Ustad Khadim Hussain Khan, the oldest
titan of the Agra Gharana, died at the Bhatia hospital after a prolonged illness.
He was nearing his nineties. He is
survived by his only daughter, who is the wife of the well-known sitarist, Shameem Ahmed
Khan.
It is tragic that even while he remained
bed-ridden, suffering from paralysis and several old-age ailments for many years, the
Ustad was also fated to suffer from a series of bereavements. Those who predeceased him
included his wife, his younger brother and disciple, Latafat Hussain Khan, besides
Sharafat Hussain Khan and Yunus Hussain Khan, to who he looked as inheritors of the Agra
Khandaan to carry the tradition forward through propagation and teaching.
Ustad Khadim Hussain Khan came from Uttar
Pradesh, but made Bombay his permanent home since the late twenties, and taught
innumerable students. Besides Latafat Hussain Khan, mentioned earlier, his other
disciples, like the late Saraswati Bai Phatarpekar, Vatasalabai Kumtekar and Jyotsna Bhole
made their mark in their time.
Sadly, a large number of his protégés
chose to settle down as housewives. The few exceptions belong to the younger category and
include S. S. Haldankar, a scholar-musician and teacher, Suman Waravadekar, Padmaja Punde
and Lalith Rao, who, despite her high academic attainments, has pursued music as a
full-time career and come to be ranked among the top notchers in the field today.
The Ustad was far more widely known as an
ideal teacher than as a concert performer. Although he had been a broadcaster since the
inception of AIR, he made teaching his life's mission. In that role, he generously shared
his vidya with his shishyas in the true manner of a traditional guru.
A stickler for perfection, he firmly
believed that sar-ka-lagao was the very basis of tru musical expression. He never tried of
impressing on his disciples that one had first to master the swara, since it provided the
most solid foundation for the edifice of musical architecture.
It is not widely known that the Ustad was
also a composer of great merit that he had to his credit an impressive line-up of ragas
and cheejas (compositions) - the latter written under the name "Sajan Piya".
Recognition came to the Ustad pretty late
in life. In 1979, he earned the double distinction - the Maharashtra State Award and the
much-coveted Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in appreciateion of his services to traditional
music. Then came the Padma Bhushan in 1983, followed by the prestigious Tansen Sammelan
from the government of Madhya Pradesh in 1986. In between, he was also awarded a
fellowship of the Sangeet Research Academy.
Yet, to the manner born, such
distinctions made no difference to him. He remained unchanged as a respected Ustad. Short
and slightly-built, he continued to wear his dhoti, kurta and roughly-spun jacket in the
old-world, carefree but delightfully familiar manner. Even while he was in his seventies,
one would witness him boarding a bus with surprising agility in his anxiety to reach his
disciples residence in time!
One would have to listen to the Ustad to
believe that he was also a raconteur par excellence. When in his mood, he would keep his
listeners spell-bound with interesting stories of his early experiences when he was a
performer in the making. He would always have a word of praise for his conferes and
encouragement to every budding artiste.
It was in the fitness of things that a
trust was set up by a team of his devoted disciples, more than a decade ago, under the
name of "Sajan Milap". One of the first take of the trust was to bring out a
biography of the maestro. The book, written in English by N. Jayanath Rao, vividly
narrates the story of the Ustad's life and career, with special reference to his
contribution as a guru par excellence.
-
Mohan Nadkarni