Ustad Alauddin Khan’s sarod still sings, 150 years on

It is the beginning of October, the tail end of autumn. After a day of light drizzle, there lingered a sense of uncertainty over whether the rain would bring the event to a mess.

But to everyone's surprise, the sky cleared as evening fell. A nearly full moon glowed over Lalbagh, followed by a cool breeze, and the fort itself, lit with colourful lighting. The stage was set up in front of the tomb of Pori Bibi.

On both sides of the path leading from the main gate of the fort to the stage stood greeters dressed as Mughal-era soldiers. The fragrant smoke of incense drifted through the cool evening air.

In such an ambience, on Wednesday evening, the courtyard of Lalbagh Fort came alive with the celebration of the 163rd birth anniversary of Ustad Alauddin Khan, a prominent Bangali sarod maestro who shaped the classical music scene of the greater Indian subcontinent.

The event was organised by the Ministry of Cultural Affairs and managed by the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy. In the event, his successors and the artists of this generation paid tribute to him.

The sarod Siraj Ali Khan was about to play, he mentioned, once belonged to his great-grandfather, Ustad Alauddin Khan. It is nearly 150 years old.

The event started with a video message from the Chief Advisor of the Bangladesh Government. Then came a documentary on Ustad Alauddin Khan's life and works. The world-famous classical musician was born in Brahmanbaria on 8 October 1862.

He had learned music under many gurus, gradually ascending to the higher realms of melody. Although the sarod was his principal instrument, he was equally adept at playing the saxophone, violin, trumpet, and several others. Among his disciples were Pandit Ravi Shankar, Pandit Nikhil Banerjee, Pannalal Ghosh, and his own children, Ali Akbar Khan and Annapurna Devi.

Spending his whole life in devotion to music, he passed away in 1972 at the age of 110. Over his long and accomplished life, he created 15 original ragas and earned renown as the founder of the Maihar gharana of classical music.

After the documentary, Pandit Asit Dey took the stage and performed a khayal accompanied by the tanpura, tabla, and harmonium. Once Dey's mesmerising performance ended, the show went on a break. The guests were offered tea, sweets, and Puran Dhaka's famous Bakarkhani.

A few students from Bengal Parampara Sangeetalay paid their tribute to Ustad Alauddin Khan. Photo: Rajib Dhar

Three advisors of the interim government – Syeda Rizwana Hasan, Adilur Rahman Khan, and Mostofa Sarwar Farooki took the stage to have a few words for Ustad Alauddin and for those suffering in Gaza. They demanded the immediate release of the photographer and writer Shahidul Alam who has been abducted by Israeli forces. A large Palestinian flag was raised by some of the guests in support.

Once the advisors left the stage, a few students from Bengal Parampara Sangeetalay stepped forward to perform. Abhijit Kundu presented a dhrupad, his voice soaring the moonlit Lalbagh sky to the rhythmic beats of Prashanta Bhowmik and Fahmida Naznin's tabla. Between the lyrics, Shukla Halder's esraj added a delicate new dimension to the performance.

And when Niloy Halder's sarengi began to rise in prominence, its sound seemed to tug gently at the heart. It evoked a deep, wordless melancholy, a sense of longing that lingered in the deep corners of the mind.

Along with these artistes, Isra Fuljhuri Khan and Ilham Fuljhuri Khan played the sarod, and Sohini Majumdar and Mohammad Kawchar played the Sitar. It was one of the highlighting performances of the evening.

Then came Jugalbandi – an instrumental session by two sisters – Afsana Khan and Rukhsana Khan, who are also descendants of Ustad Alauddin Khan. Afsana played sitar and Rukhsana played sarod. The chemistry between the sarod and sitar was nothing short of captivating. It was like a dialogue of strings that went together in perfect harmony.

Afsana played sitar and Rukhsana played sarod. Photo: Rajib Dhar

Nasir Ali Mamun, prominent photographer and writer who has written a novel titled 'Hem-Behager Moharaja' on Ustad Alauddin Khan, took the stage for a conversation on Ustad. In the conversation with the anchor, Afzal Hossain, he noted some of the key events of Ustad's life.

Before Siraj Ali Khan, the great-grandson of Ustad Alauddin, sat for the main attraction of the evening, he was presented with a special honour. He expressed his deep appreciation, saying that the beautiful setting and thoughtful arrangement had truly moved him.

The sarod he was about to play, he mentioned, once belonged to his great-grandfather, Ustad Alauddin Khan. It is nearly 150 years old.

Siraj Ali Khan then performed authentic Raag Hemant in the traditional Maihar gharana style, which was created by his great-grandfather. Through his alap, vilambit jhala, and drut teental, he captivated the audience. He was accompanied by Aarchik Banerjee, a tabla player from Kolkata.

Siraj concluded his performance with Raag Bhairavi, presenting a few bandish and dhun once played by Ustad Alauddin Khan and Pandit Ravi Shankar. When he left the stage, the clock was nearing 11:15.

From the very beginning, the show was flawless; however, there were a couple of controversies and criticisms as well. Before the show started, in the afternoon, a group of people did create a nuisance to try and stop the event from happening; however, the situation was swiftly dealt with by the authorities without much fuss.

The organisers faced backlash on social media for keeping the event closed to the public. Many netizens pointed out that the prior promotion of the show on social media made it seemingly appear as if the programme was open for all, when in reality, entry was restricted.