Haimanti taught Rashid 'Nazrulgeeti'

Haimanti Shukla tells TOI how she taught Ustad Rashid Khan to sing Nazrulgeeti
How difficult was it for you to convince Ustad Rashid Khan to sing Nazrulgeeti?
It was Shouvik Dasgupta who had conceived such a programme. When he expressed this desire, I told him that I’d take the responsibility of teaching Rashid. He treats me like an elder sister. And not just that, he also tells me that I am almost like his mother.Amar baba guni manush chhilen ar ami khub mon diye sangeet chorcha korechhi. O jane je ami phanka awaz na. Rashid knows that I have a strong musical base. He has also heard me sing khayal and thumri. Though I sing Bengali songs, I still haven’t forgotten my training in Indian classical music. I’ve sung for Pt Ravi Shankarji and Ustad Ali Akbar Khan saab. The other day, I had gone to a concert of Zakir’s. Seeing me in the audience, he stood up. I am privileged to get this kind of respect from such artistes. Rashid and I mutually admire each other. This mutual respect is what gives me the right to even scold him and also convince him to do this kind of a programme in 15 days’ notice.
How did you teach him the Bengali words?
Here, I must credit Rashid’s wife, Soma, for helping us out. We had a couple of sittings and I would first say the lines in Bengali. Soma would then write them down in English and subsequently, pen them in Hindi for easier comprehension of Rashid. Rashid was familiar with the song, Chaitali chandni raate. When he had to say ‘nobomalotir kole’, he pronounced it as ‘nabamalatir kole’. I would tell him: ‘Machher jhol er moton kore nobomaloti bol’. For the Piya gechhe porodesh song, he was initially pronouncing ‘porodesh’ as ‘pardesh’. One thing that’s very good about him is that he picks up very quickly. You just have to give him direction and that’s enough. During rehearsals, he told me: “Tumi line gulo geye debe ar ami shune seta geye debo”.
On stage, you nudged him to sing a Shondhya godhuli along with you even though he didn’t know the lyrics...
I requested him to do some sargams. After the programme, I asked him: “Babu, tui eto naam kora shilpi. Toke ami stage er opor boka jhoka korlam. Tui ki raag korli?” He replied: “Tumi amar ekta matro didi achho je kina amar mayer moton”. I consider myself fortunate that he has given me this respect and right.
Many say that it requires extra guts to sing on the same stage before or after Ustad Rashid Khan’s recital. One note of his is enough to make an impact. Did you feel any kind of a pressure?
Rashid is not just an Ustad. He is a true artiste. Eta sotti je o ekta sur lagalei toh poribesh ta palte jae. I never wanted to compete with him on stage. We wanted to complement each other. I had no fear while singing with him. Or golae taan anek beshi ghore. I don’t know how he does that. But one thing that he always tells me is that whenever one performs, one has to sing from the ‘jigar’.
Your own recitals apart, you’ve also been judging a kids’ reality show where you even blow flying kisses to participants. Why choose such a style of appreciation?
I don’t like being harsh. There are some judges who like to find faults. But I don’t belong to that group. What’s the point in telling children: “Nicher octave e gola ta bhalo jachhe na”? Do these children even know what an octave means? One has to sing and teach them what to do. I often tell that I couldn’t even sing the way they do when I was their age.
Do you really believe when you say this? Or is it meant just as an encouragement?
(Laughs) Encouragement is required. These children are sharp and need to be groomed properly. Once that’s done, they will shine.
What do you have to say about today’s Bengali songs?
Good and bad songs have always been there. I sometimes can’t appreciate the lyrics that I hear in present-day Bengali songs. But then, these songs are popular. So, perhaps, I don’t have the capacity to appreciate what others are liking. It’s my failing.
Do you think people will buy your logic if you say you don’t understand enough?
(Laughs) The lyrics are too complex. Today’s artistes explain the lyrics of a song before they sing. But when I sang Thikana..., I never had to do it. Times, I guess, have changed.
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