Gone But Not
Forgotten
Batuk Dewanji pays tribute to the Agra Gharana
Vocalist, Ustad Sharafat Hussain Khan, who died this month 7 years ago, having received
much less than he deserved.
I had my first glimpse of Ustad Faiyaz
Khan about 45 years ago at peoples' Jinna Hall in Bombay, the doyen of the Agra Gharana
and the most popular and perhaps the greatest vocalist of his time, a young lad of about
13 years was on the Tanpura, giving vocal support to the Ustad.
Suddenly the Ustad
stopped singing and told the youngster to come forward and continue. The young lad picked
up the strains of Raga Purvi where the Ustad had left off and sang beautifully like and
ustad in the true idiom of the Agra Gharana. He won the hearts of his listeners who vied
with each other in extolling the virtues of the young singer and the Ustad patted his
back. The boy's name was Sharafat Hussain.
I was fortunate enough to
attend many concerts of Sharafat Hussain after that and was greatly impressed by his
music, his personality and humility. During on concert in Bombay, he told his listeners,
"I am a non entity. You like my music because you have often heard Ustad Faiyaz Khan,
but I am not fit even to polish his shoes."
Sharafat Hussain was born 60
years ago in a small village called Atrauli in Uttar Pradesh. Many maestros from Atrauli
have made their mark in the world of music. To name a few, Ustad Mehboob Khan of the
Atrauli Gharana who have composed numarous Bandishes under the name 'Daras Piya', Ustad
Alladiya Khan of Jaipur Gharana and Ustad Vilayat Hussain Khan of Agra Gharana who has
also composed music under the name 'Pran Piya'. These and many other notable musicians had
settled down in a locality in Atrauli called Mousiki Mohalla (Music Street).
Ustad Faiyaz Khan who
happened to be the maternal grand-uncle of Sharafat Hussain, took him under his wings and
taught him the intricacies of classical music. As a result of incessant Riyaz, Sharafat
Hussain gained a deep insight into music and his voice gained a rich timber. During this
time he used to accompany Ustad Faiyaz Khan on the Tanpura in many concerts and gained
valuable experience in gauging the pulse of the listeners and creating the right
atmosphere towards the commencement of a Mehfil.
In due course, Sharafat
Hussain gained the stature of an independent vocalist and gave numerous delightful
concerts, some of which were memorable. He had a vast repertoire and many rare Ragas of
the Agra Gharana in an authoritative manner. I still remember his rendering of 
Raga Malati Basant at the Suburban Music Circle in Santa Cruz. That was the
only time I heard this melody at a concert. The Khem Kalyan and Ramdasi Malhar he sang on
the radio many years ago are fresh in my memory. He recorded 2 LPs and in one of them he
sang Raga Hussaini Kanada with pristine purity.
He was proficient in Thumris
and Dadras as well. In a concert at Akash Ganga in Bombay, he first elaborated the Darbari
Raga, bringing out the majesty of the melody with consummate skill and then immediately
switched over to a Jaipuri Mand which was a riot of colour.
His favourite Thumri was
Babul Mora Naihar Chhuto Jaye composed by Wajid Ali Shah at the time of his banishment by
Company Sarkar. The poignancy and pathos in Sharafat Hussain's rendition of this Bhairavi
song was heart-rending.
Sharafat Hussain had Taleem
from Ustad Vilayat Hussain and Ustad Ata Hussain Khan. The latter was the brother-in-law
of Ustad Faiyaz Khan. He was a singer of no mean calibre and used to give vocal support
the maestro in concerts. Due to certain reasons, Ata Hussain parted company with Faiyaz
Khan and settled down in Culcutta along with Sharafat Hussain.
During latter years of his life, Sharafat Hussain settled down in Atrauli. He
preferred its quiet atmosphere and the surrounding countryside to the glamour of the big
cities. He was also extremely fond of Shikar and fishing.
There are some artists
who receive much more then their due by way of appreciation or monetary gains and there
are others whose merits are never fully recognized. Sharafat Hussain belonged to the
latter category.
In 1984, Sharafat Hussain
was stricken with lung cancer and he died seven years ago on July 7. Who knows, had he
lived longer he might have received the acknowledgment he so rightly deserved.
-Batuk Dewanji.
