Sitar playing — the art is dying
February 21, 2008
Lahore
SITAR, the centuries old musical instrument which was once played in royal courts and musical ceremonies, is now on the verge of extinction due to the economic hardship faced by the grand maestros who play this glorified instrument.
These are the views of Ustad Abdul Latif Kahn, one of the few living maestros of the sub-continent. He recently returned from India where he enthralled Indian music lovers with his mesmerizing performances on radio, TV and various private and state functions.
“Earlier many Classical music related functions organised privately as well as at state level in Pakistan. I remember that in good old days Alhamra Arts Council, Radio Pakistan, PTV and many such entities would wholeheartedly support and promote classical music especially sitar.
Unfortunately, now a days people tend to go for non-classical and less acknowledged genres of music such as pop, neglecting classical music. People’s taste has deteriorated and they are reluctant to pay to listen to sitar players which has led to a decline in sitar playing,” he said.
Ustad Latif is the first Pakistani sitar player whose three amateur students conduct music programmes of sitar on Pakistan Radio.
Ustad Latif was greatly acknowledged in India and presented by “Sangeet Ratna Award 2007” the biggest Indian Award in music but regrettably he never received any award from the state in his own country. Sitar and Tabla were invented by Hazrat Ameer Khusro. Sitar maestros were not only highly respected but showered with favours and presents by the royalty of India for centuries. Soon after independence, the decline of sitar playing started in the new homeland for Muslims. Lack of patronage, apathy of the state-owned cultural entities and advent of western music completely gagged the serene notes of Sitar to a bear minimum. However, Indians kept this grand genre of music alive and continued to patronise it.
Sangeet Ratna was not the only token of gratitude and honour bestowed by Indians on Ustad Latif Khan but there were many such memorable certificates presented to him which speak volumes about the real respect and value musicians specially classical enjoy in our neighbouring country.
There are now just half a dozen real sitar players left in the country which include Mohammad Akbar, Mohammad Saleem, Ejaz Hussain.
Ustad Latif said that sitar players are so concerned about the future of their children and their students that they urge them to opt for a more paying profession.” None of my kids is a sitar player since I never got anything from playing sitar for 33 years on radio. I am doing it just for my passion but I would never want my kids to live a miserable life,” he said. He said that a major reason of decline of sitar playing was selection of incompetent sitar teachers by institutions such as Alhamra. He said Alhamra Arts Council has not produced even a single classical artist in the last 40 years.
Ustad Latif also spoke about the horrifying details of the ill-treatment meted to sitar players saying “I have been playing sitar since 1971 and during these 38 years I have appeared hardly four to five times on PTV,” he said. Ustad Latif Khan has used all of his pension he received from Radio Pakistan on promoting the dying genre of sitar playing by preparing a CD. This CD contains seven famous Pakistani film songs, folk songs of all four provinces, two Raagas and a Thumri all played on sitar.
“I have tried to bring all of Pakistan’s culture in a single CD and that’s what I could do as a poor Pakistani sitar player who loves his country, his culture and playing Sitar,” he said.
SITAR, the centuries old musical instrument which was once played in royal courts and musical ceremonies, is now on the verge of extinction due to the economic hardship faced by the grand maestros who play this glorified instrument.
These are the views of Ustad Abdul Latif Kahn, one of the few living maestros of the sub-continent. He recently returned from India where he enthralled Indian music lovers with his mesmerizing performances on radio, TV and various private and state functions.
“Earlier many Classical music related functions organised privately as well as at state level in Pakistan. I remember that in good old days Alhamra Arts Council, Radio Pakistan, PTV and many such entities would wholeheartedly support and promote classical music especially sitar.
Unfortunately, now a days people tend to go for non-classical and less acknowledged genres of music such as pop, neglecting classical music. People’s taste has deteriorated and they are reluctant to pay to listen to sitar players which has led to a decline in sitar playing,” he said.
Ustad Latif is the first Pakistani sitar player whose three amateur students conduct music programmes of sitar on Pakistan Radio.
Ustad Latif was greatly acknowledged in India and presented by “Sangeet Ratna Award 2007” the biggest Indian Award in music but regrettably he never received any award from the state in his own country. Sitar and Tabla were invented by Hazrat Ameer Khusro. Sitar maestros were not only highly respected but showered with favours and presents by the royalty of India for centuries. Soon after independence, the decline of sitar playing started in the new homeland for Muslims. Lack of patronage, apathy of the state-owned cultural entities and advent of western music completely gagged the serene notes of Sitar to a bear minimum. However, Indians kept this grand genre of music alive and continued to patronise it.
Sangeet Ratna was not the only token of gratitude and honour bestowed by Indians on Ustad Latif Khan but there were many such memorable certificates presented to him which speak volumes about the real respect and value musicians specially classical enjoy in our neighbouring country.
There are now just half a dozen real sitar players left in the country which include Mohammad Akbar, Mohammad Saleem, Ejaz Hussain.
Ustad Latif said that sitar players are so concerned about the future of their children and their students that they urge them to opt for a more paying profession.” None of my kids is a sitar player since I never got anything from playing sitar for 33 years on radio. I am doing it just for my passion but I would never want my kids to live a miserable life,” he said. He said that a major reason of decline of sitar playing was selection of incompetent sitar teachers by institutions such as Alhamra. He said Alhamra Arts Council has not produced even a single classical artist in the last 40 years.
Ustad Latif also spoke about the horrifying details of the ill-treatment meted to sitar players saying “I have been playing sitar since 1971 and during these 38 years I have appeared hardly four to five times on PTV,” he said. Ustad Latif Khan has used all of his pension he received from Radio Pakistan on promoting the dying genre of sitar playing by preparing a CD. This CD contains seven famous Pakistani film songs, folk songs of all four provinces, two Raagas and a Thumri all played on sitar.
“I have tried to bring all of Pakistan’s culture in a single CD and that’s what I could do as a poor Pakistani sitar player who loves his country, his culture and playing Sitar,” he said.
