'I belong to every religion. I belong to every country.
I belong to every system of music'
When sarod maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan appeared on Rediff Chat, his fans couldn't get enough of him. The Internet savvy Khansaab talked very openly about his music, his experiences over the years and about his two sons, Amaan and Ayaan.
Ustad Amjad Ali Khan (Fri May 12 19100 5:53 IST)
Namashkar! I am very happy to be here and to communicate with all of you. I hope we have a great experience on this chat.
Neelkanth (Fri May 12 19100 5:46 IST)
Ustadji, I wonder if you'd recognize me. Long time ago, in Calcutta, I had the privelege of meeting you. I used to play the sitar. You had very kindly agreed to accept me as your shishya. I am music critic Nilaksha Gupta's brother.
Ustad Amjad Ali Khan (Fri May 12 19100 5:54 IST)
Neelkanth: It is a pleasant surprise to see your post. I was always wondering why you had disappeared from the music scene of India. I still feel the beautiful tonal quality of your sitar. I hope you are still playing and people are experiencing the beautiful tonal quality of your instrument. Do keep in touch!
Sushmita (Fri May 12 19100 5:36 IST)
Hi this is Sushmita from London. I heardUstadji's sons play at a recent concert in London and they were superb. Amjad ALi Khan of course was brilliant as usual with Zakir H
Ustad Amjad Ali Khan (Fri May 12 19100 5:58 IST)
Sushmita: Yes, London was a real experience for me too. Especially because for the first time I played with the cello player. In case you are in New York on May 23, please come to my concert at Carnegie Hall. I hope you have a better experience than London.
Jaikishen (Fri May 12 19100 5:55 IST)
Ustadji do you think that the Sarod has been overshowdowed in the media by the Sitar and Tabla?
Ustad Amjad Ali Khan (Fri May 12 19100 6:0 IST)
Jaikishen: I very strongly feel that, because of the Beatles' involvement with sitar, the sitar has become the only name which represents every instrument of India. But I hope, without any gimmick, if music lovers can experience the sound of sarod, I will be most satisfied as a sensitive, creative musician.
raja (Fri May 12 19100 5:57 IST)
ustadji... could you please tell us all how the sarod originated... into its present form.
Ustad Amjad Ali Khan (Fri May 12 19100 6:6 IST)
Raja: Dear young sarod player, first of all, you must know the meaning of sarod. Sarod is a Persian word and the actually pronunciation is sarood, which means music, melody, appealing sound! This instrument was created and modified from the ancient instrument of Afghanistan, Iran, called rabab. Both the instruments look alike, but rabab has a finger board of wood and the strings are made of fibre or skin. The sarod has a metal finger board and it has steel strings and one copper string. Altogether, my sarod has 19 strings. Eleven are sympathetic strings and last four is for the drone. And we play on the first four. Imagine a teakwood hollowed instrument, its belly covered with skin. On the bridge rests 19 strings. It is my advice for a beginner to deal with lesser strings and gradually the young player can experience a sarod of 19 strings or 30 strings. Sarod can be played in a highly technical way and also it can played in a highly emotional way. I personally sing through my sarod.
Anks (Fri May 12 19100 6:8 IST)
PLEASE TELL ME USTAADJI...CAN GIRLS ALSO LEARN HOW TO PLAY THE SAROD?????
Ustad Amjad Ali Khan (Fri May 12 19100 6:10 IST)
Anks: Yes, it is possible for girls to play the sarod. There are few women in our country who are sarod players. One is in Bombay and another in Delhi. And there are few young girls in Calcutta. Sudeshna Bhattacharya, who is talented and hard-working, gives concerts in Calcutta.
Anks (Fri May 12 19100 6:8 IST)
WHO DO U THINK PLAYS BETTER AMAAN OR AYAAN?????
Ustad Amjad Ali Khan (Fri May 12 19100 6:12 IST)
Anks: It is a very wrong question to ask a father or mother. But, may be, as a guru, I can answer that. It depends on the ability of the listner to realise the best points of Amaan and the best points of Ayaan. According to me, both are on the right track, both are hard-working, sincere, responsible and rest depends on their fate and destiny.
sapna (Fri May 12 19100 6:11 IST)
ustadji is there any chances of you coming over to bangalore??
Ustad Amjad Ali Khan (Fri May 12 19100 6:14 IST)
Sapna: I prefer to visit Bangalore in winter months and I have extra feelings for Karnataka. I always look forward to coming and sharing whatever I have in terms of music. I feel very honoured that Karnataka once hounoured me with Chowdiah award.
Anks (Fri May 12 19100 6:13 IST)
i AM GLAD YOU FEEL LIKE THAT USTAADJI..WELL I FEEL LIKE THAT TOO...THEY ARE BOTH VERY VERY TALENTED AND WILL GO TO GREAT HEIGHTS..I HEARD THEY ARE COMPERING SAREGAMA ON ZEE TV..IS IT TRUE????
Ustad Amjad Ali Khan (Fri May 12 19100 6:17 IST)
Anks: Yes, you are right. I think you are quite up-to-date. I don't know which part of the world you are from but, yes, Amaan and Ayaan are anchoring the Sa Re Ga Ma show on Zee TV and, because of their strong base in classical music, they are enjoying every bit of the programme. The credit goes to Shri Gajendra Singh, the creative director of the show, who was sure that Amaan and Ayaan would be able to deliver what he required of them.
megharai (Fri May 12 19100 6:11 IST)
ustadji...can u tell me the difference between maalkauns and chandrakauns ?
Ustad Amjad Ali Khan (Fri May 12 19100 6:20 IST)
meghrai: The basic difference is of ni. Malkouns has a flat ni and Chandrakouns has a sharp ni.
Neelkanth (Fri May 12 19100 6:18 IST)
Ustadji, you tour a lot. Do you think Calcutta audiences are still the best or have other cities come up as well in terms of critical appreciation?
Ustad Amjad Ali Khan (Fri May 12 19100 6:22 IST)
Neelkanth: Besides Calcutta, I look forward equally to performing in Maharashtra and all the four states of the south. A small number of appreciative audiences exist in every state, every city. But Bengal, Maharashtra and the south are deeply involved and, sometimes, I have performed in front 25,000 people.
raja (Fri May 12 19100 6:22 IST)
ustadji... at times it becomes difficult for people who are of a different profession to learn music... and most important do justice to it. how does one bring in a balance? because both are equally important for him to live.
Ustad Amjad Ali Khan (Fri May 12 19100 6:23 IST)
raja: I agree with you. It is better not to live on music, it would be more satisfying to live for music.
megharai (Fri May 12 19100 6:22 IST)
ustadji..what has been ur greatest inspiration?
Ustad Amjad Ali Khan (Fri May 12 19100 6:25 IST)
megharai: My greatest inspiration is from beautiful flowers, because they become source of expression of every human being at any situation.
Ustad Amjad Ali Khan (Fri May 12 19100 6:28 IST)
megha: My other inspiration are musical notes -- sa re ga ma pa dha ni. They also perform similar roles like flowers. The entire universe's music rests on these seven notes. Any language of any country creates the barrier, but the unifying force or source is the musical notes. Music has no religion. Similarly, flowers are used by every religion. I have learnt a lot from these beautiful gifts of God. Today, seeing the role of flowers and musical notes, I feel I belong to every religion. I feel I belong to every country and I feel I belong to every system of music.
Rajesh (Fri May 12 19100 6:26 IST)
Ustadji which is your favourate Raga & why
Ustad Amjad Ali Khan (Fri May 12 19100 6:30 IST)
Rajesh: My favourite ragas are many like Darbari, Bihag, Bageshwari, Raageshwari and Bhairavi, Pilu, Jayjaywanti, Khamaj, Yaman, etc, etc.
Ustad Amjad Ali Khan (Fri May 12 19100 6:40 IST)
EVERYBODY: We are celebrating a new millennium and the whole world is sharing this with each other in terms of celebrations. But I personally feel that we are going through a very alarming stage. Over the years, we all have encouraged a Coca Cola culture, a synthetic culture and it is a cultural threat to every country. I think it's high time we looked for our identity, our roots. We should not forget our own identity. It is nice to admire good points of every culture and to adopt them, but I am saying this especially for us Indians -- we should not look down upon our own tradition and culture. One should be able to appreciate and admire all kinds of music, whether pop, bhajan, qawwali, western classical... But we should always encourage our traditional and classical music because classical music cannot be called profession. It is a way of life. As a classical musician, I don't feel that I am an entertainer. From my childhood, I gave my life to God, to art and dedicated myself to the purity and sanctity of Indian classical music. To appreciate any music, one doesn't need to know the technicalities. If anybody says that he understands Beethoven, can he explain what he understands? In other words, music has to be experienced. There are two kinds of music -- one is pure sound and the other is based on words -- i e text, lyrics. As a sarod player, I have dealt all my life with pure sound because, if my sarod is heard with concentration, one can experience the presence of God.
Ustad Amjad Ali Khan (Fri May 12 19100 6:47 IST)
EVERYBODY: Nowadays, with the help of recorded music in every religion, people are offering prayers through CDs and cassettes. I personally feel that we must offer God something with our own voice or words or through our instrument. For peace of mind and tranquillity, one should listen to instrumental music with concentration, especially the sarod. If you want to appreciate the poetry in a song, that also is very satisfying. It satisfies a different faculty of the mind and the body. But the impact of sound is tremendous because every human being is born with sound and rhythm -- the heart beat is the indication of rhythm and what we talk is part of music because conversation, recitation, chanting, singing -- they are all part of music. My every concert is a special offering to my listeners because I cannot repeat that concert again. The sound of sarod is very refreshing. It's rejuvenating for the human mind and body. Our music is based on spirituality, religion and faith. The ulimate success is in the hand of God and that is why I feel as if I am a poojari, fakir, sanyasi, because I am constantly doing sadhana to achieve all the colours and messages and shades of sa re ga ma pa dha ni -- the seven notes that God has created.
nishwath (Fri May 12 19100 6:47 IST)
ustadji have you ever met m.s.subalakshmi???and tried playing the instrument with her??
Ustad Amjad Ali Khan (Fri May 12 19100 6:51 IST)
nishwath: Once in Hyderabad, M S Subbulakshmi and I were being honoured together. After I recieved the award, I spoke in the presence of M S Subbulakshmi. I began by saying that I am very fortunate that I have two Subbulakshmis in my life -- one in the form of my mother and other in the form of my wife. I must tell you that my wife's parents were inspired after seeing M S Subbulakshmi's film called Meera where she acted as the beautiful Meera. And when my wife was born, my in-laws called her Subhalakshmi. Subbulakshmi amma is well aware of this little piece of history and that is why we cherish a beautiful relationship. I have great regards for her contribution in the fields of music and mankind.
nishwath (Fri May 12 19100 6:46 IST)
tell me how different is the response from audiences here in India nad Abroad?
Ustad Amjad Ali Khan (Fri May 12 19100 6:58 IST)
Nishwath: For me as an artiste, every response, whether from my country or rest of the world, is very important for my growth and creativity as an artiste. Sarod, at present, is appreciated all over the world but specially in the US because lot of Indian musicians have settled abroad and tried to educate people about our music and way of life. I am really looking forward to my European tour and US and Canada concerts -- especially on May 23 at New York at the Carnegie Hall. Since the last 10 years, I've had beautiful experiences with people living in the US and with them as my audience. It was a great honour to have met President Bill Clinton at the dinner hosted by our president on March 21. I was looking forward to perform for him; instead, I invited to dinner with my wife. But Mr Clinton did show his interest in my music and was very kind to have mentioned that I should invite him during my tour in US.
Ustad Amjad Ali Khan (Fri May 12 19100 7:0 IST)
EVERYBODY: I would love to continue talking to you for much longer. But, because of my commitment to a dinner at a friend's house, I have to say good bye, Khuda hafiz and namashkar.
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