Dhrupad maestro Asghari passes away...sumran kar man Ram ki

Dhrupad maestro Ashgari Bai, 88, passed away at Tikamgarh on Wednesday. An exponent of Dhrupad, the most ancient style of Hindustani music, Asghari was credited for taking forward the tradition and being a pioneering exponent of Dhrupad among women.

Acclaimed for enriching the heritage of Indian classical music and evolving a distinct style of her known, Asghari was buried on Thursday in Tikamgarh (Madhya Pradesh) with full state honours today. Crowned with umpteen national honours including the Tansen Samman, Shikhar Samman and Padma Shri, Asghari was born in Bijawar in 1918. He mother Nazir Begum was associated with Chhatarpur state while grandmother Vilayat was employed with the court of Ajaygarh state.

She was admitted in the hospital for a longtime and whenever gained consciousness her fingers would start moving as if she was in the midst of a performance. 'Sumran kar man Ram naam ki' was her favourite bhajan that came on her lips. Asghari never travelled outside and only preferred cycle-rickshaw. She felt that journey in train would be improper as her feet in the train could point towards holy places.

Asghari learnt her basics under Ustad Zahurbakhsh Khan and acquired extraordinary expertise. However, she was living in penury after her children fought over pension and grants from the government meant for her. She was sick and lying unattended when media brought to light her plight early this year. The squabble among her sons Kamal, Ashok and daughter-in-law Saira, had left her bitter. She wished to stay with Parveen, her daughter. But with Asghari ended an era. The first and last woman exponent of Dhrupad died leaving behind no one to carry the legacy.