The pied piper of Bangladesh

Gazi Abdul Hakim

Among the early players of the bansi was Panna Lal Ghosh, who gave a classical form to the bansi. Later it was further developed by Pandit Hari Prasad Chaurasia.

Currently renowned bansi player, Gazi Abdul Hakim, has popularised the instrument far and wide. Going back in time, the nostalgic Gazi says, "I still remember the day when I played the bansi in the House of Commons in 1994--the only such player to do so. Before me, sarod player Ustad Amjad Ali Khan and tabla player Ustad Zakir Hossain had this rare opportunity.

"I would also like to share my experiences at the Commonwealth Summit in Canberra in July 2001. There I played the bansi to a rapt audience. In fact the biggest compliment that I received was when an Australian flute player, the lead flutist at the national orchestra, invited me to be his teacher. During my stay there, I trained him my own style."

What is the difference between the melody of bansi and that of the western flute? To quote Gazi, "Our bansi is a wonderful wind instrument. Its melody touches the soul of the listeners, which cannot be said of the silver flute. Moreover, only the bansi can play Meer Gamok. And bansi can be an suitable instrument for any orchestra."

Gazi has developed a unique style of playing the wind instrument, which gives him a firm niche among the bansi players. He has made a proportionate synthesis of classical, western and traditional folk forms. Is there any institution where one can learn bansi? Gazi answers, "No, one has to learn personally from the master. I learnt the bansi from Mukul Biswas, Dulal Babu, Binoy Roy and Sheikh Ali Ahmed. I also learnt a lot from Sheikh Ali Ahmed."

Gazi has been working as a staff artiste of Bangladesh Betar since 1974. Though the bansi player has won plaudits abroad, he has had some bitter experiences at home. As Gazi says, "The staff artistes of Bangladesh Betar are not regular government employees. Quite often we don't receive our due respect."

So far, 12 solo albums of Gazi Abdul Hakim's bansi have been released at home and abroad, of which Forget Me Not, My Love, Live concert in Japan, Anurag and Ghore Phera are remarkable albums. Forget Me Not and My Love are classical tune-based pieces. In Anurag, Gazi has presented poplar Farida Parveen's Lalon Geeti with his bansi. Ghore Phera is an instrumental drama.

Many flutists the world over have released solo albums, but none of them have presented the narrative of human beings through the composition. Playing different ragas and fusion, Gazi through the melody of his bansi, has narrated the story of a rural denizen who comes to the metro in search of a living; however, being frustrated he returns to his beloved. Talking about the response to the albums, Gazi says, " The bansi can overcome the language barrier. The tune of the instrument touches the heart of everyone regardless of language, which a song cannot do. And the solo albums have got plaudits all over the world."

On his future plans, Gazi says, "I am working on two albums-- one will be a fusion of eastern and western music. The other, titled Motherland, will be a dramatic presentation of the facts from 1952 to 1971. Moreover, I am working for the preservation of indigenous musical instruments."