Recalling one of his father’s favourite sayings, youngest son and disciple of the maestro, Taufiq Qureshi says, “Abbaji believed that the tabla echoed his heartbeat. He always encouraged us to listen to all kinds of music, appreciate the nuances and explore our artistic individuality.” Khan saheb’s openness to music and affinity for collaborative work influenced Qureshi’s musical sensibilities deeply and anchor his own work that spans various genres.
A nurturing presence
Qureshi recounts that Khan saheb was an affectionate and giving father. Unlike most gurus of the era who considered it a natural progression to teach music to their sons as a way of passing on the musical legacy of the gharana, the Ustad waited. “He never forced or even asked me to learn music. I would watch him teaching his senior disciples and my elder brothers (Zakir Hussain and Fazal Qureshi). Only when he noticed my strong desire to learn that he began teaching me.”
A doting father, he transformed into a strict guru during riyaaz and concerts. “As a guru, Abbaji was candid about his opinion, if he didn’t like the performance he would just say it.” As a young man in his early twenties, Qureshi was accompanying a sarod player on stage, his father observing him keenly from the audience. After the show, he went over excitedly to his father and was stunned to be berated. “His voice was stern, he asked me whether I was supposed to accompany the instrumentalist or play a tabla solo. He asked me to ponder over the difference and left it at that. His words stung me but also taught me one of the biggest lessons of life — the art of accompanying.”
Trained in vocal music alongside the intricacies of percussion, Ustad Allarakha had a deep understanding of ragas and infused his accompaniment with the essence of that raga and its mood. “I remember him accompanying a vocalist who was singing the grand raga Darbari,” says Qureshi. One of the most challenging ragas of the repertoire, Darbari has a slow-moving pace and evokes a sombre atmosphere. “While most tabla accompanists would wait for their turn to move into the rhythmic segments, Abbaji used to enjoy the long elaborate alaaps, he would listen attentively, ask himself what the raga and the vocalist require from the tabla and match his accompaniment to heighten that mood. His accompaniment for Raga Darbari that evening was subtle, evocative and beautiful.”
Qureshi points out that the speciality of Khan saheb’s accompanying technique was his deep connection with the vocalist or instrumentalist’s music, he tempered his playing accordingly. “He would never try to overshadow the main artiste, even Abbaji’s own solo sections were in line with what they were presenting. He would just stick to three or four avartans to showcase his magic.”
Tabla at the centre
In an era when tabla was relegated to the realm of being only an accompaniment, Ustad Allarakha balanced skill with conviction to promote it as a solo entity. “His greatest contribution to the music world is the journey of taking tabla to centre stage in the field of solo playing.” Qureshi reflects that as an artiste, his father had immense tenacity. Despite harsh criticism, he played solo regularly, inspired by his guru — Ustad Qadir Baksh of the Punjab gharana.
Marvelling at his father’s courage, he recounts an incident at the radio station that proved transformative. “When Abbaji joined the Bombay radio station, there were no tabla solos, people had not heard of it! He requested the station master for an opportunity and the station master pointed out that the tabla didn’t have enough versatility as an instrument for solo rendition. Abbaji promised to play a different taal every day for the next 30 days. He played taals people had never known existed, and kept his promise. This completely revolutionised tabla playing!” He delved into free, improvised playing, moving beyond set compositions, exploring nuances of layakari and enhancing the repertoire of the Punjab gharana with his own experiments.
Around the world
Along with Pandit Ravi Shankar and Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, Ustad Allarakha was at the forefront of global collaborations with musicians across the world in the 1950s-60s. He also emerged as a prolific music composer for Hindi films. “I used to listen to the album ‘West Meets East’ again and again. Abbaji’s global collaborations made me grow as a musician . I became passionate about the drums, and was introduced to a variety of percussion instruments.” He recalls that in the 1980s, when he decided to venture into other genres beyond classical music, his father was supportive and understanding.
A musician who transformed the face of tabla-playing in the last century, Ustad Allarakha remains an inspiring musical presence with an attitude defined by courage, passion, simplicity and freedom. “For a person like Abbaji, brought up in the small town of Phagwal in Jammu, to conquer the musical world, and to take this one instrument to dizzying heights, speaks volumes about his junoon and his absolute love for his art.”
Rich tribute
Along with Pandit Ravi Shankar and Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, Ustad Allarakha was at the forefront of global collaborations with musicians across the world in the 1950s-60s. He also emerged as a prolific music composer for Hindi films. “I used to listen to the album ‘West Meets East’ again and again. Abbaji’s global collaborations made me grow as a musician not restricted to classical music. I became passionate about the drums, and was introduced to a variety of percussion instruments.” He recalls that in the 1980s, when he decided to venture into other genres beyond classical music, his father was supportive and understanding.
A musician who transformed the face of tabla-playing in the last century, Ustad Allarakha remains an inspiring musical presence with an attitude defined by courage, passion, simplicity and freedom. “For a person like Abbaji, brought up in the small town of Phagwal in Jammu, to conquer the musical world, and to take this one instrument to dizzying heights, speaks volumes about his junoon , his resilience and his absolute love for his art.”
Rich tribute
‘Alla ne Rakha’, conceived and composed by Taufiq Qureshi, with lyrics by Rachana Dixit was released last week to mark the centenary tribute to Ustad Allarakha Khan. The music video features accomplished musicians across genres, like Ashwini Bhide Deshpande, Yogesh Samsi, Rakesh Chaurasia, Purbayan Chatterjee, Sabir Khan, Shankar Mahadevan, Ajay Gogavale, Vishal Dadlani, Salim Merchant, Neeti Mohan and others. The composition also includes brief audio clippings of the maestro’s voice. Taufiq Qureshi reflects on the musical tribute.
What was the thought behind the composition?
The song is an attempt to capture the spirit of Ustad Allarakha. His life was an example of absolute devotion to music. The composition is a tribute to his musical legacy and should reach people throughout the world so they can connect to the essence of his work.
A number of musicians feature in the music video. What was the process like?
As a legend who inspired numerous musicians across generations, Abbaji is remembered fondly by artists across the music world today. It is our collective tribute, our humble shraddhanjali to this great man whom many believe to be a messiah of music, a tapasvi, for whom music was life itself. We all connect with him and his music in different ways. It was a unique and precious experience to come together to bring alive his memory.
What do you recall as your strongest memory of Ustad Allarakha’s artistic genius?
He was breathing, living, thinking about music all the time. In fact even when he slept he kept tapping his foot. The tabla and rhythm, for him, was the rhythm of life itself. This is what the music video also brings out — music as his universe.
