As the late Bismillah Khan's centenary celebrations gather pace with concerts across the country, his protégé Soma Ghosh, talks to Yogesh Pawar about the shehnai legend
Window panes rattle and the house seems to vibrate as revellers dance to the pounding music while bidding adieu to a Durga idol. Classical vocalist Dr Soma Ghosh shuts her eyes and waits for the noise to subside before humming a thumri: Jani maaro pichkari, kanhaiyya mei araj kari haari — said to be the late Bismillah Khan's favourite. "Baba would always ask me to sing this one," says the shehnai legend's protégé, looking at a photograph of a performance with him at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Preparing for the fourth concert in Mumbai to celebrate his centenary year, Ghosh says the first in the series began from Assi Ghat in his hometown Benares. "We then took the concert tour to Lucknow, where apart from a public concert, we performed at the Raj Bhavan. We then had a concert on October 1 in Pune," she informs. "But Mumbai is special since Baba liked performing here."
The Mumbai concert on October 19 is special for another reason, Ghosh stresses. "Despite his prowess and stature, there were some really powerful lobbies in this city who kept ensuring that he did not get a chance to perform here. This negativity had seen a spike since he was conferred India's highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna in 2001."
Recounting how she met the maestro in 2001, Ghosh says it was by sheer quirk of fate while organising a concert in memory of her guru Bageshwari Devi. "Though I had learnt from my guru in Benares itself, I hadn't met Baba until 2001. He was far too senior. So when I approached him for the concert, I was apprehensive but he said yes."
Smiling at the memory, Ghosh remembers how she had called Bismillah Khan at 7.45pm to avoid him listening to her sing. "But the late arrival of the chief guest led to the concert starting late. No sooner had I begun singing when his wheelchair was brought in from the wings."
Ustad-ji reportedly asked for the wheelchair to be stopped and asked who was singing. "This sounds like my favourite Rasoolan Bai. Where has this soul of singing come back from after 50 years?" he wanted to know. When he was told it was Soma Ghosh, the one who had invited him for the concert, he called out and blessed her. She stopped singing and went up to him, Ghosh says. "Instinctively, he called me beti and I responded with baba. It was surreal how we had connected. Even before I could recover from the emotions of this meeting, he commanded that I perform with him. I tried to dissuade him saying I was too junior, but he insisted that I be with him at every concert from then on."
The legend who would introduce Ghosh as his daughter kept to his word till his last concert at Rashtrapati Bhavan in 2006, shortly before his death in August that year. "He would always say that his shehnai will live on through my voice. I feel truly privileged and blessed," says Ghosh.
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