Ustad Sultan Khan ko gussa kyun aata hai?

Sarangi player and classical vocalist, Ustad Sultan Khan is in no mood to play nice as he talks about the Padma Bhushan Award being one decade too late, the 'impotent' state of contemporary music, and self-proclaimed Sufi singers

The 70-year-old Ustad Sultan Khan is ailing. He steps out of the studio, dishevelled and tired, after spending hours recording music for his son Sabir Khan's latest album, and dismisses the photographer's request to freshen up before the photo shoot. His voice, however, has lost none of the rustic charm and vocal range that can come only with experience. A misdiagnosed treatment leaves him more tired than usual these days, but when the maestro begins to talk, he floors us with his subtle sense of humour and disarming frankness.



Delayed recognition
The soon-to-be conferred Padma Bhushan is foremost on his mind as we start the conversation. He promptly declares, "I should have got the Padma Bhushan at least 10 to 15 years earlier."

Comparing his situation to someone who has had to wait a long time to get married, he says, "Some people get lucky and get married early, while others get married late. I'm getting married late in life."

Even though he now lives in his ancestral home in Rajasthan, the fourth generation Sarangi player says that Mumbai has made him what he is today. "I would not have been so successful, and I would not have seen such good days in the Hindi film industry or abroad if it weren't for this city."

The maestro, known best for his association with Ustad Zakir Hussain and Hussain's father, the late Ustad Alla Rakha Khan, has also been invited to perform at the White House. He counts Prince Charles and Madonna among his fans and refers to the international music and style icon as Madonnaji. The reason for the 'izzat aur aadar', he explains, is because "she is the equivalent of Lata Mangeshkar in her country."

Back home, the maestro has little respect for contemporary musicians. "Indian classical music is turning impotent. In a few years from now there will be no genuine performers because nobody cares for taleem or riyaaz. Today's artistes want to party till late, and wake up with a hangover later in the day. Hindustani music will lose the status it enjoys across the world," he says with genuine concern.

Bone to pick
The classical vocalist also has a bone to pick with so-called Sufi singers and is unafraid of taking names. He is upset that young singers who possess little knowledge of Sufi philosophy, but who can sing in a bass-heavy voice pass themselves off as Sufi singers.

"How can I call Kailash Kher a Sufi singer when he doesn't even know the basics of Sufi philosophy? Only AR Rahman has a genuine Sufi tone to his music," he says.

To prove his point, Khan Saab has an offer, "I want to perform with these so-called singers and show them the difference between Gaana and Gayaki. Gaana is for anybody with a voice, but Gayaki requires hunar (skill) and ilm (knowledge), which can be acquired only after experience," he says, urging contemporary singers to take him up on his challenge.