Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan - Laya aur Sur ke Pujari - The worshiper of Laya and Sur

Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan sahab before starting to sing Chhayanat -
[at Pandit Gyan Prakash Ghosh's conference] --

''डर लगता हैं.…
लय और सूर से ... ये बहोत बड़ी चीज़ है.…
हम इसके पुजारी है ... लय और सूर के पुजारी है …
अगर ये मंज़ूर करले हमारी पूजा ... तो मेहेरबानी है अल्लाह की....
और नहीं तो ये हवा के साथ खेलना ... हवा किसीके काबू में नहीं रहती है
बस अल्लाह की मेहेरबानी हो जाती है तो हो जाता है ... ये हमारे बस की बात नहीं..... "

"Dar lagta hain...
laya aur sur se...
yeh bohut bari cheez hai..
hum iske pujari hai... laya aur sur ke pujari hai...
agar yeh manzoor kar le humari puja.. toh meherbani hai Allah ki... .
aur nahi toh yeh hawa ke saath khelna.. hawa kisike kabu mein nahi rehti hai..
bas Allah ki meherbani ho jati hai toh ho jata hai... yeh hamari bas ki baat nahi..."

I had posted this on my Facebook Timeline.

Here is an interesting conversation with my friends on this. A friend of mine, Prof. Ashok Mohapatra has translated the above mentioned observation by Khansahab -

You can listen to the above mentioned concert below. Year 1954
Ustad Inayat Khan on Tabla
Ustad Barkat Ali Khan sahab on Harmonium
Ustad Munawar Ali Khan on vocal support.

Romancing raga Jhinjhoti

Sharing two small clips from two concerts of mine.
Venue 1: Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture, Golpark.
Venue 2: the famous Nat Mandir of Beadon Street Deb House in North Kolkata

I am fortunate to have listened to an hour long recording of Jhinjhoti played by the legendary Sitar and Surbahar maestro Ustad Wahid Khan, my Ustad's grandfather.
I express my gratitude to Mr J. Stevenson who had recorded that in the 70s. Needless to say it's one of the rarest of recordings of the great Ustad.
In our Gharana, raga Jhinjhoti used to be peformed with 'dou (2) Nikhad'.
I was overjoyed when my Guru Ustad Shahid Parvez Khan taught me the same Gat Ustad Wahid Khan had played on the Sitar after finishing the Alap, Jod Alap and Jhala.
I have heard the same Gat from Ustad Imrat Khan as well.

However, here I have performed Jhinjhoti in it's present form.
Raga Jhinjhoti (excerpt from Alap)


Sitar - Subhranil Sarkar - Jhinjhoti (Alap) from Subhranil Sarkar (Sitar spieler) on Myspace.

I am sharing an excerpt from the Beadon Street Nat Mandir concert.

Here is a write-up on the Beadon Street Deb House
http://www.bangalinet.com/traditional_inside_chatubabulatubabu.htm

This Deb House Nat Mandir has been witness to several great performances by great Maestros such as Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, Ustad Amir Khan, Ustad Vilayat Khan, Pandit Ravi Shankar, Ustad Rais Khan, Ustad Imrat Khan, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, Pandit Nikhil Banerjee and several others,
Whenever, one hears recordings from those concerts, one is instantly struck by the impact of the sheer amount of love and hard work musicians had put into their art in that era. That honesty stands out and has always remained an example for the generations that followed..

On the personal front, it was an honour to perform at the Deb House at their invitation.
The clip contains signature patterns of intricate Layakari that my Ustadji does with so much ease.
Mine is a student's offering. Please pardon me if there are mistakes.

Apologies for the distorted sound.
The one doing the recording must have sat too close to the Speakers with a handheld camera. Also, it is a partially open courtyard where they do the concerts. Hence the resultant sound.
Raga Jhinjhoti (excerpt - Gat in Jhaptaal)

Here is a video clip, I found on YouTube which is about the above mentioned evening!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0j-Uu_P66Dw

Evening enjoyed

Some moments from tonight's concert at the Salt Lake Music Festival

Sri Arkendu Mitra (student of Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri was on tabla)

Sri Ashraf Sharif Khan (from Pakistan) had come to listen to me. Had a nice time with him. Incidentally his grandfather Ustad Rahim Khan was a disciple of Ustad Imdad Khan (my Ustad's great-grandfather). And his father Ustad Mohammed Sharif Khan was a disciple of Ustad Wahid Khan (my Ustad's grandfather), as also that of Ustad Enayat Khan (Ustad Vilayat Khan's father).

It's very disturbing and sad what has happened in Peshawar, Pakistan. So many innocent lives lost. And we stand helpless with just two hands to pray for their families. I dedicated my music to them from my core.

Excerpt from a house concert

This Gat (from the Clip shared) is such an incredible composition of my Ustadji! Every time I play this Gat I marvel at the beauty of the composition. How beautifully he has interpreted the Sam of Rupak which happens to be it's Khaali as well and composed a Gat which brings out the colours of both Rupak and Yaman.
I have tried to play a few traditional Sapats of the Etawah Gharana. And, I have tried to play the Taans at 8 times the base Laya ending with Tihais. This, as most music lovers would know, is one of the hallmarks of my Ustadji's music.
A house concert is most enjoyable when there are musicians in your audience! I am happy that there were quite a few musicians there that evening. In such a situation, one thing is certain. There would be knowledgeable people giving 'daad' at the right moments. It makes it more enjoyable for the musician when he/she knows that his/her inner feelings are reaching the audience and they are conversing with him/her through their appreciation.

Raga Yaman - Rupak Taal

Tabla - Debopriyo Sarkar (student of Pandit Anindo Chatterjee)

Magic moments with Ustad Shahid Parvez Khan on stage

Raga Shyam Kalyan

(Jor Jhala)

Ustad Shahid Parvez Khan accompanied by Subhranil Sarkar

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Raga Jhinjhoti
(Vilambit Gat in Jhaptaal)
Ustad Shahid Parvez Khan accompanied by Subhranil Sarkar

Tabla - Hindole Majumdar

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