A pictorial biography of Baba Alauddin Khan holds his handwritten manuscripts dating back to 1957 and little know anecdotes, like the time he was mistaken for a gardener
Au00a0pictorial biography of Baba Alauddin Khan holds his handwritten manuscripts dating back to 1957 and little know anecdotes, like the time he was mistaken for a gardener
They called him Boro Baba, a rather feeble name for someone with his credentials. After all, without the long shadow he cast on Indian classical music, who's to say our current maestros Hari Prasad Chaurasia, Brijbhushan Kabra, Vinay Bharat Ram would be as influential? 
For close to a century now, the music of Baba Alauddin Khan has enjoyed the recognition it deserves. What isn't as well-known is the story of his life, which is why a new pictorial biography is so welcome.
Born in a village called Shibpur, in current day Bangladesh, Boro Baba (1862-1972) had a colourful life by any standard. He ran away from home at 10, joined a theatre group, survived on alms, studied singing for a while before becoming enamoured by the sarod, was appointed court musician to Brijnath Singh Maharaja. He also found the time to introduce Hindustani classical sangeet to large parts of the world, compose, and teach people like Ravi Shankar, Nikhil Banerjee and Pannalal Ghosh. When he was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship in 1954, followed by the Padma Vibhushan in 1971, there were, understandably, no batting eyelids.
The big USP of the book put together by Baba's eldest great-granddaughter Sahana Gupta nu00e9e Khan is the access it offers to his handwritten manuscripts from 1957. There are also letters, little known facts, and anecdotes from people closest to him. What doesn't work, at least for us, is a problem specific to hagiography:
The questionable need to brush out the unsavoury. What, for instance, did Boro Baba have to say about his daughter Annapurna Devi's marriage to his disciple Ravi Shankar? She was allegedly 14 at the time, and the marriage eventually failed. Still, to Sahana's credit, she has managed to piece together a fairly compelling story. 
What comes across most is the man's innate simplicity. His daughter Annapurna remembers a visitor once walking in while Baba was watering plants outside his house. Mistaken for a gardener, he was ordered to inform the maestro of the guest's arrival. The "gardener" quietly went inside, reappeared and introduced himself as Boro Baba.
In a world where greatness so often holds hands with arrogance, the story of Baba Alauddin Khan is refreshing. Our flamboyant Bollywood music directors could learn a few things from the tale.
Baba Alauddin Khan by Sahana Gupta. Published by Roli Books, 128 pages. For Rs 495
From the pages...
Once a group of young American and European professional dancers approached Boro Baba and requested him to explain the subtleties of Indian classical music to them. Glancing at their fashionable attire, Boro Baba decided that their intentions were far from serious and therefore, casually strummed a part of Raga Multani, a deeply moving composition, on his sarode. After playing for a bit, he glanced up and was amazed to see his audience visibly moved; some of them actually had tears rolling down their cheeks. Ashamed of his biased judgment, he instantly started performing with intense concentration.
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