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Is the end of classical music near?
My soul is satisfied by my artistic achievements, but my body is not. The earnings from my professional pursuits have never been adequate enough to meet its needs,” said Ustad Zakir Ali Khan of Sham Chaurasi gharana of khayal singers a few months before his death on June 6 in Lahore. He was responding to my question during a chance meeting at Radio Pakistan, Lahore.
That was, in fact, the gist of a long conversation between Zakir Ai Khan, the youngest brother of legendary classical vocalist Ustad Salamat Ali Khan and myself. All matters related to the prevailing sorry state of affairs of classical music in the country, especially the plight of classical vocalists, were discussed in that meeting. The late vocalist did not have to stretch his imagination much to search for appropriate words required to portray the bleak future of ‘art music’ in Pakistan. He deplored the apathy of both the cultural bureaucracy and Pakistani society towards the need for the preservation and promotion of our rich classical heritage, a legacy that was created by the collective efforts of gharana musicians during the past several centuries.
“During my 42-year-long professional career,” he bemoaned, “I had to struggle hard to support my family at even the basic level of subsistence.” So strong were his feelings about societal neglect of classical music and the indifference of the official electronic media that his eyes became wet while narrating his own woeful tale as a follower of classical music. His story was in no way different from those of other classical singers who are struggling hard to preserve their ancestral art in the face of heavy odds.
“Lack of interest by the public,” he explained, “whose tastes have been corrupted by the substandard music churned out by films, radio, TV and the rising tide of imported and utterly alien pop music, have combined to push our art music into the shadows.”
Lack of patronage by the government is another factor which has contributed to the decline in the popularity of classical music, which in the past was kept in circulation by the munificence and artistic tastes of the rulers of princely states. With the obliteration of these states from the political map of the subcontinent, the responsibility shifted to the governments in both the dominions which, unfortunately, failed, more in Pakistan than in India, to rise to the occasion.
As has been the practice among professional gharana musicians, Zakir Ali Khan also learnt classical music from the elders in his family at a very young age. He was brought up and groomed by his older brothers Nazakat Ali Khan and Salamat Ali Khan, who also trained him in the art of khayal singing as their father had died when Zakir was hardly two years old. Born in village Sham Chaurasi in Jallundar district of Indian East Punjab, Zakir was brought to Pakistan along with the other members of the family, who then settled in Multan.
“At age 12,” Zakir Ali claimed, “I participated in a music stint of Radio Pakistan, Multan in 1958 as a junior member of the duo of Akhter Ali-Zakir Ali. Earlier, I had made my debut at the All Pakistan Music Conference held in Multan in 1958,” he said with a glint of pride in his eyes.
“The All Pakistan Music Conference holds its meetings in Lahore,” I interjected, adding, “How did you start your career under its umbrella in Multan?” Taking a meaningful glance at me he said emphatically: “The Multan based Conference was in existence before its Lahore namesake started functioning. It was a one-night event in which frontline artists from East and West Pakistan participated.”
In the duo with his older brother, the late Akhter Ali Khan, he also participated in another All-Pakistan musical moot held at Dhaka in the year 1970, which was sponsored by the Dhaka Music College. A number of prominent musicians from West Pakistan also participated in that event, which was spread over four days.
“Other important events in my career were our duo’s participation in the All India Music Conference held at Kolkata in March 1965, where our performance was applauded by large audiences, which included cultivated listeners, connoisseurs, critics and frontline professional musicians from Pakistan and India. Among other participants in that moot were classical vocalists Ustad Ameer Khan of Indore, Shehnai player Ustad Bismillah Khan, sitar player Ustad Wilayat Husain Khan, sarod player Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, classical vocalists Ustad Nazakat Ali Khan-Salamat Ali Khan, Ustad Amanat Ali Khan-Fateh Ali Khan, Mahapursh Misra and Pundit Bhim Sen Joshi. During another visit to India, which coincided with Indian Independence Day, our duo unofficially represented Pakistan at LGT Hall, New Delhi. The concert there was sponsored by the Punjabi Academy.”
Ustad Zakir Ali Khan was known for his versatility in using various classical modes to express his creative melodic ideas “from khayal to heer,” as he once proudly put it. He had no inhibitions, as was the case with a few senior classical vocalists of yore, in using all modes of musical expression.
“A musician should be pragmatic enough to use all kinds of modes for his expressions as is demanded by the audience,” he said in a matter-of-fact tone, adding, “however, my preference is still for the classical modes — khayal, thumri and dadra. I have recorded a large number of Multani kafis, ghazals, even patriotic songs, and songs of the theatre for Radio Pakistan during my career.”
Zakir Ali Khan spent the better part of his career singing with his brother. However, when his brother was alive, and also after his death, he rendered numerous solo songs for radio and television, on stage and at soirees sponsored by private parties. Jointly, with his late brother Akhter and singing solo, Zakir Ali Khan traveled to India four times, where they recorded ragas Madh Kauns, Pahari and Peelu for a one and a half hour duration of the Urdu Service of All India Radio. They also appeared on the Indian mini screen from Mumbai, New Delhi and Jaipur. Ustad Zakir Ali Khan also performed in Hong Kong, the Philippines and Thailand both as a solo singer as well as with his nephew, Latafat Ali Khan, now settled in London.
One LP containing ragas Mian Ki Todi, Darbari and Thumri Pahari, and two cassettes containing Punjabi and Urdu songs and a couple of ragas in the Ahang-i-Khusravi album are the other achievements of Zakir Ali Khan. When the Punjabi romantic epic Heer was recorded by Radio Pakistan, Lahore in the voices of 70 different singers, Zakir Ali Khan also lent his voice to this collection but rendered Heer in raga Talang and not Bhairveen, in which this Punjabi epic is traditionally sung.
Criticizing the role played in recent years by PTV in pushing the classical heritage of the country towards the shadows, Zakir Ali Khan said that the medium did not even have a schedule for classical music as did Radio Pakistan. Within PTV, it depended on the ‘marzi’ (whims and fancies) of a producer to engage a classical musician for the recording of a number at any time in the year.
“PTV telecasts only a 25-minute weekly stint of classical music at a time when everyone, including votaries of classical music, have sunk into a deep slumber. Who will keep themselves awake until 30 minutes past midnight to listen to a brief presentation of classical vocal or instrumental music?” He observed with a touch of biting sarcasm.
“I don’t resent the frequent exposure given to pop music by PTV, but I do wish that it thought of preserving our traditional melodic culture, which is fast fading into oblivion. There sill remain a few classical vocalists in Pakistan who can teach ragas, thumris and ghazals to the future generations of Pakistanis. To learn these genres, one needs the services of ustads as compared to pop numbers like Aa ja tu bai ja cycle tay and Billo tay ghar, which do not need much grooming in music,” he said in despair.
The junior-most among the Sham Chaurasi brothers, the 58-year old Ustad Zakir Ali Khan died in Lahore on June 6 after going through various illnesses which he could not properly treat owing to poverty. One wonders who will take care of his family – the state or society?
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