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Shehzad Khalil, an up-and-coming sitar maestro, who hails from a neglected area of northern Lahore, has already surprised many a music connoisseur and critic by his strong proclivity and passion for instrumental classical music
Coming from a family of professional musicians, he broke the tradition of his ancestors by becoming a formal pupil of a non-professional (in a genetic sense) musician late Habib Khan Ghouri, a sitar player of considerable merit. The other professional musician whom I remember to have also learnt the art of composition from an atayee practising musician is Wazir Afzal, who did not feel any inhibition in learning the art of composition from late Khwaja Khurshid Anwer, the ace composer of Pakistan.
Young Shehzad Khalil has acquired such a high level of proficiency in playing instrumental music that he can easily rub shoulders with a number of seasoned players of this delicate instrument, sitar. He has joined the ranks of Nafees Ahmed, Muhammad Saleem Khan and Farhan Khan, the son of Ustad Raees Khan. Sitar in the hand of Shehzad sounds singing. His style of handling this instrument and his skill in playing boles (syllable) of a song have already won him the adulation of inveterate musicians and lovers of classical music.
"I was born 25 years ago in a poor family of musicians in Kumharpura, a small settlement located at the periphery of Lahore", he said during a recent chat with me when he talked about his melodic ambitions and also numerous hurdles he had to cross in achieving his goal. Except for some rudimentary knowledge of classical music, which was passed on to him by his late father, he did not learn the art of sitar playing from any professional musician. "I adopted a course, which was not approved by many among the fraternity of professional musicians", he said with a tinge of pride, adding, "I became a pupil of late Habib Khan Ghouri, a non professional sitar player. He played sitar in the orchestras of a number frontline composers of the sub-continent like Master Ghulam Haider, C. Ram Chandra and Husan Lal-Bhagat Ram in Bombay ".
For how long did you remain under his tutelage, he was asked?
"I started taking lessons from Habib Khan Ghouri in September 1990 with which I persisted till his death in 1998. Though very kind, my teacher was a hard taskmaster. He would want me to practise lessons for a minimum of six hours a day at home. He would get pleasantly surprised when I played those thoroughly rehearsed gats before him after a week or so. In addition to teaching me gats in different styles - Maseet Khani, Feroze Khani and Raza Khani, he also taught me how to progressively delineate the themes of ragas in a slow tempo - the alap, laying stress at the same time on taans and paltas (combinations and permutations), he reminisced.
Shehzad learnt the technique of sitar playing for over eight years before coming on his own and played solo concerts under the aegis of different art promoting organisations such as Lahore Arts Council and the All Pakistan Music Conference, which awarded him the Ansari Medal. He also participated in a sitar festival held at Alhamra in 1996. Currently, he participates in radio music broadcasts when invited by Radio Pakistan, Lahore, to demonstrate his melodic prowess as a casual artiste.
"Income from my participation in radio and stage programmes is meagre and I have to play sitar in different local hotels which enables me to support my family", he said in a tone which betrayed his frustration, adding, "this source of income is not permanent either and often dries up. I wanted to purchase a real good sitar worth Rs. 25,000. For that I had to wait for more than five years during which period I saved money by cutting corners."
A high school matriculate, Shehzad had ambitions to receive college education (in fact he applied for admission at Government College, Lahore) but due to some misunderstanding he could not submit his papers in time and later became over-age. Though disappointed, he has not lost heart and is trying to pursue his educational goal as a private student.
Who among the great sitar players has inspired you the most, I asked him.
"I am much inspired by the styles of Uatad Wilayat Husain Khan, Pundit Ravi Shanker and Ustad Raees Khan. Indeed, they are great maestros of sitar music, whose calibre in playing this beautiful but intricate instrument remains matchless", he said in a tone that radiated much respect for these Supremes.
Always eager to learn Shehzad Khalil continues to practise sitar-playing for four hours a day despite his professional engagements. He has developed a distinct style of his own in bole playing. His elder brother Ijaz Husain, who is a table player of considerable merit, provides him rhythmic accompaniment during his daily practice sessions.
In the absence of institutional support and also due to his tight financial position, Shehzad has to work harder than other members of his fraternity to satiate his ambitions and also to create an impression on the local music scene.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2004

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