Bismillah & Benares
By T.M.A. Raman
Bengaluru:
25-03-2020 2:24PM
Last Updated: 25-03-2020 2:25PM
I just finished watching Bismillah Benares, a
story documenting the life and times of the Indian Shenai legend Bismillah
Khan. Directed and scripted by Juhi Sinha, the hour-long film captured
captivatingly vignettes of Benares as reminisced by Khan Saaheb in a
simple, charming and multi-colored fashion - right from the multifarious crowd
doing their prayers and pooja's at the banks of the river Ganges to the mouth- watering
hot poories, vadas and jilebis and the extravagant shops selling a whole lot of
household goods to beautifully carved and colourfully-printed sarees and
clothes for ladies visiting Benares and those settled in the ancient city.
Most
charming was the way Khan Saheb narrated his experiences in the holy city full
of myriad temples and monasteries. What was mesmerizing for me was the childish
glee with which Khan Saheb narrated incidents from his childhood times.
His waiting
patiently sitting on the lap of his uncle while the older man was gobbling hot
and garmagarm vadas or poories and his slow bit-by-bit initiation into the
intricacies of the Hindustani classical music – he narrated in a charming way.
Most
enjoyable was when Khan Saheb said he used to await eagerly slurping his lips
until his uncle finished eating the jilebis and said ``aaja beta tubhi kuch
khaale ( come on son you too eat something)" and how much Khan Saheb
relished such occasions. A most charming anecdote Khan Saheb
revealed on the music he began to play as he grew up in the temple town of
Benares. It happened near his house. One day as he was playing on the Shenai,
suddenly he smelt a strong fragrance, something compelling. He at first thought
it must be the incense sticks lit by some devotees in a nearby temple. But even
as he tried to focus on the raga he was playing and forget the smell of the
incense sticks, he realised that the fragrance was quite different and soon was
overwhelming him completely. He stopped playing and looked around and saw the
vision of Baba enveloped in a coloured robe and smiling at him. When Khan Saheb
bowed to the Sai Baba and offered him his pranams, the Sai Baba said: "Play
on, your future is secure". Khan Saheb said that it was an unforgettable
experience, and later in life, as he grew up and won recognition and fame, he
knew the blessings of the Baba was with him. Among the most telling things the
Khan Saheb said was wherever he travelled, be it Bombay, Delhi, Calcutta or
down South in Chennai or Bangalore, he always felt like being in Benares. Such
was the deep impact the holy city had left on him. Some cities like Benares
live to maketh remarkable musicians such as Ustad Bismillah Khan Saheb.