Amjad Ali Khan is one of the best known sarod players in the world. He is known as an ustad , a master of his art. Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, who lives in New Delhi, began learning Hindustani music when he was very young. His guru was his father, the great sarod player Ustad Haafiz Ali Khan. The Khan family has a long history of music going back many generations.
Ustad Amjad Ali says that his love for his father, the love of God, humanity and music were equal. This love filled his life. “Life itself was music and music was life,” he says.
Amjad Ali says he cannot remember any particular day when he started learning. “It was a part of me from as early as I can remember. Indeed, I cannot think of a moment when music has been separated from my life.”
Though he took to music like a fish to water, he still believes that only blessings and hard work can help a person to succeed. “We can only do our best and leave the rest to the power up there,” he says. For a musician, working hard means practising regularly for hours and being disciplined. Being disciplined, he says, includes not just following the rules of music but also in behaviour — how to respond to elders, your gurus, artists more senior than you, and your audience and disciples too.
Music is more a way of life than a profession, he says, but adds, “Please complete your education, as any creative field is uncertain.”
Today, the world is noisy and crowded. Often people fight and feel unhappy. They struggle to find peace and relaxation, says the Ustad . “Music helps to retune one’s system,” he says. “Noisy music, on the other hand, can be damaging to human mind and body. Instruments, like sarod , need to be heard at moderate volume and with concentration to enjoy positive effects.”
Achievements
Awards: Padma Vibhushan (2001); Rajiv Gandhi Sadbhavna Award; Delhi Government Lifetime Achievement Award (2012)
Disciples: Mukesh Sharma, Abhik Kumar Sarkar, Amaan Ali Khan, Ayaan Ali Khan, and others
Other activities: Starred in an ad for PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) along with his sons Amaan Ali Khan and Ayaan Ali Khan.
Released an album called “Hope”. The album features Christmas hymns and carols played on the sarod.
Across borders
The sarod is a stringed instrument with a long neck and a hollow body. The neck has a fingerboard that is covered with metal, while the rounded lower body is covered with goatskin. It is played by pressing the strings on the fingerboard with the left hand and strumming with a pick held in the right hand. The sarod has a distinctive, deep and attractive sound and is played in a seated position, with the instrument on the lap. Some believe it developed from the rabab, which was brought to India from Afghanistan, about two centuries ago.
