Ustad Sultan Khan's comments are pithy and insightful and, as a bonus, theyare laced with wit and humour. He also displays an inoffensive defiance bornof a confidence in his talent. You know you have here a man who is incomplete command of the sarangi, and takes prides in his singing ability.The Ustad, so far known to provide the perfect accompaniment to notedvocalists through his instrument, recently started singing on a professionalbasis. His maiden album, Piya Basanti, where he has sung with Chitra, is nowplaced number one on the charts.Almost always, songs are fitted into films. However, with Piya Basanti, SonyMusic has turned this notion on its head. A whole two-part video film with aserialised plot has been made for three songs in the album. Doesn't anartiste of the old school like Ustad Sultan Khan mind that music these daysis seen and not heard? "Why should I object? Let people enjoy it the waythey want to," he replies.Well, there's more that takes the credit away from him and Chitra. Audiencessee the video of Piya Basanti over and over again but hardly know what thesingers look like; they feature nowhere in the promotional. "Well, I am anold man and not good-looking either. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan was morepresentable which is why he was shown singing his songs," he says withbiting sarcasm. But the neglect evidently rankles, because later, he sayshis absence in the video has greatly disturbed his well-wishers.How have his peers reacted to him as a singer? "Nobody has objected. Myfellow musicians know me as a colourful, spirited personality who likes toenjoy life. Moreover, I am not afraid to speak my mind because thecommercial aspect of my art has never been important to me," he says. "Tome, my singing is the call of my soul. No wonder people say that there is anelement of Bhakti or Sufism, call it what you will, in my music. For thisreason alone, other vocalists are not envious when I sing.""But the first time the phone rang incessantly was when I sang Albela sajanaayo re in the film Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. Even children recognise me asthe singer of that song. It is not often that something sung by a classicalvocalist is given such prominence in a film," he claims. "Classical singerswere just doing an alaap here and a line there. Even in Mughal-E-Azam, thesong Prem jogan was played in the background, the focus of the sceneremained Mr Dilip Kumar and Madhubala." But Prem jogan was crafted accordingto the demand of the script, and has proved to be immortal. Albela sajanwill have to pass the test of time.Nevertheless, the fact that Ustad Sultan Khan knows that the quality of hismusic cannot be denied. His sarangi has accompanied stalwarts like PanditOmkarnath Thakur, Badi Motibai, Siddheshwari Devi, Bade Ghulam Ali Khan,Begum Akhtar, Rasoolan Bai and Nazakat Ali-Salamat Ali, down to the nextgeneration of performers comprising Ms Parveen Sultana, Ms Kishori Amonkar,Pandit Shivkumar Sharma and Ustad Zakir Hussain.For those who are surprised at the Ustad having taken to singing all of asudden, he clarifies that he has been learning since childhood. First fromhis father, Ustad Gulab Khan, and then under the wizard, Ustad Amir Khan.Aside from that, he says all the artistes he has accompanied have left amark on him.Piya Basanti is not Ustad Sultan Khan's first experiment with pop music. Hehas performed with Western artistes including the Beatles, Madonna and DuranDuran. In fact, he loves to recount that Madonna decided she had to workwith him after he appeared in her dream! "But seriously, there must bemeaning to any musical experiment. It's not just a question of them doingtheir own thing and me doing what comes to me. The two must synchronise. Idare say it is Indian music that has provided the inspiration for fusion.Have you heard of any Hindustani artiste becoming a foreigner's disciple?Wasn't it George Harrison who sought Pandit Ravi Shankar's guidance?" heasks.It has been a landmark career. Ustad Sultan Khan has played to dissimilarcrowds all over the world and has created the same electrifying effectwherever he went. His sarangi moved Prince Charles to tears and received astanding ovation at the White House.Such is the power of his instrument that he claims to have performed beforea moderate sized crowd without using a microphone to amplify the sound ofhis sarangi. "And we are not talking of the time when modern acoustics werenot available. On one occasion, I was performing with a French troupe; theywere playing Church music at Shanmukhananda Hall. That day, we decided to doaway with the mike. People listened in rapt attention, not a whisper or afootfall could be heard. Even a couple of people who came in late slunk inwithout making the slightest noise," he describes."There is a manner of listening to live performances. Ask any musician todayto dispense with the microphone, even if the crowd numbers 500, he willdevelop cold feet and wonder how the sound will reach the last row. It iscommon for audiences nowadays to talk, eat and drink during performances,"he continues. Yes, and the cheekier ones even sing along with the artiste.Of course, most of the blame for the decline goes to half-baked performers,who can barely tell the difference between notes, and to music companieswho, in their quest for new talent, have made singers of greenhorns. "Thenwhy don't you write about these things?" the Ustad exhorts. "Or, has yourpen been bought over? I say singing without having a guru is like trying togo somewhere without having either the address or proper directions. On thisscore, you cannot fault me; not my raagdari, not my taleem, not my gharana."
