Blessings of Ustd. Vilayat Khan

Told by  Pandit Sankha Chattopadhyay (Chatterjee)
Obtained by Professor Sanjoy Bandopadhyay
Date 16th March 2017
Place Garia, Kolkata
About the speaker Pandit Sankha Chattopadhyay is a reputed Tabla player from Kolkata. His style blends three leading Tabla  Gharanas of India, Farukhabad, Delhi and Punjab.
Tags Keramatullah Khan, Vilayat Khan, 1964-65, Park Circus, Patna, Allahabad, Bombay, London,
Language Bengali

Sankha Chattopadhyay speaks:

Metadata generated by Suranjita Paul

Verbatim:

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Ustad Vilayat Khan

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Verbatim by Rajeswary Ganguly Banerjee

Translation:

I have always had the blessings of Khan sahib, I still do. Vilayat Khan is the main person. We used to live next to his house. One night, it was around midnight, my elder brother and I were practicing. My brother was playing the harmonium and I was playing the tabla. Suddenly we heard someone knocking on the gate. So we called out and asked who it was and what they wanted.

A voice answered, “People call me Vilayat Khan. May I come in?”

“Oh, Khan sahib, come in, come in.”

“Who is playing? They are playing well. I want to hear. May I come in?”

I had stopped playing.

“Oh, play dear man, play. I am like your elder brother. Play. Let me hear it. You play well. Who taught you?”

I answered him.

“Hm. He is a great master. Why don’t you come over to my place? Visit me sometime. I have a younger brother. Make friends with him and practice with him as well.”

Ustad Vilayet khan and Pt. Sankha Chattopadhyay

That is how he invited me to his home. I began to frequent his place. I used to meet Imrat Khan. One day he said, “Come, play with me. This is the beginning for you.”

-Was this in late ‘50s? ’57-58?

-It would be…the first time I went with him was in ’68…so this should be around ’64-65.

– This was happening at Park Circus? The entire thing? Both of you lived their!

-We used to do riyaaz. Then once or twice he took me here and there – to Patna and Allahabad. One day he suddenly called for me (AUDIO UNCLEAR) “Shankha, Guruji is calling, what’s the matter? He asked, “What are your plans for next week?”

I said, “I have no plans. I don’t even have a job.”

“Take this money, go to Bombay. You’ll accompany me to London.”

I was…

“Oh, you just  go. You won’t have to do a thing. You’ll buy the tickets with me and go to Bombay.”

So I went to Bombay. Then one day he said, “Shankha, you really are something. You’ve at least studied in a school or college. How will you get your passport made from here? You’ll have to go to Kolkata for that.” I didn’t want it, but he said, “Oh, Khan sahib does this all the time. Now see what I do.”

da in Kolkata He filled up the form in Bombay and sent it to Sona. he was a gazetted officer. He got my passport made, and sent it back. I went off to London. That was the first time. Thus it began. There are so many stories!

Translated by:  Sarbajaya Bhattacharya

Picture Courtesy: Pt, Sankha Chattopadhyay, Google

 

https://www.google.co.in/search?biw=1366&bih=631&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=-hENW9n1IMmv9QPDwZOICg&q=vilayet+khan&oq=vilayet+khan&gs_l=img.3..0i10i24k1.293948.299265.0.299737.12.12.0.0.0.0.160.1770.0j12.12.0….0…1c.1.64.img..0.12.1763…0j0i67k1j0i5i30k1j0i30k1j0i8i30k1.0.FoLYp3TBC-c#imgrc=wO-kbHgOArkfNM:

 https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=298828493548235&set=a.298828490214902.59633.100002632616226&type=3&theater

 Edited & Designed: Ms. Rajeswary Ganguly Banerjee

 

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