For shehnai player Hassan Haider, childhood memories flash by. “I was only three or four years old when I developed this desire to repair my father’s reject shehnais,” recalls Haider. “A year or so later, he once quietly stood on the stairs without my knowledge, and heard me attempt some tune.”
Haider’s father was the renowned Kolkata-based shehnai maestro Ustad Ali Ahmad Hussain Khan, known not only for his solo recitals, but also for his jugalbandis with sitar maestro Ustad Vilayat Khan and ace violinist Pandit V.G. Jog, besides his performance on Pandit Ravi Shankar’s Doordarshan signature tune. Haider belongs to the Seni gharana, and his great-grandfather Ustad Wazir Ali Khan was the first to demonstrate Indian classical music on the shehnai at the Buckingham Palace, London.
Khan- saab passed away after a prolonged illness last year, and Haider is now carrying forward the legacy. Today, he learns from Imdadkhani gharana sitar exponent Pandit Arvind Parikh, the senior most disciple of Ustad Vilayat Khan. “Parikh -ji’ s command over sur is amazing. His playing touches the soul. The styles of both our gharanas are very similar, so for me it was like going from one home to another,” says Haider. He will perform on the second day of Saz-e-Bahar: Indian Instrumental Music to be held on April 7 and 8. The line-up also includes tabla maestro Yogesh Samsi, violinist M. Narmadha and sitar player Shakir Khan.
Growing up in Kolkata and attending his father’s concerts, Haider was lucky to see many other great musicians. He remembers, “Once my father was convinced I was ready to learn, he repaired an old shehnai and taught me. I also remember the beating I got in my very first lesson, as I was just not getting my finger position right. But that helped me for the rest of my life.”
Those days, the world of shehnai was ruled by Ustad Bismillah Khan. Haider says, “He was a great player and thanks to him, the instrument became hugely popular. Our style is very different from his, and even the tone isn’t the same. Yet, I love listening to his recordings and have admired his approach to melody.”
‘Not only wedding music’
Asked why there are fewer shehnai players in the next generation as compared to the sitar and bansuri, Haider says, “There is no shortage of demand, actually. But the shehnai requires a different approach towards taleem . A lot of younger students think it’s only a wedding music instrument, when it’s actually much, much more. Practising it requires plenty of hard work and total dedication.” While Haider’s focus is on classical music, he has also worked on fusion projects and film tunes. “Tabla player Tanmoy Bose has a fusion group where I regularly play. I have appeared on many Bengali film songs and in Bollywood, have played in the forthcoming, Begum Jaan , which has music by Anu Malik.”
Though he has had shows at the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Chowpatty, in the past, the instrumentalist hopes to play more in Mumbai. “Saturday’s concert is something I am looking forward to, and there are other wonderful musicians in the schedule,” he says.
Now in its eighth edition, Saz-e-Bahar has tried to showcase very talented musicians, and use a balanced mix of instruments. Thus, this year’s schedule will feature the string-plucked sitar, the string-bowed violin, the air-blown shehnai and the percussion instrument tabla. Dr. Suvarnalata Rao, programming head —Indian music, National Centre for the Performing Arts, says, “Each artiste featured this year comes from a distinguished musical pedigree, and their craft is thus very nuanced and rich.” On both days of the festival, Dr. Rao will present a pre-event talk on specific instruments presented on the respective days.
Shakir Khan is the son of sitar virtuoso Ustad Shahid Parvez, and Narmadha is the daughter of legendary Carnatic violinist M.S. Gopalakrishnan. Samsi has been a senior disciple of tabla great Ustad Allarakha Qureshi. Both days will begin with a 20-minute talk by Rao, describing the instruments scheduled. “It’s important to inform audiences about the special features of each instrument as that will improve their level of appreciation,” she says.
Saz-e-Bahar: Festival Of Indian Music will be held at Godrej Dance Academy Theatre, NCPA, Nariman Point, on April 7 and 8 at 7 p.m. More details at bookmyshow.com
