‘Cocktail of cacophony being served as music’

His grandfather breathed music and became synonymous with shehnai. So it doesn’t come as a surprise that

Nasir Abbas Khan

, Ustad Bismillah Khan’s grandson, should take to shehnai like fish to water.

Earlier shehnai was reserved for weddings and such before Bismillah Khan elevated its status and took it to the global audience. But today, ironically, his family is barely eking a living out of the profession that their patriarch owned with such aplomb, says Nasir Abbas Khan. It doesn’t help that young people these days are being fed a deadly cocktail of cacophony in the name of music. Nasir Abbas Khan feels that it is the responsibility of the parents to introduce their children to classical music when they are young, as his dadaji did with them.

TOI caught up with him for a quick chat, before his performance for Holi Mahotsav at Tagore Theatre in Chandigarh on Saturday, organised by Union culture ministry. Edited excerpts.

What is it that comes to your mind when you think of your grandfather?

My dadaji playing his shehnai at Balaji temple in Varansai, overlooking the Ganga. The only thing that mattered to him was his shehnais. Such was his devotion to music. In fact, he referred to his shehnai as his ‘begum’. He took music seriously, often refusing to play unless arrangements were made to his liking. It is one reason why he decided to quit making music for films. He not only taught me music, but also imbibed in me the great culture and traditions of India.

For how many years have you been practicing?

I was taught by my dadaji since I was a child for nearly 12 years. He wanted all the children in the family to be introduced to music in their younger years. My cousins and I used be a part of his troupe and perform with him in different states and even countries where he had been invited to perform. I had travelled to Bahrain, Dubai, Muscat and other countries with my grandfather. There was no other career that I ever wanted to pursue other than music. My grandfather mentored me and I grew up following the same traditions as he did.

What is it like to be a Muslim musician in a country that is becoming increasingly intolerant towards other religions?

Music has no caste or religion. My grandfather used to tell me that in the Hindu religion, music is the primary education. But Islam considered music as blasphemous. Dadaji used to say, “Even if the world ends, the music will still survive.” And this is the maxim which I live by. He was a Muslim, who took intense pleasure in music in a Hindu city (Varanasi). He was often asked that being a Muslim why he chose music since it was considered unholy in Islam. He replied, “Imagine, if music was not considered blasphemous, we (Muslim musicians) would have reached the pinnacle of our careers.”

Your grandfather was very fond of Varanasi and didn’t want to leave the city. What about you?

I personally would like to live in Varanasi all my life. The city is in my blood. Whenever dadaji used to go to America to perform, he was often asked to settle down there with his family. In fact, there were a few who tried to woo him by saying that they would build a house for him in America. He once said, “You can build a house for me and my family here, but can you bring the Ganga to America? If you can, then I will settle down here.” His love for Varanasi was legendary. He could never think of leaving the city and so do we.

How do you keep yourself busy when not musically occupied?

I like travelling in my spare time. As part of shows, this is one thing I look forward to every time I visit a new city.

How can younger generation be nudged towards classical music?

Many youngsters in the country today are being fed a deadly cocktail of cacophony in the name of music, which is as far removed from music as chalk is from cheese. Speaking for myself, I can say that it is my responsibility to pass on what I know of music to the younger ones in my family. It is my duty to refine their sensibilities and cultivate a taste for finer things in life like music. Likewise, I believe that if parents expose their children to classical music at a younger age, the younger generation will be reintroduced to true Indian music once again.

What is it that you regret the most?

Despite the fact that dadaji was a legend, and took India to unbelievable heights with his music when he was alive, the government is not really supporting us. We mostly get to perform in three to four shows a year, that too private ones. We want the government to invite us to perform in shows they organise, so that we can earn enough to feed our families. Music is our only source of income.