In penury, melody lost

Shailaja Khanna

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The tradition of qawwali in India is around 600 years old. There are several families that have been faithfully carrying forward the tradition for generations. In North India, some of the oldest representatives of the art form still live in old Delhi and in these times of pandemic, many of them have been reduced to abject poverty. Abdul Majid (name changed) had to resort to selling bananas to raise money to feed his family. The possibility of no work for another six months has painted the portrait of a bleak future for musicians.

Ustad Iqbal Ahmed Khan, head (khalifa) of the Delhi gharana, which also encompasses the qawwali tradition started by Amir Khusrau, says: “There is no sustained patronage to preserve the heritage of our country. Though institutions such as Sangeet Natak Akademi, Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts and Akashwani are trying to preserve and archive the traditions, none is looking after artistes financially. All western nations protect their classical arts, but India, which has the richest and perhaps oldest legacy, lags. We don’t realise that without our tradition, India will not be the India we know. The pandemic has only highlighted the fragility of our existence — the few stars amongst us have name and money; the bulk is barely making both ends meet.”

Hard times for instrument makers

It is not only musicians who are out of work, the instrument makers are facing hard times too.

Rikhi Ram Music shop in the Capital’s prestigious Connaught Place was opened in 1947 after Partition, when the original shop was abandoned in Lahore. It has been closed since mid-March. The shop has been the hub of activities and meeting point for musicians for decades. Even in the 1990s, it was a common sight to walk in and find a senior artiste like Ustad Nishat Khan waiting for his instrument to be tweaked. Ajay Rikhi Ram confesses that though most of his workforce has remained with him, two workers have left for Bihar and would probably find it hard to return to Delhi in the coming months. “Pending orders have been delayed and walk-in business affected, but my position is better than the 300 traders in musical instruments in Delhi-NCR alone who are facing massive losses,” says Ajay.

Manish Sharma, who hails from Benaras, is a sitar maker in Mumbai where his clients include the famous Niladri Kumar. “For the last three months, I have been sitting idle at home, but the rentals for my house and my workshop have loomed ominously every month, causing huge stress,” he says.

With most migrants back home, manufacturers of instruments are in a fix. Panchkula-based Harvinder Sharma, a senior sitarist, says artistes are feeling the pinch too. “I can fix the jawari of my sitar, but my students can’t. Replacing tabla skins requires a skilled artisan,” he says.

Uncertainty looms over festivals

The oldest classical music festival in India, Harivallabh Sangeet Samaroh has been held in Jalandhar consecutively for the last 144 years of its existence, running even during World War II and Partition. Its president, Purnima Beri, says, “We will take a final call on whether we will hold a proper festival in a few months as things are too uncertain for now. However, we will mark the anniversary of Baba Harivallabh. As prominent organisers, we are constantly being approached by musicians in need and the committee has been trying to respond to each of them.”

Bureaucrat-turned-vocalist Kashish Mittal says concert cancellation and disruption of teaching classes have affected all musicians, young or old.

“Pracheen Kala Kendra’s week-long festival at Chandigarh in March was cancelled, but even their monthly baithaks and those of other organisations such as Durga Das Foundation and Triveni Kala Sangam have been cancelled and will probably remain so for another few months.” He expects the entire winter music season to be subdued. “But on the plus side, musicians have come together, the online platform has developed reaching out to many new listeners… It’s nice to think these will remain as archival records for years to come,” he points.

In Himachal Pradesh, things are in an equally sorry state. The state government had to cancel its annual classical three-day dance festival which gives platform to three locally trained dancers and has become an eagerly awaited event. The traditional regional melas in May and June have been cancelled disappointing the naati groups. The annual Shimla festival in June, held on the Ridge every year, has also been cancelled.

Shoring up support

One can only hope that the Ministry of Culture at the Centre and the state departments of culture act fast and work out some relief measures for the artistes. Some state governments are already including artistes in their welfare schemes. At the Central level too, existing budgets can be allocated differently.

Noted danseuse and Padma Shri awardee Ananda Shankar Jayant suggests institutions like Sangeet Natak Akademi to use budgets allocated for festivals for artiste welfare instead. Financial aid would be more welcome than online festivals, which are numerous right now. However, reaching out to all artistes will be a problem as there are so many who are not registered with All India Radio and these “invisible” artistes are thus virtually non-existent.