Tch, tch, tch… It’s a sad state of affairs. Wasi Shah was interviewing Ustad Hamid Ali Khan on a TV channel that has recently gone on air. The interview was going on pretty well as the Ustad kept telling the interviewer about the nuances of gyaki and his illustrious singing pedigree. There came a point on the show when Hamid Ali Khan began talking about how on one occasion while performing in India he was profusely praised by Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The former Indian prime minister even offered the Ustad that if he stayed back for a while in India he’d be provided with all kinds of facilities. To which HAK’s response was spot-on: “I’m a Pakistani and I will only serve my country.”

Ironically at that moment a caller called in on the programme and exchanged a few pleasantries with Wasi Shah. When the host of the show asked the caller if he’d like to talk to Hamid Ali Khan, the caller’s reply was: “What does he do?” Kudos to the Ustad for taking the embarrassing moment in his stride saying he was a hockey player. Wasi Shah tried to salvage the situation by suggesting that the caller wasn’t watching TV which was why he didn’t know Hamid Ali Khan was his guest. No more comments.