Practised music in graveyard as young boy: Padma Vibhushan awardee Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan
New Delhi, Mar 1: Padma Vibhushan awardee Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan says as a young boy he used to practice in a graveyard so that he could sing without any inhibition or distraction and also without disturbing anyone.
Eighty-seven-year-old Khan recalls he uttered his first words as a child quite late and his parents had to try out various methods to make him speak.
The legendary Hindustani classical vocalist has come out with his memoir "A Dream I Lived Alone", co-written with daughter-in-law Namrata Gupta Khan.
In an interview, Khan told PTI about several interesting facts about his life which he also mentions in his book, published by Penguin Random House.
On his practising music in the graveyard, he says his sole motive was to do his riyaz and there was no sense of fear or hesitation. Khan was around 12 years old then.
His guru used to take his daily nap after lunch and would ask Khan to go home and practice. But home was not the right place as he got distracted.
"The graveyard was desolate and a perfect place for me to do my riyaz. I did not have to worry about anybody and sing my heart out," he says, adding he kept it as a secret.
Khan was born on March 3, 1931 in Badaun in Uttar Pradesh. He was the eldest son in a family of four brothers and three sisters. His father, Ustad Waris Hussain Khan, was the son of Ustad Mureed Baksh, who was a great musician, and his mother, Sabri Begum, was the daughter of the founder of the Rampur-Sahaswan gharana of music, Ustad Inayat Hussain Khan.
He got his basic classical music training from his father and later studied music under his cousin, Ustad Nissar Hussain Khan, who is known for his Kangan Mudaria in Raag Multani.
Khan says it was upon the advice of Ustad Nissar Hussain Khan that he learnt light and semi-classical forms such as thumri, dadra, kajri, the poetic forms of the geet and the ghazal and spiritual forms including bhajans, besides the classical forms of composition, dhrupad and khayal.
He also says that he began to speak quite late and had not said a word till the age of two. His parents were quite worried but did not give up hope.
"My father used to make me lie on his chest, face downwards, and try to say something as he sang in front of me," he says.
Khan's mother later told him that the young boy could utter some 'ya ya ya' sounds imitating his father.
"My father continued to work on me in a similar fashion as he believed that if I exerted myself to bring out sounds, lying on my stomach, it would strengthen my vocal chords as well as 'open up' my lungs," he says.
This remedy worked because soon afterwards, Khan uttered his first words and gradually started speaking like other children of his age.
Khan performed at a concert for the first time at the age of eight.
"The then municipality chairperson Ali Maqsood used to organise a Janmashtami function in Badaun every year. In 1939, I got an opportunity to perform. It was at the Victoria Garden (now Gandhi Maidan) in Badaun," he recalls.
Namrata, wife of Khan's son Rabbani, says as the co-writer of the autobiography, she plays the part of a 'sutradhar'.
She mooted the idea in 2012 and completed the draft in 2016.
"Over many conversations, I listened to his stories and recollections and made notes," she says.
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London, Nov 22: A bomb disposal squad deployed as a “precaution” to the South Terminal of Gatwick Airport concluded an investigation into a "security incident" on Friday after making a “suspect package” safe.
The South Terminal of Gatwick Airport, the UK's second busiest airport after Heathrow, which was briefly shut owing to the incident reopened following the incident.
The Gatwick is around 45 km south of London.
Two people detained during the enquiries have since been allowed to continue their journey as the airport was opened.
“Police have concluded their investigation into a report of a suspect package at Gatwick Airport. Officers from the EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) team made the package safe, and the airport has been handed back to its operator,” Sussex Police said in an updated statement.
“Two people detained while enquiries were ongoing have subsequently been allowed to continue their journeys. There will remain an increased police presence in the area to assist with passengers accessing the South Terminal for onward travel,” the statement added.
Earlier on Friday, the incident caused severe disruption at the busy airport’s South Terminal, while the North Terminal of Gatwick Airport remained unaffected.
“Police were called to the South Terminal at Gatwick Airport at 8.20 am on Friday (November 22) following the discovery of a suspected prohibited item in luggage,” a Sussex Police statement said.
“To ensure the safety of the public, staff and other airport users, a security cordon has been put in place whilst the matter is dealt with. As a precaution, an EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) team is being deployed to the airport. This is causing significant disruption and some roads around the South Terminal have been closed. We’d advise the public to avoid the area where possible,” it said.
Footage on social media taken outside the airport showed crowds of frustrated travellers being moved away from the terminal building.
Gatwick said it was working hard to resolve the issue.
“A large part of the South Terminal has been evacuated as a precaution while we continue to investigate a security incident," the airport said in a social media post.
“Passengers will not be able to enter the South Terminal while this is ongoing. The safety and security of our passengers and staff remain our top priority. We are working hard to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.”
Train and bus services that serve the airport were also impacted while the police carried out their inquiries.
In an unrelated incident in south London on Friday morning, the US Embassy area in Nine Elms by the River Thames was the scene of a controlled explosion by Scotland Yard dealing with what they believe may have been a “hoax device”.
“We can confirm the 'loud bang' reported in the area a short time ago was a controlled explosion carried out by officers,” the Metropolitan Police said in a post on X.
“Initial indications are that the item was a hoax device. An investigation will now follow. Some cordons will remain in place for the time being but the majority of the police response will now be stood down,” it added.
