Anecdotes

Anecdotes by:

• N. Jayvanth Rao

• Pandit Batuk Dewanji

• Madhusudan B. Patel

 

Anecdotes by Madhusudan B. Patel

1. Ustad Kallan Khan taught Khadim Hussain music for more than 12 years. He used to practice music for 14 to 15 hours a day; he did not enjoy a holiday on Sunday during the practice. After training, he was told by Ustad that he himself had become the ustad and  as he was the eldest member of the family, he sould go to Bombay. Ustad Villayat Khan, his maternal uncle, was in Bombay to earn money. Ustad Vilayat Khan, his maternal uncle, was in Bombay .Kdhadim Hussain was asked for the Gura Dakshina by Ustad Kallan Khan. He replied to him that he had no money to go to Bombay. Further he told Ustad that he had given him money to go to Bombay, Then Ustad iInsisted four virtues from him. They were:

1) Always Speak Truth
2) For you, all women are sisters or mothers, except your wife
3) Don’t touch alcohol
4) Don’t do anything, which harms the others

He accepted these virtues joyfully. He stuck to these ideals till he breathed hi last even his flat was at stake, and he insisted to utter truth, though the others told him to tell a lie, which he refused to do so.

2. His disciple krishna udayavenker gave a musical performance at Calcutta conference, she was interviewed by the Amrit Bazar Patrika. She was asked about her guru. She gave the name of Ustad Faiyaz Khan. When she returned , sombebody informed Ustad Khandim Hussain that Krishna reported the newspaper that her Guru was Ustad Faiyaz Khan, Immediately she was informed not to go to him to learn music for him forever.
   
   
3. Jayanand Khira had a tution with Khadim Hussain for about 40 years, but what happened onece Mr Khira told a lie to Khan Saheb, when he came to know about the lie of Mr Khira, the very next day he stopped Mr. Khira’s tuition., even though he requested Khadim Hissain repeatedly to continue his tuition.
   
   
4. There was a belief that the Agra Gharana stress more on the Lay and Tabla and singing loudly and it was not Suril. This talk was going on when Natthan Khan’s concert was about to start.this talk was heard by Natthan Khan and  he sand the Raga only on Aalap without doing rhythm acrobatic. People started crying and said that the Agra Gharana had a Suri Aalap. Even Savai Gandharva told Khan Sahed That he Wanted to learn the Lanka Dahan Rag and very soon Khan Saheb obliged him.
   
   
5. When I used to learn music form him, he gave lessons on ragas to Pt. Ravi Shanker. Pt. Ravishankar stayed at the Hotel Cantur and sent car to pick up Khan Sahib to learn  Ragas.  Chetta Gauri being played by Pt. Ravishanker was tautht by Khan Saheb. I told khan sahib why he did not charge money from Ravishanker for tution. Khan Sahib replied that he could not charge any thing  from him as pt. Ravinshanker did not charge any thing  from Shamim Ahmed, sun-in-saw of khan sahib, Pt. Ravishanker used to keep 4 seas for khan sahib in his concert in Bombay whether khan sahib atended it or not.
   
   
6. Once on the day of the Guru purnima of Khadim Hussain, Hariprasad Chaurasiya was asked to play his flute. He took his seat but before hi starte playing flute,  he said that he had played all over the world, but that day he was afraid because he had to play  flute and Khadim  Hussain Khan was sitting in front of him. Khan Sahib told Hariprasad to play the Raga he liked the best He started the Jinjoti. Khan Sahib asked me about the Raga Jinjoti, I said, “ There is something which is not proper, but I can’t say definite.”

After the concert, Hariprasad Chaurasya came to Khan Sahib and asked him, “ Was my Raga alright?”

Khan Sahib told him that he should not  stay on Rishabh.  Muskam of the Raga was Shadaj and Gandhara, as you stay on Rishabh , the impression of Raga Desh comes in.

7. Ustad Khadim Hussain was staying at Babulnath in Bombay with Mamu Villayat Khan, the next door neighbor was Ustad Aladiya Khan. One day, in the morning, khadim Hussain was practicin singing Raga Khambavati, the son of Ustad Alasiya Khan was Climbing the Staircase heard Khadim Hussain and climbing the staircase, heard Khalid Hussain and started abusing him that he was singing the raga Khambavati in a wrong manner Aladiya Khan saw the scene, he came out with with a shoe in him hand and started hitting hi son. The  son said to him Baba Aladiya Khan, “ There is a record of this Raga sung by kesharbai Ketkar at our place, Wile the Raga sung by  Khadim Hussain is completely a different one” Soon Aladiya khan replied, “ His Raga belongs to his own Gharana, hence it is correct. I taught Kesharbai wrongly, so she sang that way”. So far as the purity of the Rags is concerned khadim hussain was the perfect authority.
   
   
8. When Ustad Villayat Hussain was a court musicin, of the Mysore State, there was a disscussion about the North Indian singers and the South Indian singer. South Indina singers are better in keeping Tala while singing. Vilayat Hussain disputed about this proposition. A telegram was sent by Vilayat Hussain  Khan to Ustad Khadim Hussain Khan to come  to Mysore. Khadim Hussain the Mamu Vilayat Hussain must be sick because in those days such telelegrams were sent in such emergencies. When Khadim Hussain went to Mysore, Vilayat Hussain Was on the railway platform to receive him.Khadim Hussain was astonished to see him in good health. He saked Mamu cy he was called. Khadim Hussina was explained the whole issue. He said to Villayat Hussain Khan, “ Mamu, you are also a good at Tala (rhythm) . You should sing.” Vilayat Hussain said to Khadim Hussain , “ you are the best in singing Ragas with Tala in our Gharana, so I have told you to come here”.  The Pandits were called from Madras.  The concert was arranged to prove whether the north Indian Musicians are as  proficient in Tala as the South Indian musicians were.    Khadim Hussain sang Dhamar for 200 minutes but Mrundangacharya was expert and used to come on Sama. After 20 minutes Khadim Hussain showed a false Sama for a fraction of a second and Mrudagacharya missed that sama. This happened twice and the other pandits who were present at the concert stood up and embraced him saying that the North Indian musicians were also proficient in the Tala.
   
   
9. Ustad  Ahmed Jan Thirkawa used to play Tabla with Khadim Hussain. Once in the concert of Dadar Matunga circle, Khadim Hussain was singing and Ahmed Jan Thirkawa was playing Dhamer, after some time Ahmed Jan Thirkawa stopped playing and told the audience that it was very diffucilt to play Tabla with Khadim Hussain.
   
   
10. When Khan Sahib started to teach me Devagiri Bilawal he said to me that there was a record of that Raga of Pt. Omkaranath, if I heard it, I would hear Bhupali, and I heard the same and it was Bhupali.
    
    
11. Komal Gandhar, Komal Rishabh, Komal Dhaivat and  such others are used in different Ragas but they are Sharutibhed. Khan Sahib would sing and show me that Bishabh Gandhar of Bhairavi and Bilaskhan Todi were different; Rishabh and Dhaivat of Puriya and Marwa were Different.

-Madhubhai  B. Patel.