naushad were moved to tears listening to Khansaab’s performance. Satayajit Ray once commented, “Khansaab’s shehnai creates an effect which neither an oboe nor a piccolo can.” While performing, he wears his trademark white or black cap. Ustad Bismillah Khan never craved for undue favours or the limelight. As music director Khayyam says, “Musicians of the nature of Bismillah Khan exist no more. To him his shehnai was everything.” Ustad Bismillah Khan will be remembered worldwide for casting a divine spell with his instrument.
