RENOWNED flutist Salamat Hussain is known for his ability to add lilt and spark to any music, be it dhurpad, qawwali, khayal, thumri or ghazal. Watching Salamat Hussain’s fingers running on the notes-producing holes of a bamboo flute and create magic, is an inspirational experience. Salamat had spent hours listening to the masters of flute in his formative days, and still concentrates on the classical flute pieces whenever he gets the time, deriving inspiration from the likes of Panna Lal Ghosh, Amilya Jyoti, Dvendra Murdeshwar, Raghu Nath Seth and Hariprasad Chaurasia.
Salamat loves to play Lat Uljhi Suljha Ja Re Baalam, from film Sawaal. The flute pieces in this brilliant melody from Rasheed Attre were rendered by him. His fascination to play masterpieces and excel at the flute magic drew him to Ustad Hamid Hussain Khan who created timeless tunes on sarangi.
“I used to fetch buckets of water for my ustad, so that I could get some time from him for my flute practice. I used to play songs such as Main Ne To Preet Nibhai, Sanwariya Re; Nikla Too Harjai, from Riaz Shahid’s famous film, Khamosh Raho,” remembers Salamat. “I had an opportunity to play flute for Naseem Begum, Begum Akhter, Noor Jahan and Malika Pukhraj, whose voices had specific vocal range which responded well to the flute,” he remembers.
Talking about classical music, he mentions Ustad Fateh Ali Khan, Ustad Amanat Ali Khan, Nusrat Fateh Ali and others, who invented and employed traditional forms of music. “Many times I had the honour of playing the flute with such maestros, and their command on each raag was spellbinding. Once I was playing a flute piece at a show alongside some of these greats. In the middle of the show, certain people in the audience started hooting some of these musicians. I could see that the people were finding classical music a bit hard to digest. So, when my solo instrumental item began, I started to play Heer on my flute, which captured the attention of those restless sections in the hall, and I was praised by my seniors and those legendary artistes for actually rescuing the show,” recalls Salamat.
Among his favourites are musical scores like Dil Ka Diya Jalaya Mein Ne from film Koel, Jaltey Hain Arman Mera Dil Rota Hai from Anarkali, Lo Chal Diye Woh Hum Ko Tasalli Diyay Baghair from Gulnar, composed by Khwaja Khursheed Anwar, Master Inayat Hussain and Rasheed Attre, and brilliantly rendered by Noor Jahan.
Salamat’s parents never encouraged him to watch movies, but his love for playing the flute kept him abreast of the trends in his times.
“I used to be quite an enthusiast of the instrumental music, even in my childhood. In those days, it was the trend for youngsters, whether rich or poor, to be knowledgeable and taste-conscious. The theatre in Bihar, where I used to stimulate my talent by listening to the instruments, was too small and it was across a huge pond. Therefore, in order to achieve my goals, I had to go across in that deep pond for the love of music. My passion dragged me across the waters to go and sit just outside the gate, listening to my favourite numbers. Those wonderful accompaniments, whether harmonium, veena, violin or flute, are a great inspiration for a singer, and they worked wonders for me,” says Salamat.
Films like Aah, Taxi Driver, Anmol Gharhi, Jugnoo, Neend, Koel, Moseeqar and Heer Ranjha were all powerful flicks, he says. They heralded many singing and acting stars of dazzling luminosity, and radically changed the cinema. And the reason, according to Salamat, is that “Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor, Lehri, Nadeem, whoever you recall, they did justice to their roles.” Nowadays, he regrets, “things are so unnatural, with actors dancing in crashing airplanes and colliding trains!”
Salamat enjoys talking about the classics. He feels the pain for the spoiling of the melody, and the fallen standards, and sometimes portrays it in his flute pieces, with much depth and sensitivity. “The creative imagination of our great poets makes us think on the verses and the music that results from that reflection is original and striking. That is a craft of wrapping up the delicate verses in an extraordinary pattern of melodic composition that is evident in the subcontinent,” he says.
“Remarkable poets like Sahir, Faiz, Faraz and Aleem wrote memorable couplets, which still have an immense impact on the listeners. Poems like Mujh Se Pehli See Mohobbat Mere Mehboob Na Maang, and ghazals like Ab Kay Hum Bichrey To Shayad Kabhi Khwabon Mein Milein contain intense feelings and create a sort of magical fantasy and a feeling of being in the presence of something extraordinary,” says Salamat Hussain.
RENOWNED flutist Salamat Hussain is known for his ability to add lilt and spark to any music, be it dhurpad, qawwali, khayal, thumri or ghazal. Watching Salamat Hussain’s fingers running on the notes-producing holes of a bamboo flute and create magic, is an inspirational experience. Salamat had spent hours listening to the masters of flute in his formative days, and still concentrates on the classical flute pieces whenever he gets the time, deriving inspiration from the likes of Panna Lal Ghosh, Amilya Jyoti, Dvendra Murdeshwar, Raghu Nath Seth and Hariprasad Chaurasia.
