Batuk Diwanji pays tribute to
celebrated vocalist and composer Ustad Khadim Hussain Khan who died last month.
January 11 was a sad day for the lovers
of classical music because it was that day that celebrated vocalist Ustad Khadim Hussain
Khan, a memorable Guru and composer, breathed his last, living behind a legacy of a 110
choice Bandishes.
Indian classical music is based on
tradition and one cannot question why just a few notes are taken in a particular Raga,
that too in a certain sequence. Moreover, the purity of the Raga is an essential feature
of this music and requires the existence of Gurus with a rich Guru-Shishya Parampara.
The Agra Gharana is justly famous for the
purity of its Ragas as many maestros of this Gharana, like Kallan Khan, Ghulam Abbas Khan,
Natthan Khan, Faiyaz Khan and Vilayat Hussain, were noted for the purity of the Ragas they
chose to sing. Khadim Hussian also belonged to this category.
The number of Gurus who can impart
training to their pupils with proper stress on the purity of the Ragas is fast dwindling,
accentuating the loss suffered by classical music following the demise of Khadim Hussain.
General impression prevails among Rasikas
that Khadim Hussain was more a teacher than a singer. This is because he retired quite
early from the performing arena due age and ill health. Moreover, his proficiency in
Layakari was beyond the comprehension uninitiated listener. Those who have heard him in
his heyday remember his performance to date. He was second to none in the rendition of
rare Ragas such as Khem Kalyan, Malati Basant, Kukubh Bilawal and various lesser known
Prakaras of Malhar and Kanada. He was adept at singing Roopakali Alap and Dhamars with
intricate Layakari. His Dhamar in Raga Samant Sarang which he sang at an Akashvani
National Programme, is remembered even today by those who heard him.
Over 50 years ago, Ustad Faiyaz Khan’s
programme was scheduled to be broadcast from the Bombay station of Akashwani. My friend,
the late Satyendra Trivedi, who was very knowledgeable about music and had very good
relations with many renowned musicians, had come to my residence to hear the maestro. When
I switched on the radio, the Alap in Rage Megh Malhar had already commenced. The quality
of the music was superb but we both wondered why the force in Faiyaz Khan’s voice was
absent. It was only at the hour-long recital following the radio announcement that we came
to know that the singer was not Faiyaz Khan but Khadim Hussain was substituting. We were
amazed at the artistry of this artiste who had led us to believe we were listening to
Faiyaz Khan’s music. Can one say that a vocalist who could sing like Faiyaz Khan was
not an artiste par excellence.
Khadim Hussain was born 90 years ago in a
village called Atrauli in Aligarh District. Many great artistes like Ustad Mehboob Khan,
Ustad Alladiya Khan, Ustad Natthan Khan and Vilayat Hussain belonged to Atrauli and the
locality where they lived was known as Mousiqui Mohalla (Music Street).
Many of Khadim Hussain’s ancestors
were top ranking musicians. His father, Altaf Hussain, was a court musician in Jaipur but
died young. Khadim Hussain was put under the tutelage of his grand uncle Kallan Khan, who
was also was a court musician in Jaipur. His Talim lasted about twelve hours everyday
until the early hours of the morning. Kallan Khan was a hard taskmaster and when the young
Khadim Hussian would start dozing, he would empty a Lota of cold water on him. The young
Khadim Hussain soon learnt to loosen the strings of his Tanpura so that he could spend
some time readjusting them. When his Guru learnt about this trick, he flung a pair of iron
tongs at the boy living a permanent scar on his thumb.
The Talim lasted about 12 years, at the end to which
Khadim Hussain emerged as a full-fledged musician with a vast repertoire of Raga and
Bandishes in Dhrupads, Dhamars, and Khayal. Moreover, many renowned musicians would be
invited to perform at the Darbar of the Maharaja and Khadim Hussain got the opportunity to
listen to their music and imbibe some of the its finer points.
Once Khadim Hussain’s Guru heard a
beggar singing out in the street in a plaintive voice. He at once stopped the Talim,
called the beggar in and made him sing for some time after which he rewarded him and asked
him to go. He then told Khadim Hussain that one should keep an open mind and learn from
every available source.
Khadim Hussain’s greatest
contribution to music is his 110 splendid Bandishes, some of which are truly excellent.
They contain a delightful play of Swara and Laya and captivate the listener. Moreover,
each of them contains the quintessence of that particular Raga. in this respect, Bandishes
in the Ragas Poorva, Khem Kalyan, Khambavati, Lalita Gauri and Ramdasi Malhar are
particularly noteworthy. Most of the Bandishes are in Brijbhasha and are couched in poetic
language.
Krishna can be said to be the most
romantic figure in the history of the world and has inspired countless dancers, painters
and musicians. Many Muslim musicians such as Mehboob Khan "Daras Piya", Kale
Khan "Saras Piya", Faiyaz Khan "Prem Piya", Vilayat Hussain "Pran
Piya" and others have composed Bandishes on the loves of Krishna. Khadim Hussain was
no exception. His nom de plume was Sajan or Sajan Piya.
Some of the Krisha songs composed by
Khadim Hussain are Dekho Shamne Mori Bahiyan Gahere in Raga Bageshri,
Sanvare se Mun Laga
Ri More Mayi in Raga Purba and Murali Manoharne Mora Mun Har Lino, a Khamaj Thumri.
Some years back, a person of music had
done recordings of Khadim Hussain covering 100 Ragas, including many rare Ragas and
Prakars.
The number of Khadim Hussain’s pupils
is legion and includes well-known artistes of the past and present like Saraswati
Faterpekar, Krishna Udyavar, Vatsala Kumthekar, and his brothers Anwar Hussain and Latafat
Hussain, Aslam Khan, Babanrao Haldankar, Vasantrao Kulkarni, Raja Miyan, Lalit Rao, G. D.
Agni and Padmaja Punde. He also taught his grandsons, Mohsin Khan and Ahsan Ahmed, and
cousin Amanat Khan, all up -coming artistes of great promise.
Khadim Hussain was recipient of Padmashree
award, the Maharashtra Grvernment Award and Pension, the Sangeet Research Academy Award,
the Sangeet Natak Academy Award and the Gaurav Puraskar constituted by the Maharashtra
Government. To my knowledge no other musician of the past or present had received such
encomiums.
About five years back, Khadim Hussain was
stricken by paralysis and was bedridden. But he remained mentally alert and retained his
memory to a remarkable degree. He would regale visitors with his experience in the music
world and with anecdotes of musicians of long ago.
By a cruel degree of fate, Khadim Hussain
was destined to mourn the death of his wife, brothers Anwar Hussain and Latafat Hussain,
and cousins Yunus Hussain and Sharafat Hussain. These bereavements caused his great
distress but he received the loving care of his family members who strove to make his life
easy for him throughout his illness.
-Batuk Dewanji.
The Independent, Thursday, 11th February 1993.
Khadim Hussain, vocalist, dead
(by Mohan Nadkarni)