The news of Ustad Rais Khan’s demise saddened the music lovers of both the classical and film music. He was as popular in the classical concert circuit as playing for films especially for the songs composed by Madan Mohan. His “Ghunghroo toot gaye….” song had become so popular that he would often sing on request and even conclude his concert with the composition. An interesting anecdote comes to mind mentioned by Sheila Dhar in her book. Both Rais Khan and Begum Akhtar were once invited to perform at a festival. When Ustad Rais Khan started to sing a ghazal at the end of his concert, Begum Sahiba said, “Tumhara kaam hai sitar bajaana, mera kaam hai ghazal gaana. Tum apna kaam karo main apna” (you are invited to play sitar and I for singing ghazal. Let’s do our own things).
Pandit Debu Chaudhuri feels, “He was the most talented sitar player of his generation with great command on his instrument. He could play the ‘harkats’ (complicated nuanced techniques) which were beyond imagination. I have never seen that kind of control in any sitariya. This loss can never be fulfilled.”
Son of Ustad Mohammad Khan, a gifted sitariya from Bande Ali Khan Beenkar tradition; Rais Khan was a talented and rare child prodigy. Over the years, he gradually became a sensational sitar player, who was always in news.
Ustad Amjad Ali Khan feels sad over his demise and says, “He was a multidimensional handsome artiste. On sitar both his hands were ‘nar’ (male) and equally ‘taiyyar’ (strong). He had as much control over his right hand as on the left. In films, he took over after Ustad Abdul Haleem Jaffar Khan and played a lot for composers like Madan Mohan, O.P. Nayyar and Ghulam Mohammed.”
“We played jugalbandi (duet) for the first time in 1960 in the Haridas Sangeet Sammelan, Mumbai. It became such a hit that we were invited to many more conferences from Patna to Benaras. I still remember the Sangeet Parishad conference in Benaras, accompanied on tabla by Pandit Kishan Maharaj on our left and Pandit Sharda Sahay on the right. But then I left playing with him because of our differences of opinion.”
Disturbing comment
How can one forget his disturbing comment while leaving for Pakistan: “The Muslim musicians are not treated well in India”. It resulted in an urgent press conference at the India International Centre where maestros like Ustad Fahimuddin Khan Dagar, Ustad Asad Ali Khan, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Ustad Shafaat Khan and the likes condemned him contradicting his statement. They wished he had half the control over his tongue as he had over his hands.
Amjad Ali Khan recalls, “Many years later, he called me from Karachi. I asked from where was he speaking? Pat came his reply, “Jehennum se”. He was right, a place where there is no appreciation for music is no less than hell for a musician. It was really unfortunate. Let us pray his soul rest in peace.”
He did go to Pakistan grudgingly but the music lovers of India always welcomed him whenever he came to perform here. His bitterness also melted down when he was invited to perform at the Parliament. That evening he showcased his son Irfan for his debut performance in India and requested the audience to bless his son as they have encouraged him in his younger days. In fact, he was quite nostalgic remembering the good old days and meeting old friends and admirers. Though the discerning audience felt that the music they had came for, has not remained the same after his leaving India, for obvious reasons. The creativity of a musician is inspired by the encouraging ‘daad’ (appreciation) of the audience on appropriate places, resulting into impromptu improvisations. His music had wilted away in the absence of this tonic and so did his health.
Pandit Nayan Ghosh says, “The tonal quality of his sitar was unique. My father Pandit Nikhil Ghosh used to say “his ‘Teep’ is zabardast, just like Bahadur Khan (cousin of Ustad Ali Akbar Khan). His melodiousness was such that he put ‘Char-Chaand’ to whichever film song he played for. Unke haathon ki mithas ka koi jawab nahin tha par unki kuchh kadwi baaton ne mahaul bigaad diya’.”
The negative remarks he had made about Ustad Vilayat Khan publicly went against him. Most of the senior musicians knew very well that he was the favourite nephew of Vilayat Khan, who literally pampered him in his childhood and always encouraged him as a talented musician of his own gharana.
However, the fact remains that his strikingly melodious sitar in many of the Madan Mohan songs sung by Lata Mangeshkar like “Nainon mein badra chhaye” or “Mairee main kase kahoon” continues to capture all your attention. He is no more but many of his classical recordings and the film songs he played for, will keep his memory alive.
