Musicians shower praise on late Ustad Bashir Khan for both his art and personality

True artistes like tabla player Ustad Bashir Khan are immersed in polishing, practising and preserving their art due to which they do not have skill or time to market themselves. It is the job of their fellow countrymen to do the promotion of such talented people but unfortunately, we Pakistanis do not do the needful in this regard.

Ghazal singer Salman Alvi made these remarks on Thursday evening as he spoke at the condolence reference for tabla player Ustad Bashir Khan hosted by the Arts Council of Pakistan. Alvi remarked that Ustad Bashir was on a par with other great tabla players but still he was not as famous as others because of the lack of marketing.

It won’t be an exaggeration to say that a constellation of musicians and music lovers was present at the Haseena Moin Hall of the Arts Council to pay respected to the late tabla player who passed away last week. There were students of the Ustad, his friends, vocalists, instrumentalists, music producers, music experts and promoters of classical music.

People especially came from other cities to attend the condolence event. They included the ailing shehnai player Ustad Abdullah Khan from Kotri who despite wielding a stick needed someone’s help to come to the dais. He was full of praise for the late tabla maestro.

Another notable participant was a Sikh musician from Quetta, Sardar Ajit Singh, whose family developed a bond with the Ustad when he lived in Quetta decades ago. He said music transcended boundaries and religions and he had arranged prayers for Ustad Bashir at a Gurdwara in Quetta.

Singh echoed Alvi’s sentiments in a more expressive manner. He complained that the Ustad was not valued the way he deserved and he rather had to live a modest life.

In his brief remarks, Sarangi Player Ustad Akhtar Hussain also stated that many true artistes were not rightfully appreciated by our society during their lifespan.

Ghazal singer Ustad Ghulam Abbas explained the technical mastery of Ustad Bashir. He stated that the late musician would exhibit difficult techniques with ease without interrupting or damaging the essence of the taal that was being played.

Gwalior Gharana vocalist Ustad Mehmood Khan highlighted Ustad Bashir’s expertise in Sangat (accompaniment). Others also praised this aspect stating that while accompanying a vocalist, the Ustad never tried to overshadow the main performer and always played in a manner that elevated the vocalist’s performance.

A large number of speakers also highlighted the polite and cultured personality of the late maestro saying that the greatness in his personality actually reflected in his art. Singer Muhammad Ifrahim recalled a peculiar smile on the face of Ustad Bashir that emerged at the time of greetings.

The hand positioning of Ustad Bashir was also discussed by many speakers. The event was told that only the fingers and bare minimum part of the palm were used by the Ustad while playing the tabla. Elucidating on this, singer Akhlaq Bashir said that once he met world-famous tabla player Ustad Zakir Hussain in India who expressed his awe at the style of Ustad Bashir stating that he played with no arms or body movement as if his hands were not attached to his body.

Sitarist Ustad Nafees Khan had a slight disagreement with the accounts of those who contended that the Ustad had to live a modest life. The speaker said the late tabla player enjoyed his life. He retired from the Radio Pakistan and then served for more than 20 years at the National Academy of Performing Arts.

He said Ustad Bashir would generously praise his juniors and after his death, he had started to feel as if Karachi was becoming devoid of hardworking musicians.

PTV Karachi General Manager Amjad Shah said the late Ustad had become a standard for Lay (tempo). He added that if a musician had performed with Ustad Bashir, he would assume that he had mastered taal or else someone as great as Ustad Bashir would not have performed with him. He said that for the classical music programmes broadcast from Lahore, Ustad Shaukat Hussain used to play the tabla, whereas, in similar programmes produced by the PTV Karachi centre, Ustad Bashir was the most frequently featured tabla player.

Other speakers included All Pakistan Music Conference’s Ayla Raza, Tehzeeb Foundation’s Sharif Awan, ACP President Ahmed Shah, famed singer Mehnaz’s sister Uroosa, Ustad Rais Khan’s son Farhan Rais, flautist Ustad Salamat Hussain, keyboard player and music arranger Azhar Hussain, folk singer Akhtar Chanar and banjo player Ustad Mumtaz Sabzal.