Yaadein- M.A. Sheikh reflects

Ustad Akhtar Hussain Khan's memorable concert

Lahore was considered a great cultural centre during the 1930s. The city was particularly renowned for its musical baithaks and takias which served as intimate gathering points for musicians, students and discerning listeners. Most of these baithaks were owned by musicians who used them mainly for the purpose of practicing, teaching and giving occasional performances. One such place was the Takia Meerasian located near Mocchi Gate in which many renowned musicians displayed their musical prowess. I used to frequently visit Takia Meerasian and had the good fortune of hearing many memorable performances at the venue.

One particular incident still etched in my memory dates back to almost 70 years. I was passing through Takia Meerasian during one afternoon when my attention became focussed on the legendary sarangi player Ustad Hyder Bukhsh alias Faloosay Khan. The Ustad wearing a vest and a dhoti was smiling and busy feeding some pigeons. Inside one of the rooms, I saw Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan playing the sarangi and singing a bandish in Shudh Sarang with his son Munawar Ali Khan then aged about six quietly repeating the musical phrases of his father. The manner in which Munawar Ali Khan was following his father, indicated that the boy was talented and had the ability to become a great singer in the future. During my conversation with the Ustad, I found out that a recital of Ustad Akhtar Hussain Khan, the son of the Patiala Gharana founder Ustad Ali Bukhsh Khan (General) had been arranged at the Takia on a given date.

Sound clip of Ustad Akhtar Hussain Khan performing Raag Desi Todi

One particular incident still etched in my memory dates back to almost 70 years. I was passing through Takia Meerasian during one afternoon when my attention became focussed on the legendary sarangi player Ustad Hyder Bukhsh alias Faloosay Khan. The Ustad wearing a vest and a dhoti was smiling and busy feeding some pigeons. Inside one of the rooms, I saw Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan playing the sarangi and singing a bandish in Shudh Sarang with his son Munawar Ali Khan then aged about six quietly repeating the musical phrases of his father. The manner in which Munawar Ali Khan was following his father, indicated that the boy was talented and had the ability to become a great singer in the future. During my conversation with the Ustad, I found out that a recital of Ustad Akhtar Hussain Khan, the son of the Patiala Gharana founder Ustad Ali Bukhsh Khan (General) had been arranged at the Takia on a given date.

The news of the concert quickly spread through Lahore and there was eager anticipation of hearing Ustad Akhtar Hussain Khan. On the day of the performance, a crowd of almost 500 people assembled at the venue where the concert was scheduled to start at 1:00pm. One hour had passed the scheduled time for the performance and the crowd were still patiently waiting for the arrival of the maestro. After inquiring about the whereabouts of the Ustad, it was revealed that the Ustad was busy touring the wonderful city of Lahore with two companions in a tonga. The companions had a bag full of almonds, cardimons, misri and betel leafs which they would present the Ustad on request. After the Ustad had seen the major sites of Lahore, he decided to proceed to Takia Meerasian and reached the venue at 3:00pm. Immaculately dressed in a black sherwani, a white choori daar pyjama, wearing a black cap and with a walking stick in his hand, the Ustad had a persona, which complimented his reputation of a musician of high repute. His shagirds and friends welcomed him warmly and escorted him to the stage. When the Ustad reached the dais, he instructed his accompanying musicians to tune their instruments. Whilst the musicians were preparing for the performance, the students of the Ustad started to offer him nazranas as a sign of respect. Included amongst this group was the famous female vocalist Zebunnisa who presented nazrana to her Ustad in the form of a large sum of money.

Accompanying the Ustad were Ustad Chunoo Khan on sarangi and Ustad Jati Bukhsh on tabla. The Ustad performed raag Suha Kanada and was highly appreciated by the audience present at the takia. The Ustad’s performance depicted all the attributes of the Patiala gharana. His voice was soft and melodious and his taan patterns were intricate and powerful. This mehfil holds special value for me personally, as it was the first time that I had the good fortune of hearing Ustad Akhtar Hussain Khan. Later on, I had countless occasions of hearing the Ustad at the baithak of my friend Syed Shabbir Hussain Shah, who was a great patron of classical music. Many great musicians  including Ustad Akhtar Hussain Khan, Ustad Chotay Ghulam Ali Khan, Ustad Buddhay Khan Qasuri and Ustad Tawakkal Hussain Khan used to frequent his baithak.