Varanasi: Soon, the dilapidated ancestral home of shehnai maestro and Bharat Ratna awardee late Bismillah Khan will be replaced with a new building that will include space for a museum housing his awards, shehnais, including the silver one used to play Asuo-ka-Najrana during Muharram, and other personal belongings.“The existing house is going to be demolished as it is dilapidated,” said Mohd Sibtain, son of Khan’s eldest son, late Mehtab Hussain, after overcoming a dispute raised by one of his cousins. “After we presented the land registry documents of the ancestral house before Chowk police two days ago, and my cousin failed to provide any evidence to substantiate his objection to its demolition for construction of a new house, the issue was resolved and preliminary work began on Monday,” he said.
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Municipal commissioner Himanshu Nagpal said the Varanasi Municipal Corporation (VMC) had prepared a plan nearly six months ago under its heritage conservation proposal. The plan envisages converting the homes of deceased Bharat Ratna and Padma awardees, including Bismillah Khan, into museum-like spaces. “After making budgetary provisions, detailed project reports, drawings and designs were prepared. The tender process was completed wherever the families concerned gave their consent, and work has also started,” he said.However, a dispute over Khan’s ancestral house prevented the VMC from moving ahead with its nearly Rs 1 crore project. Nagpal clarified that construction or alterations on private property cannot be undertaken without the consent of all owners. While work is progressing at properties where families have agreed, the corporation cannot intervene where disputes or disagreements persist, he added.Khan’s ancestral house is located in one of the narrow lanes of Hadhasarai, a wholesale market for cosmetics, home décor items and other goods. Property values in the area have risen further following the demolition of around 190 buildings for the Dalmandi road-widening project, which forced many traders to look for shops in nearby localities.When TOI visited the house, Sibtain and his family showed how wooden beams supporting the stone-slab ceiling had been reinforced with poles. Damage caused by dampness and pests had compelled them to keep awards and certificates in a safe place instead of displaying them in the house.Family members said Khan had four daughters and five sons: Mehtab, Naiyyar, Jamin, Kazimn and Nazim. The 670 sq ft ancestral house was registered in Mehtab’s name. He passed away in 2016. They said the division of properties among the sons had been completed before Khan’s death in 2006. Apart from Mehtab’s successors, two of Naiyyar’s four sons live in the ancestral house, while the other two live with their families in a house in the Saraiyya area.The family alleged that Yawar Abbas, one of Naiyyar’s sons who lives in Saraiyya, had been obstructing plans to demolish the old structure for years. They said that when labourers were engaged to begin demolition, he objected and called the police. Taking note of the complaint, police summoned both sides to the local outpost and asked them to produce property documents.Sibtain said that after he submitted the registry papers, police advised Yawar to approach a civil court if he had any objections rather than creating a law-and-order situation.“After that, the dispute was settled and work resumed,” said Sibtain, adding that he plans to dedicate a portion of the ground floor to enable the VMC to implement its proposal for a museum.
