Shaik Dawood

Birthdays & Anniversaries

 

16.12.1916

Shaik Dawood was born in Sholapur on 16 December 1916. His  prodigious talent in rhythm at the age of three  compelled his  father, Hashim Saheb, to buy  him a  tasha  (kettledrum) to play with. At eight, he started learning the rudiments of tabla from Anna Maharaj. Ameer Qawwal, who owned a qawwali group, took him as a tabla player and simultaneously initiated him into vocal music. Destiny brought Dawood to a  concert  where he was  completely mesmerised by the tabla of Mohammad Khasim, a  highly reputed tabla maestro  from Sholapur, a zamindar and  a  patron of classical and Sufi music. Khasim Saheb’s acceptance of Dawood as a student was a life-changing event for the lad. Over the next decade, Dawood learnt from him traditional classical tabla with its full range of kaidas, relas, chakradhars, gats  and  the art of  accompaniment. He was also taught the rare technique of playing  laggi  using the thumb to render  gamakas  on the dagga.

Khasim’s house was  always  a resting  place  for any  great  musicians journeying between Mumbai and Hyderabad. They performed  at  his house  while he accompanied them  on the tabla. Observing  young Dawood’s  dedication, hard  work and commitment, Mohammad Khasim gradually started  asking  him to accompany the visiting  musicians. Dawood  did full justice to his guru’s faith, sharing the stage with these  icons, impressing everyone with his art of unobtrusive accompaniment and humble demeanour despite the acclaim and appreciation he received. This was to become his hallmark in professional circles later in life. By the early 1930s, Dawood, although in his teens, was already the preferred accompanist for some of the biggest names in Hindustani music like Abdul Karim Khan, Faiyaz Khan, Bhaskarbua Bakhle, Sawai Gandharva and Wajid Khan. With  concerts  becoming frequent in  Hyderabad, Roshan Ali Mooljee, the producer of Deccan Radio, persuaded Dawood to shift his base to Hyderabad and join  him  as a staff artist. This opened a new chapter in Dawood’s life.

To read full story, visit sruti.com and buy Sruti 368 (pg 30-31)