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We sat in a small, dusty yard staring at a large tin house of a rather generic design, the kind that dots the rural landscape. Behind it was a tiny shack, just three makeshift walls and a roof made from of tarp; it was the object of our travelling all the way from Dhaka to Brahmanbaria. In this unremarkable setting, one of our music maestros, the great Ustad Alauddin Khan, lived as a young man. But we were both shocked and amused by its current purpose: the shack was being used as a kitchen!
   It was September 9. The first bus from Dhaka to Brahmanbaria starts everyday at 6:30 in the morning from the depot in Kamalapur. Despite having decided to catch the early bus, sleep evaded my colleague Zahirul Islam Mamoon and me. We were too excited about the coming trip. Only three remaining seats on the bus’s last row awaited us at the depot, along with ten people trying to get them. It could only have been divine intervention that got us our two.
   Several hours later, we departed the bus at Brahmanbaria, and headed off to Kawtali ghat to find a motor boat bound for Shibpur. My presumptions of the ghat being a bustling one were proved false; only a few boats were anchored under the concrete bridge spanning the river Titas. The name of the novel Titas Ekti Nadir Nam by Adaita Roy Malla Barman came to mind upon remembering the river whose waters we would soon cross. But our excitement was abated somewhat after being told the next boat would leave after noon; it was only quarter to ten.
   Our rescue came from a farmer named Rabiul, who had been gossiping at a nearby tea stall at the ghat. ‘Where are you going?’ he asked us. I told him about our journey to Shibpur, to the home of Ustad Alauddin Khan. He then replied, ‘Don’t worry! A boat will leave at 10:30 sharp.’ Surprised, I asked whether or not he had ever been to the Ustad’s house. He nodded his head and said, ‘Though I never went there, I know Ustad Alauddin Khan earned fame worldwide.’ It was a response we would become familiar with during the course of the journey; everybody had heard of the man and the place, but no one knew exactly where it was. ‘Shunchhi sekhane naki urs hoy’ said octogenarian Motaleb Mian.
   In a book on Ustad Alauddin Khan, it was written that the Ustad was inspired by the songs of his elder brother, Fakir Aftabuddin Khan; he also took lessons in music from the Fakir. I guessed that the urs are arranged to observe the anniversaries of the Fakir. From within the crowed, another person said that we would not have any trouble getting there, and it would only be a motor boat journey of around twenty minutes across the river. ‘After getting down at Narui ghat you will take a rickshaw and then tell the puller to go to the Bajaina Bari at Shibpur,’ he said.
   Apparently, locals know the house as Bajaina Bari — the house of music. We pretended to understand his directions. Out of curiosity I asked him if he had ever been there. Like the others said, ‘na, tobe jani hera gaan bajna kaira khub nam korchhilo.’
   Soon afterwards, Rabiul called us to the boat, which was about to leave; it was actually dead on time. During this season, the late monsoon, the river Titas immerses both of its banks, making it much wider. In the distance, we could see the green lines of trees belonging to our destination. Sitting on the boat’s chhoi, we were enjoying the picturesque surroundings. The autumn sky was almost like a painting; small fluffs of white on a deep blue canvas. Water fowl routinely flew by us, their curiosity piqued by the business of nearby fishermen.
   We were going and going. Twenty minutes had passed at least half an hour ago, but the panorama made sure we didn’t notice the time. Suddenly, the boat came at a ghat and some passengers off. We followed, only to find out that it was Natghar; we were still far from our destination.
   When we reached Narui, it was just past noon. At the ghat a villager told us that it would be a twenty minute rickshaw journey to the Ustad’s house. The undulating muddy road, in some places it still retained its original bricks, took us to our final destination.
   After around one hour we reached at the village and started looking for Idris, the great grandson of Fakir Aftabuddin Khan, the Ustad’s elder brother. As the Khan bari is now spread across the village, it was rather difficult to find the original house. After visiting some houses belonging to the Khan family, we at last found Idris. He had been waiting for us, as his Shahin uncle (Ustad Shahadat Hossain Khan, a grandson of Ustad Ayet Ali Khan, one of the younger brothers of Ustad Alauddin Khan) had informed him about our visit and instructed him to show us the places, where Alam Dada (Ustad Alauddin Khan) went regularly.
   Idris, a man over fifty years of age, used to play tabla and behala. He had practiced the instruments for two or three years after the war of independence. Now his son, Mohammad Imam Hossain Khan, works at a factory producing harmoniums with Idris’ younger brother, Mohammad Salam Khan, in Chittagong. He had led us to the shack which now served as a kitchen for the larger structure next to it. In front of the kitchen, the tin shed house was used by Ustad Ayet Ali Khan; a neighbour of the Khan family lives there now. The house of Fakir Aftabuddin Ahmed is situated at the compound. Idris has been living with his mother and family in the house; he has also been preserving the photographs of his Alam Dada with special care.
   The tombs of the Ustad’s father Sabdar Hossain Khan and mother Sundari Begum is at the compound of the adi bari. There is also a tomb of Alauddin’s daughter, Gofurunnesa, in the grave yard.
   North of the adi bari is the mosque built by the Ustad in 1919 at a cost of one lakh taka — a huge sum at that time. The mosque, following Mughal architecture, has three arched doors and 16 minarets of different sizes. There is also a pakka yard behind the mosque for Eid congregations. A college, named Sur Samrat Alauddin Khan Mahabidyalaya, was founded in 2000. It is situated further south of the mosque. The mazar of Fakir Aftabuddin Khan lies to its west. The Khan family graveyard is also beside the mazar.
   The locals only know that two great ustads one Alauddin Khan and the other his younger brother Ayet Ali Khan, were born to the Khan family. But they know little about the fame of these ustads. Moreover, they are more interested about the urs of Fakir Sahib, which are held on the 11th and 12th of the Bengali month of Magh. People from different villages congregate here every year to honour this mystic singer, and also to participate in performing mystic songs. Ustad Alauddin’s tomb is in Maihar in Madhya Pradesh in India, where he died on September 6, 1972.
   It was really a great opportunity for me to visit the birthplace of one of the great music maestros, Ustad Alauddin Khan at Shibpur in Brahmanbaria. When we started back for Dhaka it was quarter to four. Following Idris’ directions, we headed back to the city. We came first to Kurigarh by rickshaw by a pitch road, and then to Gokarna ghat by engine boat. During the hours before dusk, the river got a new face with the reflection of setting sun. The setting was perfect for us to recollect our thoughts on the previous hours.

Set in the lush green pastoral expanse of rural Bangladesh is a small village known as Shibpur in Brahmanbaria. When the birds sing here and the people rejoice in the rhymes of nature, the whole landscape reverberates with ethereal music. In fact, music is an essential part of life in Shibpur and in that undying tradition it has produced several music maestros, all belonging to a single family and each one of them universally acclaimed.
   Towards the end of the 19th century a child named Alam was born in this family. He proved to be a prodigy at a very young age and no wonder, the potential of this extremely talented lad fully blossomed in the world of music; eventually, he came to be known as Ustad Alauddin Khan.
   At one stage, Ustad Alauddin Khan left his village for India in quest of music. He spent almost all his life in pursuit of music in Maihar in Madhya Pradesh, India and became a celebrity of the world at large but his heart was imbued with profound love and veneration for his motherland.
   Ustad Alauddin Khan was my uncle. We called him ‘Lal Jetha’. His complexion was ruddy, like raw turmeric, and hence the name, meaning ‘red uncle’. Alauddin Khan was the third of the five brothers. My father, Ustad Ayet All Khan, was the youngest and the other brothers were: Samiruddin Khan, Fakir (saint) Aftabuddin Khan and Nayeb Ali Khan.
   Ustad Alauddin Khan is a legend in the world of music and due to his dedication he is rightly called a ‘monarch in the realm of music’.
   Relevant to mention that, the contemporary swarupa of classical music was created and enriched by his contribution. He also introduced Indian classical music to the western world and opened up to the west a new horizon. Known as Baba to the music lovers of India and other countries of South Asia, he is revered as a saint and considered an institution. He established a distinctive Sangeet Gharana of his own, named Maihar Sangeet Gharana.
   In 1935, Ustad Alauddin Khan undertook a global tour with the dance troupe of the great Indian dancer, Udayshankar. During this tour, Baba enchanted his audiences with the magic of his music. On top of that, the life of Ustad Alauddin Khan was full of dramatic events and adventures and he was a very serious student of music and enriched the domain of his knowledge by learning from the very best.
   Though Alauddin Khan was a religious man, said his prayers and recited the Holy Quran, he was never a fundamentalist; he had equal respect for all other religions. He loved his own children and treated his disciples as one of them.
   Once, when he was performing at a function and was about to start playing his sarod, he noticed Dabir Khan, the grandson of his preceptor, Ustad Wazir Khan, sitting in the first row. Alauddin Khan stood up and sought permission from him. Dabir Khan was embarrassed, but Alauddin Khan would not continue until the former gave him permission to perform. Alauddin Khan set an example of showing respect to one’s ustad.
   Ustad Alauddin had a special quality of creating ragas and created rages such as —Hemanta, Prabhatkeli, Hem-Behag, Chandika, Rajesri, Madan Manjari, Durgeswari, Muhammad, Kaushi, Shubhabati, Umabati, Nagarjan, Bhagabati, Hemanta-Bhairab, Swarasati, Dhabalsri, Madavgiri, Megh-Bahar, Bhuvanswari, Haimanti, Manj-Khambaj, Kedar Manj, Gandhi-BiIawaI and Raga Rabindra.
   Alauddin Khan composed and wrote innumerable songs and whenever he thought of any raga, he immediately scripted it down. His skill in writing lyrics was magnificent and he often used the pen name ‘Alam’ for his lyrics.
   Ustad Alauddin Khan never had any lust for material gain and neither did he have any greed for fame and pride. He always wanted to learn and create and because of such qualities he rose to eminence and became widely popular. He performed regularly in concerts in different cities of the subcontinent.
   Alauddin had a remarkable memory. By listening to any music, he could make out the notations in full. He wrote a number of books on music, too. His performances in the courts of maharajas and nawabs added to the ornamental flair and the Ustad was awarded handsomely with awards and honorary titles, including Padmabhusan and Padmabibhusan by the government of India and Desikuttam by Biswabharati University in Santiniketan and Khan Sahib by the British government.
   An important aspect of Alauddin Khan’s endeavour was that he always encouraged the development of indigenous musical instruments. While he was the court musician of the Maharaja of Maihar, he formed a troupe of musicians with some indigenous instruments like the sitar, esraj, sarangi, dotara, ektara, shehnai, flute, tabla and bayan. Collecting music players from different places he formed an orchestra ensemble named Maihar String Band, in the European style and proved that the western style melody could be formed by using indigenous musical instruments too. He also invented a number of instruments and among them the Chandrasarang and the naltaranga are noteworthy. Besides, his contribution in the modernisation of the sarod has been significant.
   Alauddin was also a good vocalist. His skill in Dhrupad and Dhamar was very rich. He was equally skilled in Khayal and Thumri. Though the sarod was his main instrument, his skill in bina (veena), behala (violin), sursringar, rabab, chandrasarang, flute, clarinet and shehnai was unparalleled. He could also play well on the pakhwaz, madang, dhol, tabla-bayan, naqara, tikara, etc.
   The first gramophone record of Alauddin Khan came out in 1935. Those were recitals on the sarod and violin and the Megaphone Gramophone Company brought out the discs. Later, long-play records on these were also produced.
   Alauddin Khan’s teachers included Fakir Aftabuddin Khan, Nulo Gopal, Amrita Lal Dutta, Lobo Saheb, Amar Das, Hazan Ustad, Ahmed Ali Khan and Wazir Khan. His disciples included his brother Ustad Ayet All Khan, son Ali Akbar Khan, daughter Roshan Ara (Annapurana), son-in-law Ravi Shankar, nephews, Khadem Hossain Khan, Mir Kashem Khan, Bahadur Hossain Khan and many others. He learned different styles of Dhrupad and Dhamar from Ustad Wazir Khan. His innovated music was made popular at home and abroad by his two pupils-son, Ali Akbar Khan and son-In-law, Ravi Shankar.
   From Amir Khusru to Tansen and from Tansen to Alauddin, is the history of Indian music in its entirety. By giving a new dimension to music, Alauddin Khan has become a legendary name. To be frank, he has become immortal.
   To Alauddin Khan learning music was an unending process. He spent all his life in its meditation and saw the entire expanse of the world through music; he used to sing:
   ‘You teach me, Oh mother How shall I call you?
   Teach me the single word
   That would be enough for life.’
   Alauddin spent the last part of his music learning at Rampur. But, Alauddin never deserted Maihar because he loved it intensely. Throughout his life, he stayed in his home in Maihar and breathed his last at his own residence, Madina Bhawan.
   Ustad Alauddin Khan expired on 6th September, 1972. He passed away, but left behind an entire legacy. His creation of music will live forever.
   (The writer is the nephew of Ustad Alauddin Khan, a musician and musicologist of fame. Mobarak Hossain Khan was the former Director General of the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy and former Chairman of the Trustee Board of Nazrul Institute)