“With all due respect to language, language creates barriers, while music connects the world,” said Sarod maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, who enthralled a huge crowd at Colombo’s iconic Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall on Friday.
Performing for the first time in Sri Lanka, the veteran classical musician, flanked by his sons Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash, presented ‘Strings of peace’ — a concert organised by the Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka on the eve of the Republic Day. The show featured three segments — beginning with a duet piece by his sons, followed by a solo segment featuring the senior artiste, and culminating in a majestic finale by the trio — accompanied by Satyajit Talwalkar and Shubh Maharaj on the tabla.
‘A link’
“Music does not belong to any religion — it is like air, water, fire…but we all need music in our lives. In our country we say music connects you to God. Music has connected the world,” Mr. Khan said during the concert, just before performing a Tarana — a composition whose lyrics comprised just rhythmic syllables, no words. In a delightful prelude, he sang a few lines to demonstrate its structure. The complexity of the Sarod is hardly apparent when the master strummed its strings with his right hand, at once sliding his fingers on the left hand along its fret-less board. “I have to file my nails on stage — it’s not a thing of beauty, I need to do that to ensure the sound I produce is fine,” he explained, demonstrating the difference between the rather rough and blaring tone when he played with his finger-tips, and the smooth, well-rounded contrast, as he used his finger nails.
Limiting the conventional Hindustani classical fare to a couple of pieces — raags Lalitha Gauri and Desh — the artistes offered a treat of popular numbers, including Rabindranath Tagore’s Ekla Chalo Re and Mahatma Gandhi’s favourite bhajans Vaishnava Janato and Raghupati Raghava Rajaram .
Making a rare appearance together, former Presidents and rivals Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga and Mahinda Rajapaksa, along with Speaker Karu Jayasuriya, were special guests.
The artistes ended the show, playing the national anthems of the two countries, with Sri Lankan artiste Lahiru Gimhana Komangoda accompanying them on the keyboard.
