In music, we don146;t have elevators

His unexpected halt at Vadodara was because of the train that he missed on Wednesday, but Ustad Sultan Khan...

His unexpected halt at Vadodara was because of the train that he missed on Wednesday, but Ustad Sultan Khan, one of the last legions of the golden era of classical music, can find no answer to the complete derailment of music that the country once took pride on. The echoes of Piya Basanti Re on the third floor of the hotel would no doubt give the image of the singer we have seen in innumerable concerts and live shows. But the doors opened to the any other next-door neighbour in a white kurta, tired after the day8217;s journey. What distinguished him as the Ustad was the unparallel voice, which has the magical power to twine to the epitome of solace.

Missing the train struck new ideas for his next project: to take Gujarati folk to a newer level. 8220;There is a treasure trove of folk here. It can be moulded into a sophisticated form, thus creating a classic. But, there is no point rushing through it. This rush has destroyed music already,8221; he said as he discussed with a group of other classical musicians.

The 8216;rush8217; is what made him itch his patience that got evident on the rising bitterness in his melodious tone. 8220;I have been created after 75 years of riyaaz and dedication, but today people can8217;t give more than five weeks to learn music. We get music idols in months. They want to be on the top floor without climbing the stairs, but I am sorry, in music we don8217;t have elevators,8221; declared the Ustad.

Even without asking, he related his disgust with the deteriorating state of music. He speaks of it as television ki banai tabaihi, the age of microphone that amplifies the errors in every single note of contemporary age of music. 8220;We the last legions of real music are always questioned about the contemporary music. But are we to blame for it? I don8217;t think so. And at this rate, the much revered Indian music will be dead in the next 20 years and there is no way we can save it,8221; he said.

And what about fusion music? 8220;Fusion to ek masti hai. I don8217;t understand a word of what Madonna or Duran Duran sing and they don8217;t understand of what I am doing with my voice. Neither are we trying to interfere with each others8217; melody by changing it. We are just blending the western aroma with Indian colours,8221; the Ustad signs off giving a hint of Madonna8217;s staccato and fusing it with his pancham.