BENGALURU: Two years ago, well-known sarangi artiste and vocalist Faiyaz Khan was driving on the highway when his car met with an accident. The crash claimed the life of his wife Parveen Banu and left him critically injured.
Sarfaraaz Khan, their son, was only 17 then. He told City Express how it happened: The family was on its way to Hubbali from Bengaluru. Near Kumarapatnam, to avoid hitting a boulder, Faiyaz Khan braked hard, and the vehicle turned turtle. Two years after the tragedy, the family is still coming to terms with what happened on that fateful day. Faiyaz Khan, who took many months to walk again, is back on the concert stage.
But their spirit as musicians remains unfazed. Since last year, the family has been organising a music festival in memory of Parveen Banu. This year’s festival spans two days, and focuses on the sarangi.
Sarfaraaz, also a sarangi player, is the only family member who was not in the accident. But the incident changed his life forever. “I was alone at home when I heard the news. My mind went blank. I didn’t know how to react,” he recalls. And when the family thought no hope was left, help came from unexpected sources. Friends and members of the music fraternity suggested they open a trust in Parveen Banu’s name.
“That is how Parveen Begum Smruti Music and Education Trust came about. We organised our first concert last year,” he says. In addition to the annual concerts, the trust also organises smaller events every three months. The events are open to all.
The tragedy brought the family together but, as Sarfaraaz says, the void can never be filled. “We were so dependant on her She used to take care of everything. Life really changed after 2012. I know we have to move on but I miss her terribly and no one can take her place,” he says.
Sarfaraaz represents the eighth generation of musicians in the family, which follows the Kirana style.
This year, the trust is providing a platform to sarangi players. Often under-represented at music festivals, they don’t get the credit they deserve, he says. “We have solo performances by two sarangi players, Harsh Narayan and Ustad Murad Ali. All singers will be accompanied by the sarangi and not the harmonium. We want to break the notion that the instrument is associated with death.”