Here is a Shehnayee player Banarasi of Patna. Banarasi is a professional cobbler who has a small hutment by the side of Chanakya Hotel on Bir Chand Patel Marg, Patna.
As we came out of the Hotel to stroll out to see a new City, to my good luck I just found a tiny hutment in which a cobbler was sitting on the floor gossiping with his friends. The sole of my walking shoe had been ripped off recently and badly needed repairs immediately.
The cobbler took over the shoe and inspected the job to be done and started working on it. He promised to get the shoe back after half an hour.
After our stroll in the nearby shopping centre, I came back to get the repaired shoe and felt relieved that the rest of my trip will survive well. Banarsi did a pretty good job.
A very jouvile looking Banarsi who also played Shehnayee as part time.
Banarsi attending to a customer
Banarsi has five kids. He was very excited and proud to inform me that he was a musician. In his dark shop, he pulled out his Tabla and Harmonium and placed his Shehnayee in between them and posed for a picture to me. I tried my best to get the picture in that tiny earthen light.
Banarsi was very contented with himself although earning meagerly. My talking to him really made him relaxed and pleased.
I requested him to play some Shehnayee for me but he expressed his helplessness at this odd hour and darkness. So it was not in my fortune to listen to his music but wished I could record one for Shiv.
As he talked of music and Shehnayee, his eyes glittered with hope and satisfaction. But I failed to communicate his talent to the world by way of recording his performance and that regret will always remain in the back of my mind.
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