Oct 27, 2006 12:54 PM
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Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, the Sarod Maestro is indeed God's precious gift to Hindustani Classical Music. Born into the family of Ustad Hafiz Ali Khan (himself, a renowned Sarod player), Amjad Ali Khan imbibed the rich legacy of Senia Gharana (Named after the legendary Tansen of Emperor Akbar's Navaratnas) and soon established himself as a pioneer in the field of Indian Classical Music. Sarod, possibly an improvisation of the ancient instrument "Rabab", has created a niche on its own.
It is really surprising that there are no reviews till date on this great artiste and his music on this prized platform.Unfortunately, it is not very clear through the picture, which particular album is being featured for this particular review. As such, I shall try to confine my review as a very general one, on the artiste and his creations.
The puritans have always blamed Ustad Amjad Ali Khan for deviating from the rigid travails of Hindustani Marga Sangeet, but to a listener, Ustadji's renditions are, in general, nothing less than pure nectar. It is true that he has been experimenting a lot with different "Swaras", but the end effect invariably is simply amazing. A lot of new Ragas are suppsedly his creations and Hindustani Classical Music will forever be indebted to Ustad Amjad Khan Saheb for that.
The melifluous tunes emerging from this doyen of our days are always captivating. Without going into any comparisons, one can definitely attribute Ustad Amjad Ali Khan with almost all the popularity Sarod, as an instrument, has achieved today. So much so, that Ustadji has started a museum ( is it in Gwalior?) with a rich collection of vintage and contemporary instruments akin to Rabab and Sarod. He is also creditted with a website viz., http://www.sarod.com , wherein he, along with his two talented sons, Amaan Ali and Ayaan Ali Bangash has tried to immortalize his art and the instrument responsible for all the recognition his art has brought in terms of name and fame.
I have had a few occassions of listening to Ustad Amjad Ali Khan Saheb. I can vouch for the fact that his sage like presence on the stage, his constant encouragement to younger artistes and accompanyists almost everytime have all filled up the environment with absolute divinity.
I remember one double music album possibly going by the name "Amjad's Sarod plays for Children"an ethereal experience.
Amjad Ali Khan's renditions have invariably been lilting, especially those based upon folk tunes like Bhatiyalior Bihu (Incidentally, his wife, Subhalaksmi, happens to be an accomplished Dancer in her own right with an Assamese origin). His creations of the "Raam Dhun" or "Vaishnav Janato" simply bring tears in the eyes. I have also enjoyed his Ragas like Bhairavi, Yaman, Durga, Mishra Gaara, Shankara, Tilak Kamod etc., to name just a few.
Before I conclude, I wish Ustad Amjad Ali Khan Saheb a very long and aestheic presence amidst us. Since he has also groomed a lot many people of the younger generation, his legacy will definitely live foever, especially as long as people will have taste for good heavenly music..
