In the hallowed halls of music, there are a few names that are very revered and the name of Ustad Amjad Ali Khan is certainly one of them. Along with Ravi Shankar, Khan Saheb, as he is referred to by his fans, has brought Hindustani Classical music to the global arena. The sound from his Sarod, has touched the hearts of fans all over the world who always flock to his concerts.

Taught by his father Haafiz Ali Khan, a musician belonging to the royal family of Gwalior, Amjad Ali Khan was born to the illustrious Bangash lineage rooted in the Senia Bangash School of music. He once said "There is no essential difference between classical and popular music. Music is music. I want to communicate with the listener who finds Indian classical music remote." He has been very successful in accomplishing this laudable goal. Recipient of innumerable awards including the prestigious Padmabhushan and the Fukuoka Asian Culture Grand Prize, Khan Saheb has played at almost every prestigious venue in the world including Carnegie Hall, Royal Albert Hall, Royal Festival Hall, Kennedy Center, Santury Hall (First Indian performer), House of Commons, Theater Dela Ville, Muee Guimet, ESPLANADE in Singapore, Palais beaux-arts, Mozart Hall in Frankfurt, Chicago Symphony Center, St. James Palace and the Opera House in Australia.

Ustad Amjad Ali Khan along with his sons Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash presented a concert attended by over 1000 people at the MIT Kresgee Auditorium on Saturday September 25, 2004. The event was organized by the Association for India’s Development (AID) as a fundraising event to support many worthwhile projects in India. The concert began with a solo presentation by Amjad Ali Khan, followed by a jugalbandi by his sons. The grand finale was the trio playing together. The concert included Amjad Ali Khan’s own creation Raga Ganesh Kalyan and a South Indian Raga – Keeravani. The concert featured several fast Taans that drew applause from the audience. There were a lot of youngsters in the audience, rather unusual for a classical concert and they really seemed to enjoy the music. The tabla player, Shri Sandeep Das provided excellent support. At the end of the recital the handsome trio of father and the two sons in their beautiful flamboyant Kurtas received a standing three curtain call ovation – a testimony to their amazing ability to bring beautiful music to their listeners.

In an interview with Lokvani, Khan Saheb spoke about music having the ability to bring peace. “Sound does not create conflict language does” said Khan Saheb. Here is an excerpt of the interview with the maestro.

Lokvani: Khansaheb, we welcome you to Boston. Could you tell us a little about the influences that helped make you the Maestro you are?

Khan Saheb: It is nice to be back here. This place is special to me since in 1984 when I came here for the first time, the Governor Michael Dukakis marked the day of my visit as “Amjad Ali Khan Day”.

Ours is a musical family. My mother is my first Guru. I learnt music at the feet of my father. “Sarod” which comes from the Persian word “Sarood” – which means music, was created by my great great great-grandfather who modified the original folk instrument called Rabab into this instrument capable of playing classical music. There are many people including M.S Subbalakshmi (after whom my wife is named), Kanchi Periyavar(Shankaracharya Chandrasekar Saraswathi), J. Krishnamurthy, Rukmani Devi Arundale and others whose association I consider a great blessing. My wife, Subhalakshmi is my great support. She was trained in Bhartanatyam at Kalakshetra.

I also really treasure and value the people who assist me everyday. The man who makes my Sarod, Hemendra Chandra Sen an eighty year old gentleman who lives in Calcutta is very special to me. Others including the lady who cooks at our house, my driver and many others help me be who I am.

Lokvani: I was not aware that your mother was a musician. Did you start your training under her?

Khan Saheb: I always maintain that mother is one’s first guru. I have learnt so much from my mother. My children have been molded by my wife. Unfortunately people do not recognize this fact and treat women so poorly. People refer to India as BharatMata and sometimes their treatment of BharatMata is not very nice.

Lokvani: A noble tribute to mothers. I hope people are listening. I would like to now ask a little about music. How do you define good music?

Khan Saheb: Good music is that which can have positive effects on your mind. Good music can be appreciated by any listener. You do not need any training to appreciate music. It is nothing but pure sound, like that of the water flowing or of the birds chirping.

Good music has healing powers. Yoga deals only with the outer body but music deals with the inner self. Unfortunately, nowadays youngsters have killed their natural listening sensitivities with loud music which I refer to as noise pollution. A sense of proportion is very important. Music must be heard at a moderate comfortable volume. Good musicians must play within the boundaries of time assigned. If you have a twelve minute slot, use just that. If you have four hours then use that as the time slot.

Good music takes away conflict and brings peace. I always say sound does not bring conflict, language does. Music has the capacity to bring peace. I feel sad when I see all the conflict around us. Sometimes I wonder what the contribution of education to human development is.

Lokvani: Do you have a proposal for a new model of education?

Khan Saheb: I would like to draw from the ancient traditions. I think in every school there should be one class where no children should carry books. They should be made to understand the importance of blessings. The feeling when one goes to Ajmer Sharif or to Tirupathi is important to understand and appreciate. They must learn how important it is to be kind and respectful. Schools kill the creative instincts of children. Without tradition and culture we are making robots and not human beings. This is why there is so much conflict.

Lokvani: As a muslim, what is your view on the Hindu-Muslim conflict in India?

Khan Saheb: When Prince Charles asked me this question I told him this - there is no Hindu-Muslim conflict. All over the world there are extremists be it Ireland or India or any other part of the world. Fortunately there is a much larger percentage of peace loving people in India. In the world today India is the most tolerant country and even today I would say the greatest intrinsic value in the Indian people is tolerance.

I was invited to play in Gujarat right after the unfortunate incident of the riots. People were worried about me going to Gujarat. I told them India is my country. India is what has made Amjad Ali Khan. I have no fear living in my country. People from the outside cannot understand this. But we in India can understand that there is no conflict. When I went to Gujarat five thousand people came and attended the concert.

India is the land that gave birth to Mahatma Gandhi. It is the land of the Taj Mahal. My wife and I were recently asked to speak about love at the 350th anniversary of the Taj Mahal. I said the love I see is not the love of Shah Jahan for his wife but the love and respect of the artisans for their work and for art which helped them create such a masterpiece. If there is love, respect for people and the arts where is the place for conflict?

Lokvani: Considering that the path of music is difficult, musicians often dissuade their children from taking on music as a career. Yet you have done exactly that. As a parent what aspirations do you have for your children?

Khan Saheb: The only inheritance I can leave for my children is music. It is the wealth I have and it is my duty to give it to them. Career in classical music can come only with the grace of God. I have warned them that this field is like a dark tunnel and if the grace of God is on you, you will once in a while see a ray of light. As for ambition for them, I hope they are happy. I hope my son finds a suitable like minded wife.

Lokvani: Are you at all concerned for the future of Indian classical music?

Khan Saheb: Not at all. I just received this grad prize for which 5000 nominations from all over the world need to be sent. Thus five thousand people all over the world must have valued classical music to make this recommendation. It gives me great hope and I am confident that Indian Classical music will live on.

Lokvani: It is indeed an honor to be in your presence.

Khan Saheb: I am happy to be here to support the wonderful work that the young students working for AID. If you or your readers visit Gwalior I would like to welcome you my ancestral home there which has now been converted to a museum.

Lokvani: Thank you Khan Saheb for your time.

Khan Saheb: Thank you.

As I touched his feet to seek his blessings and took leave of him, I could see why Mother Saraswathi was so partial to him. Rarely does one see such a combination of talent, personality and thoughts that are so saintly. His peaceful countenance was a testimony to his claim that music does indeed bring peace. We hope Khan Saheb will visit again touch our souls with his fine music and thoughts. To learn more about Amjad Ali Khan , please check his website at www.sarod.com

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