Daily Times

A year or so back, when I met Ustad Ghulam Haider Khan after his contract with Classical Music Research Cell (CMRC) had been discontinued by Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation; I had a hunch that it is not a good omen for either Ustad Sahib or for classical music at large.

Many great classical music connoisseurs when retired from their Radio or Television employments and made to sit home died in a short span of time. Abdul Shakoor Bedil, singer and Radio Producer, Ustad Shaukat Hussain Khan the great percussionist, Ustad Nazim Ali Khan, the great sarangi player, music composer Kale Khan and many other singers, performers and instrumentalists died in a short span of time after their retirement. Reasons are many. Firstly the demand for making both ends meet does not look at the age whether you are 69 or above, secondly the daily routine of getting ready and going for a job or for an assignment keeps you mentally and physically moving etc.

It seems I have known Ustad Ghulam Haider Khan since ages. I used to visit him in his CMRC office or in CPU where great musicians used to gather in producer Salim Bazmi’s room. Like many others, I also used to take guidance for improvement of my raag rendition. Music artist Master Manzoor and composer Wajahat Attre were there in the latter part of their career also. Both also are no more now. Ghulam Haider Khan was a good theoretician. He used to perform also but not that well due to his husky voice.

Haider Khan used to advise the management on how to devise its classical music programme ‘Ahang-e-Khusrovi’ that has unfortunately been discontinued since many years. Many classical music artists who used to get monthly bookings are without any job now. The concept of Radio Pakistan being an undeclared training centre is gradually dying down. Over a cup of tea in its canteen many classical musicians like Ustad Nazakat Ali Khan, Ustad Salamat Ali Khan, Ustad Ghulam Shabir Khan, Mater Manzoor, and Ustad Ghulam Haider Khan were participants. By discontinuing monthly bookings for classical and semi-classical music is a great disservice Radio bosses have done to the cause of advancement of traditional music. This cause, it seems is at the lowest priority.

Radio Pakistan Lahore has an archetypal library of classical music in the form of spool tapes that immediately need to be converted into compact discs, a task that could be assigned to an international commercial company if such a work is on low priority for the government.

Ustad Gulam Haider Khan was given the title of Fakhr-e-Mausiqui. He was a popular person among the fraternity of classical musicians. Till his retirement he was employed by Radio Pakistan on contract basis for their Classical Music Research Cell located in the basement of Lahore Station. He has written many books on music and the latest one written in collaboration with M. A, Sheikh is titled ‘Kasur Gharana Key Namwar Fankar’. From this book I learnt that after the British invaded India with whatever means they employed to capture the subcontinent, the States that supported this vicious aim of the British were returned to their Rajas and Nawabs in appreciation of routing out the Muslim Rule. All famous persons from the artist’s fraternity decided to move to these affluent States as the Center, Delhi was all devastated. These Rajas hired the musicians in their Darbars. This situation gave birth to Gharanas of music such as Lakhnow, Gawaliar, Agra, Dilli, Patiala, Sham Chaurasi etc. Many singers preferred to use the names of the towns they hailed from at the end of their names like Miran Bukhsh Gillwaliya, Allah Ditta Biharipuria, Ustad Sharif Khan Poonchwaley, Ustad Nazakat Ali Khan-Ustad Salamat Ali Khan Sham Chaurasi Waley, Ustad Mando Khan and Ustad Chotte Ghulam Ali Khan Kasur Waley etc.

Radio Pakistan Lahore has an archetypal library of classical music in the form of spool tapes that immediately need to be converted into compact discs, a task that could be assigned to an international commercial company if such a work is on low priority for the government

It is from Kasur Gharana that Ustad Ghulam Haider hails from. He argues that the artists who hailed from Kasur could not be hired by the Pathan Rulers of this city as they were never financially strong. They preferred to perform in Lahore instead and that is why Kasur as a Gharana could not get itself established as a Gharana. These who belonged to the places now in India like Patiala when came to Pakistan always projected their Gharana with the name of the place they hailed from. Kasur since was part of India previously and now is a Part of Pakistan could not establish its Gharana whereas in fact Kasur remains an important Gharana of music and needs to be called as such. Kasur has produced artists in various fields. The first one is called the Sarodi Family. The meaning of Sarodi family means people who played the instrument Sarod as well as sang during the functions of influential Pathan families. Hailing from this clan, Haji Amir Bukhsh was a very accomplished Sarangi player. His sons Ghulam Muhammad Khan and Fazal Khan were equally accomplished Sarangi players. The latter is father of Khalifa Fazal Hussain, Tabla Nawaz. Another artist Ali Bukhsh Kasuri was a competent Ghazal and Dadara singer. He was son of Haider Bukhsh and was son in law of Ustad Kaley Khan. Mian Fateh Din Dhal was another exceptional Tabla Player whose introduction of the Punjabi Dhumar beat is remembered even today. Mian Karam Ellahi was another percussion instrumentalist from Kasur. Ali Bukhsh Kanta, Faazal Babaraey Wala, Ali Bukhsh Kasuri and Ehsan Ellahi are few other names worth mentioning, the latter two being Tabla Players.

In my book Melody Makers I have mentioned that the other group of artists from Kasur is called Naqeeb Family. This group comprises ‘Sanaa Go’. That means those who announce the arrival of Kings. These people were immigrants to Kasur like Barey Budhey Khan Kasuri, and Ustad Chotte Ghulam Ali Khan. This scribe has known the latter in the seventies and the eighties. Apart from an accomplished classical vocalist, he was a good teacher too. He was to this scribe’s knowledge teacher of Shahida Parveen and Rubina Qureshi apart from that of famous Indian singer Muhammad Rafi, Late Meena Lodhi, Composers Ghulam Nabi-Abdul Latif, Haji Salamat Ali Saparwa Malika Tasleem and Badar uz Zaman-Qamar uz Zaman duo. He died in Lahore on December 29, 1986. The next Family is called ‘Kalawant. This word literary means performers. Ustad Ali Bukhsh Kasuri son of Ustad Idda Khan Kasuri belongs to this clan. He was a Sarangi Player, a singer and Taoos Player at the same time. The younger brother Ustad Kaley Khan became more popular. He was a classical singer. His records including Bhairavin Gatt, Peelo Dadra and many others became hits in 1904. His Taans were rendered from his torso that maintained its vibration a little while after their rendering. Ustad Barey Ghulam Ali Khan is considered as one of the ever best. He was the eldest son of Ustad Ali Bukhsh Kasuri. He is recipient of India’s highest award “Padam Bhushan’. His sons Ustad Munawar Ali Khan and Karamat Ali Khan and grandsons Raza and Jawad perform in India. Another name worth mentioning is that of Ustad Barkat Ali Khan. He was also born in Kasur in 1910. He used to sing Thumri and Pahari in such a way that masses used to sob. The others who became popular were Ustad Mubarak Ali Khan and Ustad Amanat Ali Kasuri and Ustad Haider Bukhsh Faloosa, the latter an excellent Sarangi Player. Safdar Hussain and Basheer Ali Mahi also belong to this family. Ustad Ghulam Haider Khan belongs to Qawwal Family. He is grandson of Ustad Peer Bukhsh and son of Ustad Mando Khan, an excellent clarinet player.

Ustad Ghulam Haider was an educated person. He was always well dressed. His articles used to appear in Friday Times regularly. He was born in Kasur in 1935 and won the first prize in Mission High School for music in 1946 where he rendered Raag Bhageshri. Performing at Radio Pakistan, he became a pupil of his father Fateh Ali Khan Jalandhri. Then he started performing as a duo with his cousin Iqbal Haider Khan. He’s known to have introduced many new raags including Dhani Malhar, Suhani Todi and Deep Kauns. Being literate, he has written six books on music including Naghmaat-e-Khusro, Kehet Sadarang, Sava Chop Raags and Tazkia-e-Mausiqui. In collaboration with Radio Pakistan’s music producer Ayub Roomani, he composed 50 tunes of Lakshan Geets in cooperation with music composer Ustad Nazar-e-Hussain. His students comprise singer Iqbal Bahu, music composer M Sadiq, Anwar Shaheen, Riaz Haidri, Atta Hussain, Faqir Hussain, Muhammad Shamim, Hameed Iqbal, Ali Raza, Arif Gill, Shahzad Nagi and Zahid Farani.

The writer is the recipient of the prestigious Pride of Performance award. He can be reached at doc_amjad@hotmail.com