<p>With the splendour and the glory of the monarchy gone, the Sheikh family now lives in squalor <br /><br />As the sun goes down the Ahmedabad sky, leaving its golden hue lazily lingering on the tombs of the mosques and mazars of the ancient city, Amir Sheikh and Sheru Sheikh get ready with their drum and flute. For over six centuries, the Sheikh family has been playing music in the evening in the honour of the Badshah of Ahmedabad. Badshah has retired to his consigned place in history. <br /><br />But like the aftertaste of a gourmet dinner, Sheikh family’s music lingers on reminding all of the glorious past of Badshah of Hazira.<br /><br />“Our family was asked to play music to indicate time by Badshah Ahmad Shah,” says Amir Sheikh, the younger of the two brothers, who plays the flute. “Music was also a signal for signifying time in those days,” Amir adds.<br /><br />The walled city of Ahmedabad has 12 gates, and with the last session of salaami, which used to be played at 11pm to mark the end of the day, signalling time for closing the gates. With the splendour and the glory of the monarchy gone, the Sheikh family today lives in squalor in the Manekchowk area, near the Hazira (tomb) of Sultan Ahmad Shah. “It is a unique thing that is happening in Ahmedabad where a family has kept its loyalty to a ruler, who is no more for centuries,” said Debashish Nayek, heritage expert from Ahmedabad.<br /><br />The city of Ahmedabad was built in AD 1411 by Sultan Ahmed Shah. Subsequently, he built the Jama Masjid in 1423, which is one of the most aesthetically pleasing mosques in the Western India. Badshah ka Hazia houses the graves of three great rulers of Gujarat--Ahmed Shah I, his son, Mohammed Shah and his grandson, Qutub-Ud-Din Ahmed Shah II.<br /><br />Time has eaten away all the historical documents that could ascertain their claims. President of Ahmedabad Wakf Committee Rizwan Kadri admits that the historical documents of Ahmed Shah’s period are no longer available.<br /><br />“The Wakf Committee has been paying this family for their salary since 1914 and we have those records, but the historical records are all destroyed,” Kadri admits. Back in Manekchowk, the commercial area adjoining Hazira, Amir walks into a jeweller shop along with his brother. The duo work there to make ends meet.<br /><br />“The Wakf committee pays us Rs 1,800 a month for playing the drum and the trumpet, but we need a little more to make ends meet,” he says with a smile.<br /><br />“The owner of the jewellry shop where we work allows us to go to the Hazira in the evening and do our ritual. He says, one can’t say no to Badshah,” he adds. On Thursdays and Fridays, they, however, have to attend to their royal duty more than twice.<br /><br />“On these two days we play five times a day once at 9 am, then at noon and then once again at 3 pm apart from the routine 7 pm and 11 pm schedule,” Amir adds. “The tradition has been handed out to us by our father Bannu Sheikh, who is no more. Now, I am teaching my son Afzal who will continue after I am gone,” he says. <br /><br />For 11-year-old Afzal, it is a matter of pride that he will be taking forward the tradition of his forefathers. “I am aware that there are not many people who come to hear it now but at least there is a generation to tell the story,’’ says Afzal. He said that by the time his generation comes forward there would be none to narrate the story and history. <br /><br />“At present I do take out time from my studies to learn from my father, I am aware that it is not a well paid job either, but my father has faith in me and the community, too, thinks that I can carry forward the tradition,’’ says Afzal. <br /><br />He said that once he grows up he would take out time and see to it that the decades-old tradition is maintained, and he would definitely look for an alternative job but that would not deter him to take the efforts of his forefathers forward. For regular listeners like Ismail Shaikh, a shopkeeper near the dargah, says: “I used to come with my father as a child and now I get my grandson to listen so that they can tell their children about the history.’’ <br /><br />The 69-year-old admits that it might be a difficult proposition for the next generation to maintain the tradition but says that he is glad to see young Afzal take a keen interest in carrying the tradition forward. Another regular visitor, 58-year-old Manzoor Shaikh, too, admits that he has been visiting for several decades and come what may the tradition will be maintained. <br /><br />“We are trying to represent through community leaders that the allowance should be <br />increased so that the younger generation is drawn toward the centuries old tradition.’’ Shaikh says that the youngsters are keen and the elders will ensure that this tradition does not consigned to pages of history.<br /></p>
<p>With the splendour and the glory of the monarchy gone, the Sheikh family now lives in squalor <br /><br />As the sun goes down the Ahmedabad sky, leaving its golden hue lazily lingering on the tombs of the mosques and mazars of the ancient city, Amir Sheikh and Sheru Sheikh get ready with their drum and flute. For over six centuries, the Sheikh family has been playing music in the evening in the honour of the Badshah of Ahmedabad. Badshah has retired to his consigned place in history. <br /><br />But like the aftertaste of a gourmet dinner, Sheikh family’s music lingers on reminding all of the glorious past of Badshah of Hazira.<br /><br />“Our family was asked to play music to indicate time by Badshah Ahmad Shah,” says Amir Sheikh, the younger of the two brothers, who plays the flute. “Music was also a signal for signifying time in those days,” Amir adds.<br /><br />The walled city of Ahmedabad has 12 gates, and with the last session of salaami, which used to be played at 11pm to mark the end of the day, signalling time for closing the gates. With the splendour and the glory of the monarchy gone, the Sheikh family today lives in squalor in the Manekchowk area, near the Hazira (tomb) of Sultan Ahmad Shah. “It is a unique thing that is happening in Ahmedabad where a family has kept its loyalty to a ruler, who is no more for centuries,” said Debashish Nayek, heritage expert from Ahmedabad.<br /><br />The city of Ahmedabad was built in AD 1411 by Sultan Ahmed Shah. Subsequently, he built the Jama Masjid in 1423, which is one of the most aesthetically pleasing mosques in the Western India. Badshah ka Hazia houses the graves of three great rulers of Gujarat--Ahmed Shah I, his son, Mohammed Shah and his grandson, Qutub-Ud-Din Ahmed Shah II.<br /><br />Time has eaten away all the historical documents that could ascertain their claims. President of Ahmedabad Wakf Committee Rizwan Kadri admits that the historical documents of Ahmed Shah’s period are no longer available.<br /><br />“The Wakf Committee has been paying this family for their salary since 1914 and we have those records, but the historical records are all destroyed,” Kadri admits. Back in Manekchowk, the commercial area adjoining Hazira, Amir walks into a jeweller shop along with his brother. The duo work there to make ends meet.<br /><br />“The Wakf committee pays us Rs 1,800 a month for playing the drum and the trumpet, but we need a little more to make ends meet,” he says with a smile.<br /><br />“The owner of the jewellry shop where we work allows us to go to the Hazira in the evening and do our ritual. He says, one can’t say no to Badshah,” he adds. On Thursdays and Fridays, they, however, have to attend to their royal duty more than twice.<br /><br />“On these two days we play five times a day once at 9 am, then at noon and then once again at 3 pm apart from the routine 7 pm and 11 pm schedule,” Amir adds. “The tradition has been handed out to us by our father Bannu Sheikh, who is no more. Now, I am teaching my son Afzal who will continue after I am gone,” he says. <br /><br />For 11-year-old Afzal, it is a matter of pride that he will be taking forward the tradition of his forefathers. “I am aware that there are not many people who come to hear it now but at least there is a generation to tell the story,’’ says Afzal. He said that by the time his generation comes forward there would be none to narrate the story and history. <br /><br />“At present I do take out time from my studies to learn from my father, I am aware that it is not a well paid job either, but my father has faith in me and the community, too, thinks that I can carry forward the tradition,’’ says Afzal. <br /><br />He said that once he grows up he would take out time and see to it that the decades-old tradition is maintained, and he would definitely look for an alternative job but that would not deter him to take the efforts of his forefathers forward. For regular listeners like Ismail Shaikh, a shopkeeper near the dargah, says: “I used to come with my father as a child and now I get my grandson to listen so that they can tell their children about the history.’’ <br /><br />The 69-year-old admits that it might be a difficult proposition for the next generation to maintain the tradition but says that he is glad to see young Afzal take a keen interest in carrying the tradition forward. Another regular visitor, 58-year-old Manzoor Shaikh, too, admits that he has been visiting for several decades and come what may the tradition will be maintained. <br /><br />“We are trying to represent through community leaders that the allowance should be <br />increased so that the younger generation is drawn toward the centuries old tradition.’’ Shaikh says that the youngsters are keen and the elders will ensure that this tradition does not consigned to pages of history.<br /></p>
