Keepers of tradition

Aditi Tandon on four artists who have emerged from the shadow of legends to evolve a style of their own

Celebrated lineages are easier flaunted than kept. Not surprising then that inheritors of glorious traditions often sink without a trace. A handful evolve because they manage to cast themselves afresh and offer to the world another dimension of the art their ancestors mastered. Some of the finest keepers of classical music traditions were in the royal city of Patiala for heritage festival celebrations recently.

In special focus were four exponents of distinct styles who have long slipped out of the shadow of legends and inspired a world of their own. Savita Devi, daughter of thumri queen Siddheshwari Devi has not only inherited her mother’s tradition but has also gained respect for her rare artistry. Shujaat Khan, son of sitar maestro Ustad Vilayat Khan has brought laurels to his family by winning a Grammy nomination and entering the league of 20 top fusion musicians worldwide.

Born to Zohra and Kamaleshwar Segal, members of Uday Shankar’s dance ballet, Kiran Segal chose Odissi as her medium for artistic expression. Today she is lauded for contemporary interpretation of a dance form which was until recently too classic for mass consumption.

The festival also featured Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s illustrious nephew Rahat Fateh Ali from Pakistan. Beginning as a music apprentice with his uncle, Rahat now holds keys to his empire. He has replicated his uncle’s mystic charm and also emerged in a class of his own. Of him it is said, "He can pull improvised passages out of thin air with a fury, blazing through multiple octaves, and can take on melodic phrases one has never heard from Nusrat."

Making their contributions, these disciples of legendary performers have proved that legacy loses appeal unless refurbished for changing times. The pursuit of perfection has taken them long but the results have been worth the effort. Here’s tracing the journey of artistes who are following in the footsteps of their ancestors and are well on their way to becoming legends themselves.

Savita Devi has been labouring relentlessly to guard the honour her mother Siddheshwari Devi brought to the Banaras gharana. As a custodian of her thumri tradition, Savita Devi has assumed the task of documenting rare compositions, besides restructuring romantic portions of some bandishes. Engaged in research on new forms of thumri presentation, Savita Devi is also the spirit behind Siddheshwari Devi Academy of Indian Music. She spent decades in academics before retiring as Head of Music Department at Daulat Ram College of Delhi University.

Trained in the Kirana gharana, Savita Devi recalls her mother as the hardest task master. "She would never acknowledge my talent. At best she would say "Agar mehnat karegi to achha karegi. I struggled hard to preserve her legacy and worked even harder to undo damages which Mani Kaul’s film on my mother caused. My book Maa…Siddheshwari was written to redeem the reputation of Siddheshwari Devi who was anything but what Kaul portrayed her as."

Shujaat Hussain Khan would rather concentrate on new compositions than flaunt his father’s legacy. Following the path shown by his ancestors Ustad Inayat Khan and Imdad Khan, Shujaat has shaped into a world class musician.

He is the only Indian instrumentalist to have presented a recital at UN’s Assembly Hall at Geneva. He also earned a Grammy nomination for album Rain which he composed with Iranian musician Kayhan Kalhor.’

HOME