Chhayanaut fallout: Kolkata-based sarod player ‘flees’ Bangladesh hiding identity

KOLKATA: Shiraz Ali Khan, a Kolkata-based sarod player with family roots in Bangladesh, was to perform in a concert at Chhayanaut in Dhaka on Dec 19. But just hours before the programme, the culture hub was vandalised amid a nationwide spiral of unrest triggered by the death of radical activist Sharif Osman Hadi.


Shiraz managed to “flee” to Kolkata on Saturday evening, suppressing his Indian identity on the way, a decision born out of desperation that he had never thought he would have to make. His tabla player is still stuck there and hoping to return on Monday.



Shiraz’s father is Ustad Dhyanesh Khan, son of Ustad Ali Akbar Khan and grandson of Baba Allauddin Khan. His great-grandfather, Ustad Allauddin Khan, was from Brahmanbaria in Bangladesh. “Some years ago, a college in Ustad Allauddin Khan’s name (in Brahmanbaria) was attacked. The attack on Chhayanaut is an unimaginable assault on our culture and shared values,” Shiraz said.


Shiraz arrived in Dhaka on Dec 16 for a jazz concert in Banani the next day. His major classical music recital was scheduled for Dec 19 at Chhayanaut.Turn“Despite the small gathering of 17-18 people, the experience (in Banani) was heartfelt. On Dec 19 morning, I learned about the attack on Chhayanaut. I couldn’t believe the building where I was to perform was destroyed. Seeing the disturbing images was beyond belief, especially as someone who holds music and its sacredness in the highest regard,” Shiraz told TOI.


Images of broken instruments left him shocked. “If I accidentally touch a musical instrument with my feet, I immediately apologise to Maa Saraswati, the goddess of learning and the arts. The damage to the music community and the nation is immense,” he said.


While trying to leave Dhaka, Shiraz was stopped at a checkpoint. “I was asked if I had foreign currency. Fortunately, I didn’t. For the first time, I didn’t mention my Indian identity. Aware of anti-India sentiments, I spoke in the Brahmanbaria dialect. My mother, from Brahmanbaria, settled in India after her marriage in 1968. I learned the dialect from her,” he said.


Shiraz’s Khan surname helped. “People thought I was from Bangladesh, not India. I never thought I’d have to hide my Indian identity. I gave my Indian passport and phone to the driver, who kept them in the car’s dashboard. I got them back at the airport. I don’t know what would have happened if I hadn’t concealed my identity. My mother is still in Bangladesh, and we are worried until she returns. My Hindu accompanists are also stranded in Dhaka, and I won’t reveal their names for their safety,” he said.


Shiraz said he “won’t return” to “Bangladesh until artists, music, and cultural institutions are respected and protected”.


“I have nothing against the educated and art-loving people of Bangladesh... My issue is with the mob mentality that attacks cultural institutions.”


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