Zainul Abedin follows the style of his mentor Ustad Latafat Hussain Khan yet maintains his grip on every aspect of music
Zainul Abedin follows the style of his mentor Ustad Latafat Hussain Khan yet maintains his grip on every aspect of music
Agra Gharana has fewer exponents as compared to other ‘Gayaks’. So looking forward to the vocal concert by Zainul Abedin of Kolkata organized by Sanskriti Foundation and India International Center in Delhi.
In his 50s, Zainul has never been active in the music circuit despite his talent. One wondered why, especially after hearing his well-rounded and well-honed voice. He did his early training under Ustad Latafat Hussain Khan (nephew of the iconic ‘Aftab e Mausiqui’ Ustad Fayaz Khan, unquestionably the finest singer of his generation) and Pt. Sunil Bose (Disciple of Pt. SN Ratanjankar and Ustad Ata Hussain Khan). Zainul Pt. Vijay Kichlu was also a disciple of Ustad Latafat Hussain Khan after the death of Ustad Latafat Hussain Khan in 1986.
Beginning his concert with the raga Megh Malhar, Zainul played an impressive 30 minutes in the dhrupad style, he soon approached Rishabh in the lower octave, performing his riyaaz. Used to male singers of an Agra gharana who strive to sound like Ustad Fayaz Khan, the most recognizable voice of the gharana, Zainul’s gravel voice has a distinct texture.
When asked about this, he recalled the advice of his mentor Ustad Latafat Hussain Khan: sing in your voice, don’t fail, We were killed in his love, could not get out of his discussion (Sing in your natural voice, don’t imitate. Our generation was overwhelmed by them and tried so hard to imitate them that we never came out of their shadow).
Zainul’s aalap was a true delight – an authentic Dhrupad style ‘Nom Tom’ aalap. The silent Pakhawaj style accompaniment during the ‘loud’ situation by Bibhash Sanghai was a bonus. This wonderful tradition is rare these days even with the exponents of Dhrupad. Gradually increasing the pace, Zainul ended the alap with a clear utterance of ‘Ananta Hari Narayan’. The whole concert was marked by his clear accent. Vinay Mishra’s harmonium accompaniment was exceptional, maintaining the Dhrupad style of note singing, which is not easy for someone trained in the Khayal tradition.
The middle rhythm jhaptal bandish ‘Garaj Ghata Ghan’ is said to have been composed by Sadarang, (aka) Niyamat Khan (the abundance of extant vocal compositions make him wonder if he was primarily a ‘picker’) And there were no singers) ) The next composition was by Ustad Fayaz Khan, set to a beat, ‘Aaye Re Ati Dhoom Dham’, where the signature ‘Bol Baat’ of the Agra Gharana was prominent.
Showing his mastery over ragas, Zainul further rendered a Malhar and a Surdasi Malhar. Since both the ragas have some similar aspects, with glimpses of Vrindavani Sarang (the traditional version of the raga has only ‘North Ni’) he highlights the difference in an impressive manner. The first Teen Taal Bandish was the popular ‘Badarwa Barsan Ko Aaye’, he sang it with a melody not usually associated with it.
His full and complete rendition of the extended ‘Antara’ was commendable; Many modern exponents omit it. Ustad Latafat Hussain Khan’s fast three tal bandish also had ‘Yoga’ on ‘Teep Sa’. This song was sung with pomp.
Ustad Khadim Hussain Khan of Agra Gharana is believed to have said, every bandisho has a different mood (Each bandish has its own character ,, and Zainul demonstrated it perfectly. His entire concert program was pure Agra ‘Gayaki’, with the fullness of performances of ‘Layakari’ and ‘Bandish’.
The gharana is known for certain ragas. One such is Barwa, further sung by Zainul on request, ending the concert with a thumri in the Agra tradition. Although his singing was somewhat monotonous.
Talking about his association with Ustad Latafat Hussain Khan, Zainul recalled that he was seven years old when he first heard Ustad sing in Kolkata, and wanted to learn from him. But it seemed impossible as Ustad Latafat lived in Bombay at that time. Two years later, Zainul won an ITC scholarship and to his delight Ustad Latafat Hussain joined ITC SRA as a mentor, and was about to become his teacher. His concerts showed how he has kept the unique Agra gharana ‘Gayaki’ alive.
Delhi-based writers write on Hindustani music and musicians.