A file photo of shehnai maestro Bismillah Khan and (right) artiste Badal Khan with his troupe at Sultanganj. Picture by Sachin

Patna, Oct. 17: Once the sparkle of weddings and mehfils (gatherings) in the state capital, shehnai has now become a shadow of its glorious past.

The classical instrument, which was once celebrated by connoisseurs and patrons, is steadily losing lovers in the state.

For shehnai, it is an ironic decline as Ustad Bismillah Khan, arguably the greatest exponent of the instrument, was born in Bihar. Today, musicians who breathe life into the instrument are finding it difficult to make a decent living.

Naeem, a shehnai player, said: “There used to be a time when weddings without shehnai were unthinkable in Bihar and the neighbouring states. The tradition, however, is on the decline now, thanks to disc jockeys and peppy Bollywood item numbers.”

Naeem, who has been playing the shehnai for the past 50 years, hardly finds any wedding invitations these days.

“There is hardly any demand for shehnai players these days,” he said.

As the shehnai fights for its survival, its exponents in the city are forced to live in penury.

“Over the past 10 to 12 years, shehnai has not only lost its popularity but also its followers. As a result, we sit without work for most of the year. Even during the marriage season, only a few people are really keen on hiring us. This means we have to perform at throwaway fees. We have to settle for an amount as meagre as Rs 1,500 for a team of three artistes. Our financial condition is worse than the daily wage earners,” said Saifuddin, another shehnai player based in Patna for the past 30 years.

Such is the disappointment with the way things have shaped up for these artistes that they are no longer interested to encourage their future generations to carry forward their musical legacy.

“I am 65 and still struggling for even the basic amenities in life because I am a shehnai artiste. My talent and skill are no more required in this age of electric guitars and sophisticated instruments. I do not want to my children to struggle like me. It is better for them to take up some other profession,” said Naeem.

It is not only marriage ceremonies where the shehnai players have lost out. They are not invited to perform even at cultural gatherings and religious functions.

“Earlier, apart from the marriage season, we used to get invitations to perform at special cultural nights, events organised by companies and during festivals, especially Dusshera and Chhath. Now, even that source of income has dried up. It has become very difficult to meet everyday expenses. So, we are now moving on to other instruments as well,” said Shazad, the owner of Allahabadi Shehnai Vaadak, a Sultanganj-based company that has been providing shehnai artistes for festivals and events for the past 50 years.