Ustad Fateh Ali Khan, the legendary classical singer has also left us.He passed away last Wednesday.He was the last senior most classical singer of the famous Patiala classical singers ‘family of which such notable singers like late Ustad Amanat Ali and Asad Amanat Ali were also members.
Classical singers of repute have always been in short supply in this country .They are,indeed, a short commodity.They could be counted on finger tips.Malika moseeqi Roshan Ara Begum is no more .Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan has also joined the great majority and so has Meena Lodhi.
In the good old days it were the kings,Nawabs and Maharajahs who used to provide for the bread and butter of the musicians and they had nothing to worry about their livelihood. They were kept in good humour by them.When the British colonialists dislodged them from their positions and they were divested of their lands and property they fell on the bad days.The musicians who solely depended for their economic livelihood on the Nawabs also fell on the bad days once their monthly allowances stopped coming from the coffers of the monied class.
It is a pity that the classical music is not included in the priority list of our electronic media as well as our information ministry.Their apathy and indifference to it can be seen from very little space and footage which they provide in their music programmes to the classical music.Not only singers but many instrumentalists, particularly, those playing sitaar,Sarangi and tabla are being treated step motherly by the electronic media with the result that one finds shortage of instrumentalists adept at playing these music instruments.Many youngsters who could have gone places stopped playing instruments and instead left for foreign shores in search of greener pastures.
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