Bismillah Khan - Harbinger of Hindu - Muslim Shade
By MOHAN SAHAY
As in life as in death Bismillah Khan carries a far deeper social message for Indians in general and the Muslims of India in particular. He was a true Muslim. That Bismillah Khan was a musical wizard and that his ‘shehnai’ cast a spell on audience goes without saying. But his devotion to music, to his shehnai went well beyond concerts. His was a divine play of the instrument. This writer had only one occasion to listen to his live concert at Parliament House in New Delhi few years ago.
Without repeating what already has been said in newspaper columns and televised commentaries, I would confine myself to the maestro’s social message to India.
Music is an art that does not have any religious boundary. In Hindu philosophy, music is divine and is devoted to the Goddess Sarswati – the source of learning. Being a Muslims did not prevent Bismillah Khan from playing Shehnai at the door of Lord Vishwanath – Shiva, the presiding deity of the famous Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varansi even while he was a young artiste. How many Muslims of India even those willing to offer respect and reverence to religion other than Islam can have the courage of conviction to emulate Bismillah Khan? Perhaps none today; or may be a few. Look at the unnecessary and avoidable row over a section of the Muslims refusing to sing the national song ' vande mataram....' which was part of the battle cry for freedom in India.
Soon after the bomb blasts at Sankat Mochasn temple in Varanasi sometime ago, Bismillah Khan had expressed his hurt feelings and recalled he had performed at the Hanuman temple of Sankat Mochan too.
In Varanasi, people not only revered but also held Bismillah Khan in high esteem cutting across the religious divide. It is the tradition of Varanasi’s musical ‘gharanas’ that produced many a great musician and vocalists whose gurus were Muslim.
When Bismillah Khan’s health began to deteriorate, he refused to be flown out of Varansi to Delhi for better medical care and treatment. It was Bismillah’s Khan’s conviction. The Hindus believe that if one dies in Varansi or still better Benaras as the music maestro fondly would call the city, he or she attains the moksha. This belief is not shared by the people of other faith. Even many among the Hindus dismiss such notion as archaic and highly irrational. Many Hindus rubbish such notion about Benaras that has the distinction of non-stop burning pyre at the ghat of the Ganga 24 x 7.
Bismillah Khan had expressed his feelings sometime ago in an interview that he would prefer to die in Benaras. “What a tragedy it would be if I die outside Benaras – the city I love and live in”, he had said. It was not because of Hindu faith, but it was his sheer love for the city and may be some shade of conviction of the piousness of the Ganga and Benaras that convinced him not to live the holy city when the end would come one day; even if that would have meant few extra breathes or may be few hours, days and months. He finally breathed his last and in peace at Benaras.
I noticed a very rich tribute paid by Hari Prasad Chaurasia – the flute maestro to Bismillah Khan in the Indian Express of Delhi today wherein Hari Prasad said that he never played a jugalbandi with Bismillah Khan for he stands nowhere near the Shehnai wizard whom he regarded as his Guru and an outstanding artiste. Hari Prasad recalled how he was asked to play jugalbandi with Bismillah Khan in a music concert which he declined and played first as a ‘shishya’ of Bismillah saheb.
On July 21, 2006 – the day Bismillah Khan died in Varanasi, Hari Prasad had to perform at a musical concert in Mumbai. He was first reluctant to play. But he gave in to the insistence of the organizers. Taking the stage Chaurasia did perform but devoted the concert to the memory of Bismillah Khan.
ends
As in life as in death Bismillah Khan carries a far deeper social message for Indians in general and the Muslims of India in particular. He was a true Muslim. That Bismillah Khan was a musical wizard and that his ‘shehnai’ cast a spell on audience goes without saying. But his devotion to music, to his shehnai went well beyond concerts. His was a divine play of the instrument. This writer had only one occasion to listen to his live concert at Parliament House in New Delhi few years ago.
Without repeating what already has been said in newspaper columns and televised commentaries, I would confine myself to the maestro’s social message to India.
Music is an art that does not have any religious boundary. In Hindu philosophy, music is divine and is devoted to the Goddess Sarswati – the source of learning. Being a Muslims did not prevent Bismillah Khan from playing Shehnai at the door of Lord Vishwanath – Shiva, the presiding deity of the famous Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varansi even while he was a young artiste. How many Muslims of India even those willing to offer respect and reverence to religion other than Islam can have the courage of conviction to emulate Bismillah Khan? Perhaps none today; or may be a few. Look at the unnecessary and avoidable row over a section of the Muslims refusing to sing the national song ' vande mataram....' which was part of the battle cry for freedom in India.
Soon after the bomb blasts at Sankat Mochasn temple in Varanasi sometime ago, Bismillah Khan had expressed his hurt feelings and recalled he had performed at the Hanuman temple of Sankat Mochan too.
In Varanasi, people not only revered but also held Bismillah Khan in high esteem cutting across the religious divide. It is the tradition of Varanasi’s musical ‘gharanas’ that produced many a great musician and vocalists whose gurus were Muslim.
When Bismillah Khan’s health began to deteriorate, he refused to be flown out of Varansi to Delhi for better medical care and treatment. It was Bismillah’s Khan’s conviction. The Hindus believe that if one dies in Varansi or still better Benaras as the music maestro fondly would call the city, he or she attains the moksha. This belief is not shared by the people of other faith. Even many among the Hindus dismiss such notion as archaic and highly irrational. Many Hindus rubbish such notion about Benaras that has the distinction of non-stop burning pyre at the ghat of the Ganga 24 x 7.
Bismillah Khan had expressed his feelings sometime ago in an interview that he would prefer to die in Benaras. “What a tragedy it would be if I die outside Benaras – the city I love and live in”, he had said. It was not because of Hindu faith, but it was his sheer love for the city and may be some shade of conviction of the piousness of the Ganga and Benaras that convinced him not to live the holy city when the end would come one day; even if that would have meant few extra breathes or may be few hours, days and months. He finally breathed his last and in peace at Benaras.
I noticed a very rich tribute paid by Hari Prasad Chaurasia – the flute maestro to Bismillah Khan in the Indian Express of Delhi today wherein Hari Prasad said that he never played a jugalbandi with Bismillah Khan for he stands nowhere near the Shehnai wizard whom he regarded as his Guru and an outstanding artiste. Hari Prasad recalled how he was asked to play jugalbandi with Bismillah Khan in a music concert which he declined and played first as a ‘shishya’ of Bismillah saheb.
On July 21, 2006 – the day Bismillah Khan died in Varanasi, Hari Prasad had to perform at a musical concert in Mumbai. He was first reluctant to play. But he gave in to the insistence of the organizers. Taking the stage Chaurasia did perform but devoted the concert to the memory of Bismillah Khan.
ends
posted by MOHAN SAHAY at 5:30 PM
1 Comments:
Though I agree that Rani's role in KANK was not convincing, I think it is more of a reflection of Karan Johar's mediocrity than anything else. What Karan excels in is showing & selling grandeur, that's it!
I think, among the five leading lights of the this film, Rani deserved at least the third most powerful role, because Big B & SRK are in a class of their own! Rani's obvious talents have been wasted in this film, where she managed to bag the weakest role of the five!
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