An Eternal Friendship
Relationship between Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan and Ustad Amir Khan
It all started with the devastating moment when India and Pakistan were divided into two separate nations and huge number of refugees travelled across the two nations. While Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan sahib chose to settle in Pakistan and hence moved there, Ustad Amir Khan remained in India. However, in 1957 former Prime Minister of India Shri Morarji Desai offered Bade Khan Sahib Indian Citizenship, which he accepted and eventually came to India to settle in Delhi for few years.
Meanwhile at Calcutta, West Bengal, Acharya Pt. Jnan Prakash Ghosh had his own Music circle, by the name of Jhankar Music circle, where each year he used to bring eminent musicians of the country for the large audience of Bengal to relish the divinity and purity of their music. On one such occasion, where both Bade Ghulam Ali Khan and Ustad Amir Khan, along with other delegates were invited to the Festival of Jhankar Music Circle, it was then that the maestros met each other for the first time.
Bade Khan sahib used to listen to the artists by sitting in the audience, keeping his hands on the lathhi, with which he used to walk. After the concert, the two maestros shared an engaging conversation, which earned Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan a different sort of respect in the eyes of Ustad Amir Khan. Ustad Amir Khan was fascinated by the way Bade Khan sahib used to project his voice with so much ease while strumming the strings of his Surmandal. From that meet, both became extremely good friends.
Ustad Raza Ali Khan (Grandson of Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan) was heard saying that Bade Khan sahib was a very good mimic. In a private house party at Dixon Lane (where later Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan resided in West Bengal - House of Acharya Pt. Jnan Prakash Ghosh), he used to mimic many artists at home, leaving the artists & delegates entertained with his mimic. On one such house party, Bade Khan sahib chose to mimic Amir Khan, while he was sitting with Meena Kumari, Ustad Munawar Ali Khan (son of Bade Ghulam Ali Khan), Barkat Ali khan (younger brother of Bade Khan sahib), Amir Khan himself and many others. They all laughed at the mimic, and Khan sahib couldn't stop himself from asking Amir Khan - Bhai tui aisa kuin karta hain? Amir Khan smiled and replied Allah karam… This incident is the proof of the immense respect that Ustad Amir Khan had for Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan.
Often both of them used to go to the mosque together and donate to the poor. Although both had similarities in them, but their styles of singing, known as Gayaki were completely different from one another. Amir Khan believed in showing the beauty of the swaras of the raga blending and mixing the bols with the laya to give an immense peaceful and blissful experience to the audience. His slow paced vistaars were the main attraction for his listeners who used to dive into the rendition in search of their inner divine. Contrary to that, Bade Khan sahib’s style was flooded with beautiful harkats and amazing taankaris which his audience used to enjoy. Both, however, appreciated the other's music.
Ustad Amir Khan was often asked to sing while Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan sahib used to listen to him before their AIR (All India Radio) recording. It has been heard from the shagrids of Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan that Amir Khan was completely devastated by Khan sahib’s death, and cried a lot when he visited him in Bashir Bagh Palace in Hyderabad, where he took his last breath.
It goes beyond saying that two artists shared a connection with each other's soul and their bond being so strong, despite them being contemporaries, ego didn’t make them rivals. An eternal friendship, truly.