Shahjuddin Warsi

A 50-years-old artist from Fatehpur Sikri, Agra, Shahjuddin Warsi, has been learning music through folk and classical music. He comes from a family having music in their tradition, and he began to play the Tabla taking inspiration from his ancestors. He has been working hard towards achieving mastery in his craft and pursues it with tremendous passion. He considers Karim Khan, who also happens to be his uncle(chacha), his first guru who taught him how to play Dholak. Shahjuddin also speaks highly of Sahabuddin Khan, his professional Tabla Guru from Jaipur. He owes his playing style to them. He also believes that he has inherited music from his ancestors, who have a natural desire for mastering the art of music, especially Qawwali. Their family has a heritage of Qawwali and folk music, and his children are also following the same footsteps- one of his sons is a well-known Ghazal singer in their locality. Apart from being an established tabla player, he is also well-known for playing Dholak and has performed in various locations within the state and the country. He has received great recognition from his performances in states like Kolkata, Mumbai, Darbhanga, Delhi, Jaipur, and Pune. At Taal Kachari, there was a part of an ensemble only to mesmerize the audience, and he regards this performance at Agra & Delhi as the most memorable experience. He also had the honor to share the stage with Purushotam Jalto as a tablist, known to be the father of Bhajan Samrat, Anup Jalota. Music is a living wonder, he believes, and says,” Music is everything, and swears (musical notes) are binding the world together.” On asking how his music is different from other folk forms, he replies with a smile, saying that emotions and the notes are the same everywhere, only the language differs from one another. He lives in a family of 6 people with his wife, two sons, and two daughters, all of whom are married now. He has been in this field from the very beginning to build subsistence. For a show, he charges 5000/- rupees. Since he belongs to a musical family, he will keep performing till the end, and he also aspires to keep working hard and playing along with good musicians.

• Braj
• Uttar Pradesh