When I visited Delhi a few months ago I made it a point
to visit the Red Fort. And, probably, like
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many visitors before me did, and
many after me shall, I, too, dreamed of being the Prime Minister on the 15th of August, if only for a few hours, to be able to address the nation
from the ramparts of this historical fort! I also decided to witness the ‘sound
and light’ show, that is featured in most forts in India. The one here, though,
was not as enjoyable; not because the fort had less history surrounding it as
compared to the fort at Kumbalgarh, but because: (i) it wasn’t produced very
well and (ii) the audience was very ill mannered.
As I forced myself to enjoy the show (having waited in a long
queue for the tickets), I had to keep beseeching the people to settle down and
stay quiet. I felt like a school teacher trying to discipline a group of
excited and indisciplined students! And as I watched and listened, I noticed
that the Mughul Emperor Muhammad Shah (1702 - 1748) was being blamed squarely
for the downfall of the great Empire as also the fort. Sure, he was distracted by his love for the
arts – which earned him the nickname of ‘Rangeela’ (colourful), and neglected
his duties towards the throne; but I couldn’t stop reminding myself of the
tremendous contribution he made to the development of Hindustani classical
music.
Niyamat Khan (1670-1748) and his nephew, Feroz Khan were
the court musicians of Mohammed Shah 'Rangeela'.
Niyamat Khan was the grandson of Lal Khan, the son-in-law
of Bilas Khan (son of Tansen). I am not too sure if Bilas Khan’s daughter was
Lal Khan’s only wife; if she were, then Niyamat Khan was the great - grandson
of Bilas Khan and, therefore, the great - great - grandson of Tansen!
Encouraged by the 'Rangeela' Emperor, Niyamat Khan and
Feroz Khan were responsible for the development of the more popular style of
‘khayal’ form of classical singing. Niyamat Khan composed under the pen name of
‘Sadarang’ and along with his nephew, Feroz Khan (‘Adarang’), contributed hundreds of pieces that are sung even today.
I wonder what might have been the case had Mohammed Shah
not been so colourful, after all; our Fort and history may have been different
but so would our music!
1 comment:
That’s some classical history…
Today could be one of the days when all these forts come alive…may not be all though
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