If anyone exemplifies the devotion to a Guru, then it would probably be Bhaskar Bua Bhakle. Yet it was none other than Bhaskar Bua who threw the gaunlet down for his guru Alladia Khan.
by Ananda Chaudhuri
If anyone exemplifies the devotion to a Guru, then it would probably be Bhaskar Bua Bhakle. Yet it was none other than Bhaskar Bua who threw the gaunlet down for his guru Alladia Khan. On that fateful evening he was supposed to accompany the Ustad at a recital. It was a matter of chance that Ustad Alladia Khan was being late. The patrons, for the benefit of the huge audience were left with no choice but to request Bhaskar Bua to take the place of the Ustad. Bhaskar Bua knew that it would be an insult to his guru, yet he could not deprive those who had gathered to enjoy an evening of music. As ill luck would have it, the Ustad and his troupe of musicians made their appearance just as Bhaskar Bua had begun. The Ustad who was no doubt already upset due to his car breakdown was in no mood to take this in the right sprit. He refused to join and let Bhaskar Bua take the field on his own. It could be seen as a case where a guru passes on his legacy to the deserving pupil at an opportune moment but apparently it was not so. In fact as Bhaskar Bua understood, it was a challenge. When his sincere attempts to change the Ustad's mind failed, he replied back:
"I am a pupil of Natthan Khan. Today I am going to sing for you Ustad and you are to listen. I hope you shall remember this evening for the rest of your life"
What happened after that became a something like folklore in the world of Hindustani music in Western India. Bhaskar started off with Darbari Kannada and ended the 'mehfil' with Bhairavi. At the end, Ustad Alladia Khan went up to him and wrapped him in his arms and said:
"It is not easy to find a guru, but it is a matter of luck that I got a pupil like you"
It is a strange fact that Bhaskar, however talented he might be, was seldom able to win the favors of his gurus easily. In fact he was ignored most of the time till he couldn't be ignored any more. Part of this had to do with the fact that the Muslim Ustads in those days used to pooh-pooh the Hindu vocalists. And part of it was due to the fact that Bhaskar began his career at an early age, singing with his rather melodious voice for the 'nautanki' heroines. He did not have any formal initiation to vocal music to start with. Born in 1869 in a very poor Brahmin family, his sweet voice was a breadwinner as he went around with his troupe of performers. He was a child prodigy no doubt but it took a while for him to get inducted to the mainstream of classical vocal music. Soon he was promoted as a lead singer in his troupe and earned a bit of fame for himself singing in one of the plays. That play became quite popular as the Kirloskar Company musical troupe went from place to place, and then camped in Indore.
The legendary Ustad Bande Ali Khan of Gwalior gharana was the court singer for the maharajah of Indore. He happened to be at the play and was enthralled by young Bhaskar's voice and his singing. Soon Bhaskar was summoned by the Ustad and was taken in as his pupil. It was not a simple matter. First of all Bande Ali Khan, the father of the prestigious Kirana Gharana was a famed singer and a musician too, for he was an exceptionally skillful veena player. On top of that he was a court singer and the quality of his pupils was a factor for his reputation. That he himself offered to tutor Bhaskar without any fee is a proof of Bhaskar's extraordinary talent.
Soon Bhaskar was speeding ahead in his talim. However his troupe broke camp and he had to leave the tutelage of Ustad Bande Ali Khan. But perhaps it was those few months that paved the road for a lifetime of sadhana. Even to his last days Bhaskar would reverentially remember the favor that he got from Ustad Bande Ali Khan.
Adolescence robbed Bhaskar of his sweet voice and he got fired from his musical theater company. But by that time he had made up his mind to leave his village for the sake of music. He fancied the famous vocalist Ustad Fayez Muhammad khan, the son of Ustad Fataeh Muhammad Khan and the father-in-law of Ustad Fayaz Kahn, as his guru but he didn't know how to approach the maestro who was also the court singer for the maharajah of Baroda. But fortunately, he came to the notice of Telong Shastri, the principal education officer of the Baroda estate. He arranged a scholarship for him. However the Ustad was hardly interested in his student for the sake of his unorthodox musical career of a dub for a feminine voice. Months went by as Bhaskar despaired in his isolation till Shastriji took the matter as personal injury since Bhaskar was inducted upon his recommendation. He took the matter up with the Ustad and thus began the talim in all sincerity. Bhaskar was not only an exceptional student, he also worshipped his guru. He was a brahmin and yet he was a student of a Muslim Ustad. His sadhana and his respect for his guru were his greatest assets. In those days it was a matter of practice to utilize the services of a pupil as a cook or a servant. It was an acid test for him when one day he was asked by his guru to get some beef from the market and cook it in traditional Muslim recipe, which would be a blasphemy for a brahmin. Apparently the Ustad was testing Bhaskar barring which it would be a moral crime to make a brahmin cook beef. It was indeed a difficult decision for Bhaskar, the gravity of which would be difficult to comprehend in present times when many of the moral or social barriers no longer exist. But to Bhaskar his guru was even more than his father and he could not disobey the Ustad.
Soon afterwards Ustad Fayez Muhamad Khan realized that he had nothing more to teach his talented pupil and requested Ustad Natthan Khan of the Agra gharana to accept Bhaskar as his student. Natthan khan was a frequent guest in the court of the maharajah of Baroda and Bhaskar no doubt impressed him. He accepted Bhaskar but he too didn't take Bhaskar seriosly enough. The reason being Bhaskar was a Hindu and hardly had any pedigree to boast about and was penniless. The Ustad didn't feel like giving Bhaskar any special attention, he was allowed to be merely present at the times when the Ustad had the sessions with his students. But most of the time when he was teaching his son Abdullah khan, Bhaskar would be sent on some errand. He used to learn just by listening and used to practice on his own behind closed doors in his free time in the absence of the Ustad.
Once the Ustad went away with his son on a tour of northern India. Those were the months that probably changed the course of Bhaskar's life. Jasia Begum, the Ustad's wife was very fond of the quiet and unassuming Hindu boy. It wasn't a matter of surprise that she was an accomplished vocalist in her own right. Women never had a public audience in those days but she was from a family having a rich musical heritage. Music was in her blood. She was the sister of the Mehbub Khan of Atrauli, who was the grandfather of Sharafat Hussain Khan. Jasia Hegum had a kind heart and was more liberal than her husband. She taught Bhaskar everything that the Ustad used to teach his son in private.
The Ustad returned and soon after got an invitation from the Amritsar music conference. Abdullah Khan was ill and the rest of the students were not prepared. So Bhaskar accompanied the Ustad, more likely as a coolie rather than his accompanist. On the morning after reaching Amritsar, the Ustad was away on some business. Bhaskar was left alone and in the quiet early hours he started his rewaz (practice). Soon there was a crowd around his tent. Nobody knew that a coolie could sing like this. Or maybe he might have received some talim as he was the house servant of the Ustad. Whatever it might be, there was little disagreement that here was a singer of exceptional capacity who merited a formal audience at the conference. In the meantime the Ustad came back and was surprised at the popularity that Bhaskar has gained in his absence. He was not interested in letting Bhaskar perform in the conference for he had hardly taught him anything. Bhakar was a novice who had twenty years to go before he could have a public audience. However he had to comply in the face of persistent requests on the ground that Bhaskar be introduced as his most junior pupil as an example of his talim even in the short time that Bhaskar has been under his tutelage.
Bhaskar took to the field armed with the lessons from Jasia Begum. His Ustad was in a fix to realize how he could have learned something that was reserved exclusively for his son, Abdullah. At the end of the performance Bhaskar revealed the truth behind his prowess. But by that time, the Ustad was convinced that if it were anyone who could inherit his legacy, it would be Bhaskar and not Abdullah.
After this Bhaskar seemed to have got his modest share of fame and as he came in association with his last guru Ustad Alladia khan, years of practice and sheer talent had prepared him for the showdown on that fateful evening when Alladia's car broke down. Soon everyone was talking about this new maestro from a poor marathi brahmin family. He was known throughout India and especially in the provinces of southern, central and northern India. He was a regular performer at the fair in Jullandhar. He was the guest of the maharajah of Kashmir for a month. He was the sponsor for the school for Hindustani vocal in Pune. A part of his earnings were sent to the widow of his guru, Ustad Natthan Khan. A true practitioner of his art, Bharkar Bua Bhakle resumed documenting the bandeshes, which was originally started by his guru Ustad Fayez Muhammad Khan. Unfortunately the fruits of this hard labor have never been printed.
This is the story of Bhaskar bua bhakle, the prodigy who with his sheer talent made a mark in the Muslim dominated world of classical Hindustani vocal music.
Created By sudipta on 12/06/2005 03:25 PM
Last updated by sudipta on 12/05/2006 07:41 PM
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