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By Kavita Chhibber
The sensitive fingers caress the
silver strings; a shower of magical notes intoxicates the
enraptured audience; music comes alive when strummed by Ustad
Amjad Ali Khan.
Amjad Ali Khan’s great grandfather Ghulam
Bandagi Khan Bangash, a soldier of fortune, came from
Afghanistan with the instrument rabab and was inducted into the
army of the maharaja of Rewa. The king was so impressed by his
son Ghulam Ali’s talent that he took him under his wing. Ghulam
Ali was trained under Ustads Pyare Khan and Jafar Khan Saheb,
both rabab players and direct descendants of Mian Tansen. Soon
Amjad’s grandfather Nanhe Khan and father Hafiz Ali Khan,
continued the family legacy of the dhrupad and rabibiya
tradition and kept improving and altering the rabab, until it
became the modern Sarod. Although his brothers were taught with
the same sincerity, it is Amjad the youngest child, who emerged
as a maestro. Now celebrating his 50th year in music,
the legendary Sarod maestro, (who is also one of the most
decorated musicians with awards and honors that include the
Padmashri, and Padma Bhushan) sat down for an exclusive
interview.
You started at a very young age, so
were you also a child prodigy?
I was certainly not a child prodigy. My
father was 65 when I was born and being the youngest, I was
loved and treated gently, but I did work very hard. I started
learning the Sarod at the age of five but my perception of music
had already developed by three. I have learnt vocal music and
tabla as well. I started performing in concerts at the age of
10, and began by playing the tamboora as accompaniment to my
father and gradually learnt the various techniques of stage
performance-how to sit on stage, how to communicate with fellow
musicians.
I got my first big break as a child at the
age of 11 in Calcutta at the traditional Sadarang Music
conference along with my father and other illustrious musicians.
I played the raga “Gurjan todi” with the famed tabla player
Ustad Karamatullah Khan accompanying me. The response was
overwhelming. By 12, I was a mature performer. I was also the
first in my family to receive formal education-Modern school,
Delhi being my alma mater. I was in my final year when I left to
accompany a troupe of musicians to the US and never looked back.
What were the most important lessons
learnt from your father and what kind of a musician are you?
My father believed in the necessity of
preserving the ancient purity of ragas and raginis. He imbibed
in me the belief that more than anything else, music was a form
of prayer glorifying one’s maker and hence pure music must never
be defiled. I feel embarrassed to say Indian classical music is
my profession. It is a passion, worship and a way of life and
just merely playing good music does not make you a complete
musician or a true representative of the tradition. Our
tradition is based on spirituality, trust, faith and religion.
My father said we should always be the cause of happiness for
others and never of sorrow or humiliation. He did encourage me
to make my own innovations but only by using the various
intricate techniques of bol and taan as my solid base.
For me each raga is a human entity. It
has a soul and whenever I hit a wrong note my father would
instantly say, son be careful, be sensitive and tender, don’t
injure the raga, and don’t cause it pain for it can curse you. A
raga has to be invoked by coaxing and cajoling it into
awakening. Each time one plays the mood and the beauty of the
raga is unique and cannot be replicated even though in books for
the purpose of giving you a degree they will attribute a fixed
mood to a raga. One raga can emote so many different emotions.
That is why I can never reproduce what I have played in the
exact same way. I experiment constantly. For instance, in my
rendition, Trimurti, three different ragas were juggled
together-alaap in Tilak Kamod, Kalavati intervening and
Hansdhwani at the conclusion. I want to make the ragas talk
with each other, and there is nothing wrong with experimenting
and innovating with our own tradition.
I myself have a very inquisitive musical
mind. I believe that ragas are not static. So my recitals,
though traditional in style, are very modern in approach. One
thing that used to irk me deeply was the technical limitations
of Sarod as an instrument. Consequently, I have worked hard to
enrich its range and capacity. I also introduced khayal in to
Sarod playing, at a time when dhrupad was the basic style
adopted by all Sarod players, including my father and reoriented
the traditional baaj of Sarod.
Tell me about your mother.
No matter who you are, a great musician, a great political
figure, a great spiritualist, or just the every day person, your
mother is your first guru and for me it was no different. Our
home was always humming with people, not just members of our
joint family, but also my father’s disciples who lived with us
as was the tradition in those days.
“My mother was a fabulous cook and to this day the delicious
aroma of that food lingers in my memory. I would be practicing
and every hour some thing or the other would be sent for me. It
was as if all her love was captured in those delicacies. I was
the youngest child from my father’s second marriage to my mother
after his first wife had passed away leaving two children who
were fairly close to my mother in age.
Mother faced a lot of hostility as my father’s younger brother
was married to the sister of his late wife, but I never saw a
trace of vindictiveness in her. Also for some reason my other
cousins and siblings could not measure up to my father’s
expectations and he had pinned his hopes on me as the one who
would carry on the family legacy, so I could not enjoy my
childhood. Through it all the look of joy and pride in my
mother’s eyes as she encouraged me and reminded me of my
father’s hopes and dreams was what kept me going.
My mother was not a trained musician. As you know there was
the purdah system, not just among Muslims but even the Hindu
families and we didn’t teach our daughters music. My mother
however had a keen sense of music and there were times she came
to a few of my concerts and was overwhelmed by the appreciation
I was receiving. There were other moments when I would be
practicing and suddenly I would play something intricate and her
eyes would fill up with tears of joy, and blessings would pour
from her lips in abundance.
I became the breadwinner for the family at a young age, and
though circumstances would be financially tough at times, I
never stopped my mother from her passion of helping others
financially.
The ability to give and be compassionate was what bound my
parents to each other and she was the one cooking and feeding
and helping the underprivileged. The look of sheer joy when we
stepped up and honored her wishes to help someone she had taken
under her wing, made it an even greater joy for us. I find it
strange when I see kids of today telling their parents not to
waste their time and money on charitable causes.
My mother also taught me to never dishonor or disrespect
anyone, to carry myself with dignity, try not to hurt anyone’s
feeling unintentionally and to treat everyone equally and
respectfully. To this day I feel the presence of my parents
around me and their blessings.”
You have taught and played extensively all over the
world. What are your thoughts on the audience and the students
abroad and the way appreciation of Indian classical music has
evolved here in the United States?
Whenever and wherever I taught in the
world, my sole purpose was and remains to convey the message
that in our music you can see and feel the freedom within the
discipline. The improvisation is totally different from the way
it is done in say Jazz for instance. We have a very strict
discipline of ascending and descending. Again in western music
putting the notes on paper is very important because people
write and read music. When I taught a credit course in the
University of Chicago the faculty was expecting me to prepare
and grade papers and write instructions on the blackboard, but I
told the dean, I live in the world of sound. If you want
documentation of my work and teaching you can make a video
recording of the sessions, so the westerners know how I create
my music and how I make others believe that music already
resides in you. Every human being is born with sound and rhythm.
A heartbeat is an indication of rhythm and what you speak and
that may be conversation, recitation, chanting or singing, is
all part of music.
The culture of western classical music is
very strict and though I love western classical music, the
symphony especially, it is limited by the fact that you only
play what you see written before you on a piece of paper.
Our music is very spontaneous and natural.
I am often singing spontaneously and I even forget at times
where I am. I still remember I was once at a store standing in a
queue in Europe and started humming a raga, without realizing
that I was in a public place in line and that a little old lady
was standing in front of poor lady’s ear and me was right next
to my mouth. I kept on singing oblivious of my surroundings and
after a long time of suffering she finally turned around and
said please STOP singing!
Sarod awareness is better now but Sitar has
had an advantage because of the Beatles in the 1960s but now
things have picked up from mid 1980s. In fact in 1984, I was
traveling in America and 20th April was declared "Amjad
Ali Khan Day". The American Hindustani vocalist Warren Senders
had arranged the concert. Warren is a bigger Indian than all of
us Indians- an amazing man, an amazing artist. This is the peak
time of Indian classical music all over the world and I think
people are really seriously into it.
What surprises the audience abroad, about
Indian classical music is that there is no notation and that
during the solo performance the conductor, performer and
composer is one person.
Whenever I’m honored any where
internationally, I feel the world is watching and becoming more
aware and more appreciative in honoring our gharana.
In India as you know each state is like a
different country with its own culture, tradition and history.
The maximum audience for classical music is Bengal, Maharashtra
and the southern states. In fact we played an all night concert
in Calcutta recently and I was thinking this is such a risk..We
are indeed testing the patience of the audience, but Ayaan and
Amaan played before me to a packed house in a festival where
people walk in late at a leisurely pace. Their style is
different from mine, but I find that there is an audience for
every kind of music.
Your father sang as he taught you,
and you sing as well, so unlike some of the other master
musicians why have you not incorporated the Gayaki ang, where
the artist sings as he perform, s in your repertoire?
Indeed my father sang and
sang beautifully and so do I, but I feel Gayaki ang is a limited
thing. You have to always explain what you are singing. Is it
dhrupad or khayal, or thumri or dadara? I don’t use the word "gayaki
ang” but I say I sing through my instrument. Music is of two
types- pure sound, which is healthier, and more natural.
Instrumentalists all over the world live in the world of sound
and are not limited by text. The other music is based on
literature, stories, and lyrics but there is an old saying that
language creates barriers. Music is often vulnerable to being
labeled cheap because of the words or called devotional for the
same reason even though the notes may be the same in each song.
I feel the purest form of music is the one, which has no words
and that is kind of the music, which connects the world. It has
immense health benefits as well. If you listen with
concentration it is more effective than even yoga. In fact today
there are some religious spiritualists who are involved in a
research project in an Ashram in Mysore as to which raga heals a
particular ailment.
Both your sons Aman and Ayan are
following in your footsteps and not just in music but they are
also incredibly humble and affectionate. What have you taught
them as a musician and a father?
That classical music involves years of
practice and prayer, and that there are other ways of making
quick money for those who want short cuts to achieving their
goals. By the grace of god Aman and Ayan are very hard working
boys, compassionate and
 respectful
and my wife and I have always wanted that they become good human
beings and represent the true Indian culture by being graceful,
humble and gracious and become role models for the young
generation. At the same time we have not forced them to be
Sarodiyas and not develop other interests or other areas of
their personality. They were asked to sing at the popular
television program” Saregama” and I said fine, if you think you
want to give it a try go ahead. Till then they had never sung a
film song in the house. So they went to Bombay and started
recording. Two years later they themselves realized that their
goal was not play back singing, and that first and foremost they
are Sarod players. They have had offers for modeling and acting
in films. Ayan is a prolific painter and has held an exhibition
of his paintings. My wife and I have never stopped them from
experimenting with any thing. We have given them freedom of
expression, of religion and music. From childhood they were
allowed to listen to any musician they wanted to listen to.
There are some musical families where the musicians are
fundamentalists in every way .
They were very fortunate that I could give
them a lot of time and I was much younger than my father when he
started teaching me. I never forced anything on them nor were
they punished, as per the stories of strict gurus that one has
heard so often. In hindsight I feel that was a very inhuman way
of teaching. Aman and Ayan came here with me for the first
time in 1991 when they were 14 and 12, and the gulf war was on.
We flew in an aircraft that was totally empty. I was invited by
the Asian society, and performed for 4 days and the last item
used to be where the three of us played together. They received
a standing ovation and a big write up in New York Times. They
continue to work very hard.
I have told them that sarod is not going to
bring them instant acclaim and gratification. Their focus should
be to work hard and conduct themselves with dignity and
humility. Although seeing the kind of noisy discordant sounds
they call music that has flooded the music space globally today,
if Amaan and Ayaan are classical musicians its nothing to do
with me..it’s a miracle of God!
You have performed duets with western and Asian artists.
What do you think about fusion music?
With all due respect to all kind of music
especially fusion, noisy music is injurious to the health, and
it does damage your sensitive cells! Listen to any music of the
world, but unless it is soothing its unlikely you will receive
the positive effects of that kind of music. Fusion is a
momentary pleasure, almost like flirtation but you cannot
produce a legitimate child out of it. Both the western and
Indian traditions are so strong character wise that it is
impossible to mingle the two and create a third tradition out of
it.
I think if you can improvise and remain
within the tradition of your gharana it would be great, but
today unfortunately we have three gharanas-radio television and
cd gharanas..People copy and learn from TV and radio. The honest
ones acknowledge where they picked up the stuff from others
don’t.
What are your thoughts about Ravi
Shankar and Vilayat Khan? You paid homage to Vilayat Khan sahib
when he passed away and that created quite a furor within the
family itself, where Imrat Khan sahib felt you didn’t give him
the credit he deserved as a worthy successor of Vilayat Khan
sahib.
Let me say this Vilayat Khan was such a
gifted musician and yet he was humble enough to always say he
belonged to the Imdadkhani gharana, long after his talent had
surpassed what his gharana represented and long after he became
the gharana himself. Yet not once did he claim to be larger than
his roots. That is all I said, and unfortunately that was taken
out of context.
As far as Ravi Shankar is concerned, my
greatest admiration for him stems from the fact that here is a
man who had no gharana to talk about. His father was not a
musician, his guru’s father was not a musician. On top of that
his guru was a sarod player. Look at the odds he beat to become
the extraordinary musician he became. His contribution in
putting Indian classical music on the map is so obvious and so
well documented that I’m surprised when I hear any one saying to
the contrary. He is truly a self made musician and he deserves
every accolade that has come his way.
So do we expect a concerto for Sarod
from Ustad Amjad Ali Khan?
Why not? I’m open to it. My sons have
performed with the cello player Matthew Barley. My only problem
is I don’t write and will have to get someone to write the
music for me. Let’s see when an opportunity arises.
You have created so many ragas and
you dedicated one “ raga Subbulakshmi” to your wife Subbulakshmi,
surprising her on her birthday? How did that happen? And what
other personal favorites do you have?
I guess I have composed 30-40 ragas in
all though I feel embarrassed in saying I composed these ragas.
Let’s just say I discovered them. I would find myself humming in
solitude and then suddenly realize its something new and unique
and I would give it a name. I think apart from our love for each
other, I saw how my wife sacrificed her identity and a stellar
bharatnatyam career so that she could be there for my sons and
me. That inspired me to compose a raga in her name. She is
really our backbone and when we travel together as a family we
also represent the closeness of India’s family tradition. My
other two favorites are my recent compositions rag Hafiz and
Rahat Kauns dedicated to my father and mother.
You were honored last year with the
15th Fukuoka Asian Culture Award. What does that mean to you?
It brings home the fact that music has no
boundaries and no religion. It is the binding force in the
world. After September 11 and the Gujarat riots I feel ashamed
to belong to the human race. Even animals attack one prey at a
time and only when they are hungry or feel threatened. Man has
become the most dangerous animal on this planet-a symbol of
hatred, and religion is being bashed in the process. There is no
religion in the world that supports this kind of hatred and
violence. As a musician I feel connected to every soul in the
world and I hope that we can use the healing power of music to
bring harmony in the world. The same 12 notes bind all music. No
one has come up with the 13th note. As a humble
citizen of the world I want to appeal to everyone to remember
that humanity is the only true religion. God does not reside in
the concrete buildings around us but within us..atma hi
parmatama hai..so please let that godliness within you emerge
and create a peaceful and harmonious world for future
generations.
Amaan and Ayaan recently came up with
a very honest book about you. They have spoken about certain
personal things very candidly What did you think about it?
I think they are at an age where they felt
they wanted to share my life with others. I have to say I did
not interfere but did wonder what they will come up with. I have
to admit that they have written everything with great dignity
and respectfully.
When you look back, what is it you are
happiest about, and what remains still to be achieved?
The greatest satisfaction is that in each
young Sarod player in India, there is an Amjad Ali Khan hidden
somewhere. They may be disciples of any musician but the love
that I feel emanating from them for me is amazing. It’s the
greatest feeling. As musicians our bank balance is love and not
monetary satisfaction. Today people hear us, and their love
inspires us to greater heights. I love to perform with my sons.
When the three of us play together its like a living tradition
alive on stage and a unique experience for people. For me its a
matter of pride to play with the youngsters, Sarod is such a
beautiful instrument, and in spite of having made so many new
innovations I feel even now that I have not done full justice to
it. There are so many nuances, so many variations and subjects,
which till today I cannot attempt. It’s all in my mind but my
hands are not ready yet to give concrete shape to all that I m
thinking of, and so I shall keep on delving in to this vast
ocean for the pearls that still lie unclaimed within its depths.
For the audience, this is entertainment, for the artist, this is
his life.
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