Hearing-Aid Volume Matters

Told by Jyoti Goho
Obtained by Suranjita Paul
Date 21st February 2017
Place ITC Sangeet Research Academy, 1, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Road, Tollygunge, Kolkata – 700040
About the speaker Jyoti Goho is a well-known Harmonium player of Indian Classical Music. He is a Musician Faculty in ITC Sangeet Research Academy, Kolkata.
Tags 1985, Sangeet Research Academy, Nisar Hussain Khan, Bhuwalka award, A.T. Kanan, Harmonium, Jyoti Goho, Tanpura, Rashid khan, Tabla, Aslam khan, Gulam Akbar Khan, Zulfiqar Khan
Language Bengali

Jyoti Goho speaks:

Verbatim:

??? ????? ????? ???? ???? ???? ??? ????? ??.??.?.(Sangeet Research Academy)?? ??????? (????? ???) ???? ????? ????? ??? ????? ???? ????, ?? ????? ????? ??? ????? ?? ???????? ?????????? ????? ???? ?? ???(????)??????????-? ????? ?? ???? ???? ??????

    Ustad Nisar Hussain Khan

?? ???? ?????? ????? ????? ???? ???? ????? ????????? ??? ?????? ??????? ????? ????? ????? ??? ????? ??? ?? ?????? ???? ???? ???? ???? ??? ??? ????, ???? ?? ???? ???? ????? ?? ???? ??? ??? ????? ???? ???? ??? ??-??(???)???? ???? ??? ?????????? ??? ???? ????? ???????, ????? ?????? ?????, ?? ??? ??? ?????? ???? ???? ???? ???? ??? ?????, ?????, ???? ??? ???? ???? ??? ??, ???????? ??? ???? ????? ????????(????? ????? ???)??? ??? ???? ????? ?????, ??? ??? (???? ??? ??)? ??????, ?? ???? ???? ????????? ?????? ???????? ??? ???? ?????? ??? ??????, ??????? ??? ????? ????? ??? ??? ???? ????????, ??? ?????? (?????) ??! ???? ??? ??? ????? ?????? ????? ???? ???? ????? ?? – ????? ?????? ?? ??? ??? ????? ??? ?????? ???????? ?? ??????, ?????? ???? ??? ???, ??? ?????? ?? ???? ?? ??? ????? ?????? ??? ??? ???? ????? ???? ??? ??? ????? ??? ??????? ????? ?? ????? ????? ?? ??? ???????? ???? ????? ?????? ??? ????? ???? ??? ?????? ????? ??? ?? ????????? ??? ???? ????? ?????? ??????? ?????? ?? ????-???????? ?????, ???? ????? ????? ???????? ??? ??? ????? ?????,???!?? ?? ???? ???? ????, ????? ?? ???? ?????? ????? ?? ??, ?? ??? ???? ????????? ?? ???????? ????? ?????? ?????? ????? ?? ??, ?? ??? ??? ??? ?????? ?? ????? ??? ?????, ?????? ??? ???? ????? ????? ???????, ???? ???? ???? ???????(??????)-????? ??? ???? ??????, ??? ??? ????? ?? ?????, ?????! ?? ???? ???? ??????? ?? ??? ????????? ???? ???, ???? ????? ???? ???? ????????? ????? ???? ?? ?? ??? ???????? ???? (????? ????? ????)???? ????? ??? ?? ???? ???? ???, ???? ????? ????? ???? ??? ?? ???? ????? ???????? ???? ???? ???? ?????, ??????????? ??? ???? ??????(????? ???), ?? ??? (?????? ????)?????? ????????, ???? ??? ???? ???? ?? ?? ????? ?????? ?????? ??? ??? ???????? ??? ?????? ??????? ?? ??? ???? ?? ?????? ??? ?? ??? ???? ??? ???? ????????? ???????? ???? (??????)????? ???????? ?????? ????? ????? ?????

???? ????, – ????? ????? ?? ???? ??? ??????? ??? ???? ????????? ??? ????? ??? ???? ????? ?? ?? ???????, ??????? ???? ???? ?? ???? (???), ????? ???? (???)??? ?? ????? ?????????? ??????? ????? ??? ????? ?? ??? ??? ?????? ??? ?????? ?? ????? ?????? ?????, ????? ????? ???? ???? ???? ??? ??? ???? ?? ??? ?????? ?????, – ?? ???? ??? ????? ????? ????? ???? ?????? ???? ????? ????? ??????????? ???? ??? ??? ??? ????? ?? ???? ????? ????? ????? ????? ????? ????? ?? ??? ????? ??? ??? ???????

Verbatim by: Dr. Suranjita Paul

Translation:

It was the year 1985. Nisar Hussain Khan, the grandfather of Rashid Khan was the Guru of S. R. A. (Sangeet Research Academy). NisarHussain Khan was to be awarded the Bhuwalka Award, and it was decided that he would also sing at the Award Ceremony. My Guru encouraged me to play the Harmonium with him, and I agreed.

Nisar Hussain Khan used to sit on a high stool while performing, because he couldn’t sit with his legs folded owing to his old age. He was running on his 83rd or 84th year at that time. The program started and he asked me on stage to play the note for tuning other instrument accordingly. Thus I began to follow him with the Harmonium, suddenly he asked me to play it softly, said, “Why are you playing it so loud? Play it softly.” So I tuned the Hamonium to play it softly. He again interrupted and said. “No no. You are playing it too loud. Slow it down…” Amidst this, the Tanpura was also tuned and Nisar Khan started singing. In between songs, he would ask me to play softer. It was not that I was playing it very loud, but still he kept on insisting that I play it softly. He was renowned musician after all and also the Grandfather of Rashid… and I too was a bit intimidated.

At one point, I was playing the harmonium so low, that I myself was unable to hear it. But even then, he found it to be too loud. At the end of the program, my Guruji, who happened to be a South Indian, came to me and scolded me in broken Bangla, complaining that my harmonium was not audible at all. He said, “Are you mad or what! What were you playing up there? We couldn’t even hear you play the harmonium!” I told him that it was Nisar Khan, who himself had asked me to play it softly. Guruji said, “Yes, I had noticed that he was instructing you about something, but couldn’t make it what he was asking for…”

Ustad Gulam Akbar Khan

Later the Tabla player, Aslam Khan revealed to us that Nisar Hussain Khan had his hearing aid on high volume. His son in law was Gulam Akhbar Khan and his son was Julfikar, who had told the Tabla player about this. Since the volume of the hearing aid was pitched very high on the side where I was sitting, NisarHussain Khan always felt that I was being too loud. Later, I had also told Rashid about this incident, and he too assured me that this had happened a lot of times in the past as well. Rashid also told me that at home, when Nisar Khan would have his morning tea, he gets very irritated at the crows screeching outside, though the noise wasn’t that unbearable. He would also get angry at the crows and ask others to scare them off.

Translated by: Ankana Das

 Picture Courtesy: Google

http://www.parrikar.org/vpl/?page_id=460

http://www.itcsra.org/WednesdayRecital.aspx?WedId=18

Edited & Designed: Dr.Suranjita Paul

Data processed at SAP-DRS Lab, Department of Instrumental Music, Rabindra Bharati University