Music Maestros Hail Pandit Rashid Khan's Contribution to Music

Pandit Rashid Khan's untimely and sudden demise has saddened his admirers and the music fan following across the globe. 56 years(01 July 1968) by whatever measure you would like to look at was no age for departure from the mortal world. Yet, strange are the facts of life to discern around.

A legacy of stalwarts: Pandit Rashid Khan was a unique personality in multiple ways, apart from belonging to the Rampur-Sahaswan Gharana. He hailed from a Hindusthani classical musician family which boasted of several stalwarts in the field all along in a few generations. Incidentally, he also happened to be the great-grandson of Inayat Hussain Khan, the founder of Rampur-Sahaswan Gharana. In that respect, Bharat Ratna Pandit Bhimsen Joshi's oft-repeated and several decades-old quote-" Rashid Khan was the assurance for the future of Indian voice music", is a plain statement on the music persona.

A fine confluence of Tradition, Modernity and Contemporary experimentation: Dr Nagaraj Rao Havaldar, one of the leading vocalists of Hindustani classical music belonging to the Kirana Gharana lamented Pandit Rashid Khan's early passing away a great loss to the music world-"I did not have a personal rapport with Pandit Rashid Khan, although we participated in several music festivals. Both of us had concerts in the centenary year celebrations of Sankat Mochan Sangeet Samaroh held from 10 April to 16 April 2023 in Benares. I sang on the 10th and he did so on the 14th of April. Rashid Ji's early demise is a great loss as he was a fine bridge between tradition, modernity and contemporary experimentation...

...Not necessarily to be a child prodigy: He was younger than me and a fine musician. I have heard his maternal grandfather Nissar Hussain Khan's music which was true to the traditional way of rendering. However, Pandit Rashid Khan excelled with a fine confluence of tradition, modernity and contemporary experimentation without being grammatically opposite to the tradition. He was not necessarily a child prodigy but a gifted musician from his early days and blossomed into a fine mature musician. Kumar Gandharva and Mandolin Srinivas were child prodigies. But, it's not mandatory to be a child prodigy. Even Bhimsen Ji was not. But by true passion and hard work, they conquered many hearts".

Learning by listening: Dr Nagaraj Rao Havaldar opines-"Music is a hearing knowledge to be learnt more by listening and not reading as it is an evolving art. So, the more the listening more the nuances of finer forms of music. Everyone knows Bhimsen Ji's guru to be Sawai Gandharva but he was equally inspired by Smt Kesaribai Kerkar, Begum Akhtar, and Ustad Amir Khan, among many others. It doesn't mean he copied them but they were all inspiring figures. Likewise were Ali Khan Sab and Bhimsen Ji to Pandit Rashid Khan".

A shining star of the century has disappeared: Pandit Ganapati Bhat popularly known as Ganapati Bhat Hasanagi, an Indian Hindustani classical vocalist belonging to the Kirana-Gwalior Gharana paying rich tributes to the departed soul described-"In the passing away of Pandit Rashid Khan, we have lost a shining star of the century. Perhaps only a select few can boast of talent right from childhood and Ustad Rashid Khan was one such lucky person. Even the grace of the Guru was evinced in him and he was lucky enough in that aspect as well...

...On par with Bhimsen Joshi, Kumar Gandharva and Mallikarjun Mansur: In the present context or the bygone century Ustad Rashid Khan is on par with legends like Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, Pandit Kumar Gandharva and Pandit Mallikarjun Mansur. Such was his greatness when it came to classical Hindustani vocal music. He is eligible enough and rightly deserves a position in the galaxy of other such greats".

A void in the musical journey: "He left us at a very young age thus literally creating a void in the musical journey. His voice was captivating during his presentation apart from being scintillating and enthralling. Perhaps we can get such motivating personalities only once in a century. I only wish and pray God to grant us him soon", condoled Pandit Ganapati Bhat Hasanagi.

Whether prodigies are born? These days, trying to seek a semblance even on general issues looks like being embroiled in a perplexed matter. Likewise, is the subject of prodigies being born. Shashi Kulkarni is a retired consulting engineer. He is passionate about archiving precious musical content generated by a magnificent range of practitioners of classical Hindustani and Carnatic music over six or seven decades for posterity. Sam, as he is popularly known wonders-"The question of whether prodigies are born (continuing process across incarnations) or made (as a potter goes about making a pot-accumulating a mass of clay ceaselessly working on it) has evaded a direct answer. What is generally known is that only a few prodigies retain their early stature into their grown-up years".



Rashid Khan can be counted as a prodigy: However, Shashi Kulkarni mince no words to concur Pandit Rashid Khan to be a prodigy-"Rashid Khan can be counted as a prodigy who made it. He also made it big without any fanfare (typical of his uncle Ghulam Mustafa Khan). And interestingly, he did not have to make concessions by foraying into fusion to pamper the arrival of a new generation of listeners. He remained a steadfast custodian of the virtues of his Gharana with an immaculate proportion of all the elements".

A true icon of secular India: He signs off by showering tributes-"His raga essays indicated that he was influenced by the naked-to-the-bones sobriety of Amir Khan as well as the cathartic conclusions of Bhimsen Joshi. At a personal level, I admire the secular fabric from which He (and his uncle) were cut with compositions like Darshan Devo Shankar Mahadeva, Ab More Ram, Gokul Gaon Ka Chora, Kanha Re Nand Nand, Bhaja Le Haree Naam... and many more. A true icon of secular India".

-Manohar Yadavatti