FAVOURITE MUSIC: Classical, semi-classical and ghazals
FAVOURITE BOOK: Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky
A man of many passions, known as much for his principles and values as for his love for cricket, Khawar Butt has unusual taste in reading and music. He says he has been fond of music since his childhood, and even as a kid he had his own room where he listened to music from ‘His Master’s Voice’ on full blast. However, he has always been into music of a serious nature. He recalls that he was only about eight or nine when he began to listen to the renditions of Abdul Karim Khan sahib and his brother baray Ghulam Ali Khan sahib. He has been listening to classical music since then.
Recalling his first meeting with the great ustaad, Abdul Karim Khan sahib, he says: “I met him at the time of Partition in Poonch House, a palace belonging to Maharaja Poonch in Lahore. I was studying in the eighth grade then, and Abdul Karim Khan sahib, then the sitarnawaz at the Maharaja’s darbar, lived in the quarters of the palace. My father mentioned to him that I heard his music with great enthusiasm, at which he asked to see me. He inquired if my interest in music was limited only to listening, or if I would like to play the sitar as well. It was he who encouraged me to get a simple instrument to learn on and then got his son, Shareef Khan to teach me, as his own eyesight had become very weak. So in that way, I have been very honoured, and played the sitar for many years. Once I witnessed an unforgettable sight — my ustaad in a total trance — in a state of ecstasy as it were — playing the chatarveena with his eyes closed for 45 minutes, with no idea who was around him. It left an indelible impression on me, for I had never heard anything so beautiful before.”
Reminiscing about his interest in music in his college days Butt says: “I was part of a musicians’ club while in Government College Lahore, and remember joining a musical competition at the eleventh hour — when we realized that the boy from our college who we were banking on, had performed miserably. Such was my competitiveness that I actually won the competition for the college!”
Refusing to be cornered into mentioning one favourite singer, Butt names different vocalists for the different genres of music. Citing Abdul Karim Khan sahib as his favourite classical singer, Butt remembers an amusing incident about the veteran. Says he: “Once, he and his older brother, Abdul Waheed Khan were performing together and Abdul Karim sahib was singing a janjhoti. There is one sur that you don’t sing in jhanjhoti, and he was singing it and being applauded by the audience. Waheed Khan got so angry that he threw his tamboora and said: ‘What can I say about Abdul Karim — what he sings correctly cannot be disputed, but what he sings wrong is also correct! I can’t sing with him!’”
Butt also rates Amanat Ali Khan as a great classical singer. Among ghazal singers he finds Mehdi Hassan to be the best, and says “If he is called the king, he is one person who truly deserves it.” But that doesn’t mean Butt doesn’t enjoy light music. He describes Noor Jehan as “the undisputed queen of the century,” and feels “Such people are rarely born even in a century.”
Considering that Butt used to, according to his college principal ‘Eat cricket, drink cricket and sleep cricket’ one would have thought that he would never have had the time to do any reading in his youth. But, he says he has always been into reading and that too, generally serious, non-fiction books.
Says Butt: “My subjects for BA were European history and political science, so the books that initially interested me pertained to these two subjects. Reading about the history of civilization took me towards philosophy also, so writers like Bertram Russell held a special appeal for me. I enjoy reading D.H. Lawrence and Tolstoy, too. But if I had to name one favourite author, I would name Fyodor Dostoevsky, especially his Crime and Punishment, which beautifully brings the poverty and suffering of eighteenth century Russia to life.”
As for non-fiction books on history, Butt finds the one on the history of civilization — a small book called Civilization On Trial by Arnold J Toynbee, based on lectures written for BBC — the most fascinating. And after joining the corporate world, Butt also acquired a taste for books on management and philosophy of management, some of which feature among his favourites. Says he: “There is a writer, David C. Korten — author of When Corporations Rule the World — who I find very inspiring. I lent that particular book to many of my friends, including the late Omer Kureishi, and he rated it highly too.”
As much as the industrialist is interested in music and books, he admits he has no interest whatsoever in movies. “The minute I enter a cinema and it goes dark, I begin to fall asleep. I had a friend who wouldn’t believe me when I would tell him this, so once, at his insistence, way back in the seventies or early eighties, I went to see The French Connection with him in London. Of course, I promptly fell asleep and began to snore, which embarrassed him greatly. He woke me up and told me that he was totally convinced, and I could leave, if I so desired!”
However, in college days, Butt says he did watch films and enjoy them. He recalls From Here To Eternity — the only film he didn’t go to sleep in — and Prisoner Of Zenda and says “I genuinely like James Mason and especially went to see the latter movie because he was in it. But, I did fall off to sleep in it too!” Butt admits to also having seen some of the earlier Indian movies, and has enjoyed those with classical dance sequences.
KHAWAR BUTT: Movies make him fall asleep!
