The sudden demise of Ustad Hashmat Ali Khan, a renowned tabla exponent and a revered Guru of Ajrada Baaj, came as a shock to the music fraternity. He was a visible face in the concert circuit of the Capital. He made it a point not to miss any performance, especially by young artistes, vocal, instrumental or even dance concerts. He stayed till the end and always encouraged youngsters. I remember the opportunity that came my way to interview him for the Sangeet Natak Akademi’s documentation, in front of the invited audience where the floor space was occupied by at least 50 of his students of different age groups. The interview was in a lecture-cum-demonstration format and he had come with two of his disciples representing two generations – his son Akram Khan and grandson Zargham (Akram’s son) for demonstration.
He first informed the audience that the Ajrada Baaj is one of the six main schools of tabla playing. He then explained the salient features of his specific style and the way or the sequence in which a solo presentation is performed in this gharana. He not only deliberated upon but also gave a live demonstration of what Ajrada Gharana is known for or what is the specific ‘Nikas’ of the Bols in this style. The aalap like peshkar, the varied qaidas of his gharana, the rela, fard, gat, paran, where all three of them joined the demonstration together. Then he explained the nuances of saath-sangat and variety of ‘laggi’, played in the concluding segment of a thumri or dadra.
Many a times he would share his childhood memories of the Baroda Durbar, where his grandfather Ustad Shafi Khan was a ‘mulazim’ as a musician like Aftab-e-Mausiqi Ustad Faiyaz Khan, the legendary vocalist of the Agra Gharana, Ustad Nisar Hussain Khan and Kanthe Maharaj. The ICCR had sent him to Guyana to teach the art of tabla and propagate Hindustani music there.He had joined the Bharatiya Kala Kendra, as a faculty member, way back in 1972. He remembered how Ustad Hafiz Ali Khan encouraged him to join this institution when Naina Devi interviewed him. As a thanks giving gesture, he used to go to his place after dinner, to make young Amjad (Ustad Amjad Ali Khan) practice sarod with his tabla sangat.
He established the Tabla Academy of Ajrada Gharana in 2008 and trained a number of students including his own grandsons Zuheb, Zaheen and Zargham.
‘Affectionate yet strict’
Ustad Akram Khan remembers him fondly regretting that he left so suddenly that he didn’t get a chance to serve him.“We all had dinner and watched cricket together discussing the game. He was fond of cricket. He was so affectionate as a father but equally strict as a teacher. He would make us do regular riyaz at least for 4-5 hours a day. He took it upon himself to spread the Ajrada Baaj at home and abroad. He conceived the peshkar and qaida as a raga like Malkauns and Patdeep. As one does badhat in raga sequentially Rishabh, Gandhar, similarly we go in peshkar or qaida. This can go for half an hour or even two hours as the time permits. Like a raga has the swaras and you can’t use other than the swaras prescribed for that raga, in the same way we use the bols of peshkar, where you follow the same rule sticking to those bols only. Dilli Baaj is taiyari ka Baaj but Ajrada has both the medium tempo and faster, the ‘sulaf’ ke qaida also. And every tempo has its own set of qaidas. He was not a miser in spreading the treasures of his gharana. I only hope that the next generation takes benefit of all that he has bequeathed so generously.”
