IIPM : EXECUTIVE EDUCATION
The inimitable impressions of the Bangash family on Hindustani classical music…
Melodious notes have wafted through the corridors of their homes and wide-eyed cherubs have soaked them in, learning to recognise the notes of the Sargam long before comprehending the ABCs of the spoken language. Since ages, just as family values and traditions are handed down to the next generation, the passion and understanding of music has also been sown into their souls. The Bangash family’s affair with the sarod began in mid-17th century, when Mohammed Hashmi Khan Bangash – an Afghan horse trader with a penchant for the rebab (a plucked lute) – settled in India. As he developed an interest in Indian classical music, he egged his son, Ghulam Bandegi Khan Bangash, to modify the rebab so as to allow the best of both the cultures to fuse together. Thus the sarod was born and the next Bangash – Ghulam Ali Bangash – further tuned the instrument to perfection and also the techniques of playing the ragas on the same.
“In the family of khaandaani musicians (who belong to a long lineage), it is difficult to pin-point the time, age or date of entering into the world of music. There is no way to actively decide, I just absorbed everything happening around me. I just realised one day and felt honoured to be the humble representative of the Senia Bangash gharana,” says the 6th generation scion of the Bangash family, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan. His father Ustad Haafiz Ali Khan, learnt the fundamentals of the Senia gharana from Ustad Pyar Khan and Ustad Jafar Khan, who, incidentally, traced their lineage to one of the greatest music composers of all time – Tansen. In his career, he received patronage from the courts of Gwaliar and was the recipient of many awards including the Padma Bhushan in 1960.
Ustad Amjad Ali Khan was not one to merely loll on his forefather’s fame and he would go on to become noted for his style of playing the sarod. He also brought about new changes to the sarod and is today among the most respected musicians of our country. Holding audiences across the continents captive with his mesmerising performances, Amjad Ali Khan is a sparkling gem in the current Indian music milieu and has been honoured with a host of awards and recognitions such as the Padma Vibhushan. Reminiscing the years of his struggle, the doyen of Indian classical music says, “Nothing is easy, especially in the world of classical music. There was struggle, there is struggle and there always will be struggle in the future. There is no shortcut in this field. The expectations of the world are very high and there has to be quality music.”
From the outside, it might seem simple enough to carry on the legacy and many would chastise those who patronise every new generation of the same family and neglect artistes from not-so distinguished dynasties. “It is a great bonus. Like in any field, be it films or for that matter even a business house, a legacy always helps. You get the opportunity, the attention and the love of people. Having said that, one must keep in mind that eventually your work has to speak for itself. We cannot keep getting invited to a concert hall or to a music festival because we are sons of a famous father or for that matter, having seven generations of musicians behind us. Your work has to speak for itself. In fact, your legacy and your worth should speak through your work,” opine the sons of Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Amaan and Ayaan Ali Khan. “There are a section of people who would blindly love you because they loved your father. Then there are a section of people who love you for your own space and finally a section that would come to tear you apart! The mantra once again lies in the fact that one must never take any concert for granted. Smallest of concerts can become the turning points of your life and the biggest of concerts can be disasters. Every concert should have the same feeling and approach as if it’s your first concert,” assert the brothers.
The impression that many have of Amaan and Ayaan being privileged and given opportunities that most music enthusiasts would label as ‘unfair’, is something Amaan and Ayaan have had to contend with. While they shrug off such sentiments with a, “Like the saying goes ‘it’s not as easy as it looks’,” they also have been putting in their all to come into of their own. With concerts in 20 different nations already behind them and capital world music and electronica albums to their credit, the two have moved on and today are often compared with their father. “In all honesty,” remark the boys, “it’s an honour to be compared to a man like Ustad Amjad Ali Khan. For at the end of the day, you’re being compared to the best! We don’t think anyone takes anyone’s place in life. There is room for everyone. Our father has already done the unthinkable to the sarod. But then, the work that we have done with the sarod had also never been done before. Today, the youth connect to the instrument, we see it in films, hear it in lounges and even clubs! Collectively as a family, we are trying our best to carry forward the tradition of Indian music.” The illustrious Ustad Amjad Ali Khan perhaps sums it up the best, “It’s a commitment from generations. We must surrender ourselves to God and to our guru… We feel happy and honoured to have received so much love and blessings from the whole world.”
B&E edit bureau: Anu Gulmohar & Neha Sarin
For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.
Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).
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