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A direct descendant and proponent of one of the most treasured lineages of Hindustani classical music and the youngest son of the legendary Ustad Vilayat Khan, Hidayat Husain Khan harbours a rare, creative brilliance that effortlessly takes him across all genres and nuances of music. Hidayat travels effortlessly between the very classical to the very colloquial, from playing the intricate Etawa Gharana to performing with the Rolling Stones. An exquisite sitar player and vocalist well-versed in the \u2018Gayaki ang\u2019, Hidayat has lent his versatility in several film score compositions and has performed in numerous classical and fusion concerts, independently as well as in collaboration with illustrious musical names such as, Ndugu Chancler, Ronnie Woods, Alicia Keys, Usher, Zakir Hussain, Pete Townshend, Will.I.Am, Jay Z and Darryl Jones. He has enthralled audiences in major performances in Europe, Japan, USA, Malaysia, Canada, Singapore, and India. Hidayat has performed in prestigious venues such as Royal Albert Hall in London, Kennedy Centre in Washington D.C, Carnegie Hall and Alice Tully Hall in New York.<\/em><\/strong><\/h5>\n<\/p>\n
Losing someone near and dear always pains us. Appaji was very close to our family. She called my abba, the Late Ustad Vilayat Khansahab, her brother. I still remember how they exchanged paan and broke into laughter over small, trivial things whenever they met. She was also very affectionate towards us, the children of the family. It pains me to write this obituary for my beloved Appaji. Her never-fading smile had somehow made me believe that she would never leave us for her heavenly abode.<\/p>\n
This effort takes me about fifteen years back. Appaji had a concert in the US. By then, I was also settled here. So, I had an opportunity to be present in that concert and listen to her. It was not a very formal gathering, and I remember \u2013 there was a Q&A session of sorts during the break. I asked her a question.<\/p>\n
Although I am still riding the learning curve of the Hindustani classical music, I was a novice then, and I requested her to explain the difference between the various genres of the light classical music, such as thumri, dadra, tappa, kajri, chaiti and so on. Anyone adept at searching the Internet would say, these are all documented and can be obtained with a couple of mouse clicks. Yes, I do not dispute that. There are so many well written books and documents on these subjects. One has to read, decode, understand and analyse them in order to have the theories in place.<\/p>\n
Still, I asked Appaji. Probably, with an expectation of getting something different. Something completely out of the ordinary way. I vividly remember the way she responded. In a few minutes, she made me feel that I had always known it all. Her reply was so simple, yet so profound.<\/p>\n
In our parlance, there is something called \u2018bol banana\u2019. \u2018Bol\u2019 is the barest form of a song. You take out the tune. Then you take out even the lyrics. What remains is the mood of the song. As a musician, you are supposed to create that mood \u2013 either with your vocal chords or with your instrument. Appaji had legendary abilities in this field. When I asked her the question at the concert fifteen years ago, she demonstrated the differences with \u2018bol banana\u2019. Explaining the most complicated thing in the simplest of languages is the hallmark of a master. She did just that.<\/p>\n
I have never had any formal training from her. Neither had I received any training from Ustad Amir Khansahab. Ustadji died before I was born. Yet, apart from Abba, he has had an indelible influence on my music. I am indebted to Appaji in a similar way. Probably the only difference is that I have had a number of opportunities to meet her. That is probably the only difference.<\/p>\n
Appaji was one of the last virtuosos of the Hindustani classical music who understood concert. With perfect knowledge and understanding of \u2018bol banana\u2019, she could create magic, and depict the song in front of her listeners. Her presentation was always par excellence and always won hearts of millions. As a musician and a sitar player, I have learned from her how to apply strokes to create the exact \u2018mijaaz\u2019 of a thumri or a tappa. Whenever I play thumri, I close my eyes and I see her singing in front of me, with that lovely smiling face.<\/p>\n
If Appaji sang a thumri, it was a thumri. If she attempted a tappa, it was a perfect tappa. The different genre never got mixed up while she performed. Nowadays, people apply murkiyan of thumri on Khayal without any hesitation. If she were to have a concert dedicated only to thumri, she would perform effortlessly for hours without singing any other genre. Such was the vastness of her knowledge.<\/p>\n
Let me share with you one more memory of Appaji.<\/p>\n
It must have been sometime in the late 1980s. Appaji had invited Abba to one of her concerts. In the invitation card, she wrote Ustad Vilayat Bhai on a side, from top to bottom. Then she, doing justice to her cheerful nature, did something extremely sweet. She wrote a sentence with each of the letters of the name of Abba. With \u2018u\u2019 she wrote \u2013 U are my best brother. I wish I remembered the rest, and could lay my hands on that piece of letter which had the touch of both my Abba and Appaji.<\/p>\n
People ask me, whether her disciples will live upto Appaji\u2019s standards, and would be able to carry her legacy forward. Appaji has given to us a vast treasure trove. I tell them, it is now upto us as to make the most of it. I also advise them to take a broader meaning of the word \u2018disciple\u2019, to include us all who have not been her \u2018gandabandh shagird\u2019, but have been inspired by her and understood her beautiful music. I give them examples of Ustad Shahid Parvej Khan and Ustad Budhaditya Mukherjee \u2013 the two most gifted sitar players of our times. Both of them have attended only a few sessions with Abba. Yet Abba lives in them, too. Shahid bhai once told me after Abba\u2019s demise \u2013 he did not have to copy Abba, since he understood Abba\u2019s music. Ustad Amir Khan did not have any disciple in the narrow meaning of the term. Yet, today the entire population of Hindustani classical musicians are his students. There is hardly any vocalist, or even an instrumentalist for that matter, today who does not follow Ustad Amir Khan in some way or the other.<\/p>\n
Although she has left for us many splendid recordings, I would like to share with you some of my absolute favourites:<\/p>\n