Sarod maestro Amjad Ali Khan feels the age-old tradition of classifying Indian music as Carnatic and Hindustani should be replaced by Classical north Indian or South Indian music to effectively reach out to the Western world.
“It is better for the Western world to understand that we represent the same country and same music. Music is music. It knows no religion or community and the musical notes just connect the world,” Mr. Khan, who was here for a concert at the Narada Gana Sabha, told PTI.
The maestro said he strongly felt that the “time has come to start addressing Indian classical music” by these names.
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Recalling his ties with a city that brought him face to face with some doyens of Carnatic music like the late M S Subbulakshmi, Semmankkudi Sreenivasa Iyer, Maharajapuram Santhanam, D K Pattammal and M L Vasanthakumari, the Sarod maestro said he missed their presence today.
“I miss their presence as most of them were regular visitors to my concert, especially Ms. Subbulakshmi,” he said, recalling that Ms. Subbulakshmi, affectionately known as MS, had played host to him at her house.
Mr. Khan who was awarded the “Bharat Sangeet Samrat” at the Bharat Sangeet Utsav on Thursday said that his wife Subbulakshmi Khan, a Bharatanatyam exponent mentored at the famous Kalakshetra under the tutorship of celebrated dancer Rukmini Devi Arundale.
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He said it was “a great honour to receive the latest award in the city.
A recipient of three Padma Awards, including the Padma Vibhushan, the maestro says he is happy that the present day audience is an amalgamation of the young and old, “who are enjoying music much more than ever“.
Mr. Khan said he is scheduled to visit the city early next year with his sons Amaan Ali Khan and Ayaan Ali Khan to offer a “triple delight” to the connoisseurs of music.