Support! The Shakhri Begum Memorial Trust

Shakhri Begum Memorial Trust

. . . . . dedicated to the propagation of Hindusthani classical music! 

Founded  on  1st June, 1999, by Ustad Rashid Khan, in the memory of his  late mother. 

Objectives :

To establish and set up an institution for the promotion and propagation of Hindusthani classical music.

To provide the young people of our present generation with proper exposure   towards this form of music, proper guidance and proper institution.

To become one of it's own kind of institution by setting up some branches of key cultural institutions in different parts of India  which shall be  under the able guidance of the best maestros in this field.

This it plans to achieve by :

• Establishment of a "gurukul" to explore and nurture young talents all over   the country and support to the talented, yet needy, in the form of scholarships.
• An audio-visual library named GHARANA, having recordings of all stalwarts, past and present, whether instrumental or vocal, available to research   and in-house scholars round the clock. The library can be accessed by music-lovers, who can visit for the sole purpose of listening.
• A miniature museum - NAAD - housing old musical instruments, existing or almost extinct, either in their full form, or re-created in a miniature form, fashioned in a way, where one shall be capable of tracing the origins of Indian classical music.
• An auditorium  - DARBAAR - to be set up to give the scholars a stage, where by they shall be able to gather the practical experience of performing live and shall also get a chance of interacting with a live audience.
• A well-equipped studio - RAAGA - for the promotion of scholars and young talents by way of recording a master digital, free of all recording charges.

In a nutshell, the various activities which the Trust shall associate itself with, are :

• Arrange for sponsorships for deserving performers;
• Promote artistes who are incapable of financing themselves;
• To extend financial help to old and ailing artistes;
• Institute a life-time achivement award;

Whether by way of sponsorship/donation/advertisement or an assertive presence in the activities of the Trust, you can reach out to those who need your help deservedly.

Your kind participation shall be exempted under Sec.80G  of I.T.Act, '61. Shakri Begum Memorial Trust is a Registered Charitable Trust. 

Account payee cheks or drafts to be drawn in favor  of:

" Shakhri Begum Memorial Trust "
State Bank of India
Naktala Branch (1510)
A/c no. - 01190050150

More details:  
www.sangeetgraam.org
www.gurukuul.org 
www.ustadrashidkhan.com

Tribute! Ustad Mehmood Dhaulpuri

"At the Swami Haridas – Tansen Sangeet Mahostav, Sathya Sai Center, Lodhi Road, Delhi. December 2010".

I saw Ustad Mehmood Dhaulpuri live, for the first and the last time in Dec 2010. I couldn’t gather the amount of conscience that it takes to observe such an artiste, but then, I tried. He was playing with Ashwini Tai that day. As the concert started, I started noticing more and more, the magic of those fingers. I went into a state where I could not notice my surroundings. I could just see the stage. I couldn’t even see our annoying car driver who was sitting right by my side. But I could listen to Ashwini Tai and I could see those fingers moving. Everytime he played a unimaginably complex phrase an then everybody would go ‘Aaahh’.

Nabanita Chowdhury - Puriya Dhanshri at India International Centre, New Delhi on 21 September, 2010. Harmonium: Ustad Mehmood Dhaulpuri; Tabla : Pt. Subhash Nirwan.

Ustad Mehmood Dhaulpuri was born in 23 March, 1953 in Dhaulpur, Rajasthan. He belonged to a family of musicians. Most of the men in his family were Sarangi players. But at that time, Harmonium was in vogue. He took up Harmonium from the age of eleven. He started learning from various people, including Ustad Nasir Ahmed Khan of Dilli Gharana. It is pretty ironic that he was awestruck by the playing of a Harmonium in a Hindi movie song from the movie, Love in Tokyo. Ustad Mehmood Dhaulpuri brought back the ‘once banned’ Harmonium into the mainstream classical arena once again. He also believed that Harmonium was not a foreign instrument. Ustad Mehmood Dhaulpuri was blessed by three daughters and two songs, who are carrying forward his tradition. Every vocalist in Delhi wanted Ustad Mehmood Dhaulpuri for the accompaniment.

He said he imparted the Sarangi style into the playing of a Harmonium. It’s a vocalists dream to have an accompanist who understands the need of a vocalist, and who understands that the amount of interference in the improvisations must be very low. Ustad Mehmood Dhaulpuri was one such artist. He was praised by everyone whoever he played with. He would just accompany. He would never try to gain attention or overpower the performance of a vocalist.

Ustad Iqbal Ahmed Khan - Kamani Auditorioum, Delhi

Harmonium: Ustad Mehmood Dhaulpuri

He was too young to die. He was just 58. In Hindustani Music, 58 is not old, rather this is the age when an artiste of such high caliber starts getting attention and recognition. It all started to happen to Ustad Mehmood Dhaulpuri. He became the proud recipient of the Padma Shree, but soon after, he passed away. I’ve read that his financial condition was very weak. Ustad Mehmood Dhaulpuri accompanied all the major artists of the country including Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, Begum Parveen Sultana, Pandit Jasraj, Girija Devi and Kishori Amonkar.

‘Yeh harmonium mujhe aisi jagah le gaya hai ki jise main khwaabon mein bhi nahin soch sakta’, he said on the DD Urdu interview.

May he be blessed, as God blessed us by him ! Rest in Peace.

By Kovid Rathee - August 4 2011

Source: http://kovidrathee.wordpress.com/2011/08/04/ustad-mehmood-dhaulpuri/

To read as well:  "No longer by their side... Artistes remember harmonium maestro Mehmood Dhaulpuri". The Hindu - June 3 2011

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-fridayreview/article2072193.ece?css=print