BY KAVITA CHHIBBER
They say a good journalist is one who presents an unbiased picture of any event or story he or she writes. Let me say at the onset, on a personal level, I’m totally biased where Ustad Amjad Ali Khan and his wonderful music is concerned. It spills over to being blatantly partial to his awesome sons Amaan and Ayaan and his beautiful wife Subhalakshmi.
But the cool thing is, it doesn’t really matter whether I’m partial to them or not. Any journalist or music lover who happened to be present at the climactic concert of the 8 city Asha for education concert tour on 9th October at Emory University’s Glen Memorial auditorium would have gone back feeling the way I feel each time I listen to Khan sahib perform either live or on a recording-enchanted!
October 9th happened to be Khan sahib’s 60th birthday and he was felicitated at a cozy dinner at Drs. Shiv and Purna Sharma’s house the night before. The food provided by Bhojanic was excellent as was the ambience and the atmosphere, enhanced further by the genuine warmth and courtesy of the Khans as they mingled with guests and volunteers from Asha.
Gaurav Bakshi the key coordinator for the concert was present and quickly recognized the several sponsors, key volunteers and the hosts who were behind the evening’s social gathering and also weeks of hard work that went into making the concert a success.
The next day, in spite of several other events happening at the same time the concert at Glen Memorial was very well attended. The evening began with emcee Gaurav Bakshi requesting the audience to observe a moment of silence to honor the memory of lost lives in the devastating South Asian earthquake. After the observance Gaurav rightly said there couldn’t be a better introduction to the sarod maestro than his music and stepped aside.
Khan sahib then came on stage and introduced the unique features of the sarod for the benefit of those who were listening to the instrument for the first time, or even those who listen to the music and don’t realize how hard it is to play an instrument like the sarod which is fretless, unlike the sitar and the guitar. You play with the edge of your finger nails to capture the tonal quality of human voice on sarod strings. Khan sahib demonstrated the difference between the two sounds- by playing the strings both with the finger tips and then the edge of the finger nails. It was obvious that playing the strings with the finger nails, enhances the richness and beauty of the melody emanating from the sarod.
Khan sahib then talked about pure sound and sound encapsulated in language. Pure sound which forms the basis of all instrumental music transcends all barriers becoming universal in its appeal.
The maestro began the evening with Sandhya a raga featured in his latest album Moksha. The evening raga, according to the maestro, is endowed with special notes to bring you closer to God and all that is pure and sacred as you pray at sunset. It was followed by vaishnav janato and raghupati raghav raja ram, two renditions both based, as he pointed out, on Ragas Mishra Khamaj and Gara, respectively. Those never cease to bring the house down every time Khan sahib plays it and this time was no exception. The icing on the cake was raga Durga which never ceases to move me deeply with the depth and beauty of its notes.
I think today, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan just has to touch the sarod and the notes flow with crystal clarity, elegance and astounding beauty. The finesse with which he evokes all that is pure and divine in music, the way he played the pure notes interspersing them with the two compositions and then flowing back to the notes was just spell binding.
Compositions are created to preserve the raga, said Khan sahib and added that every raga or composition doesn’t have to be several hours long to create an impact. In the right hands even a 5 minute composition can convey its beauty and richness. I had heard Khan sahib play Raga Durga last year in Michigan. The raga had people swaying in their seats, as he made his sarod sing. Here in Atlanta too, when he said he would play raga Durga an audible gasp of excitement echoed throughout the auditorium. I am sure the Goddess was blessing him doubly - because of the spirituality that emanated from his strings, and also because he made mere mortals like us, the audience comes closer to divinity in the month of October when navratri and durga puja take us back to divinity in great measure.
Khan sahib explained how most of our ragas have evolved from folk tunes and often the music of the mountains. The twelve notes add diverse elements to the various ragas as they travel through different states, and on several occasions the beauty of that very diversity is captured in the classical melodies that make Indian music such a treasure house.
Sandeep Das, is a tabla player who is fast becoming an icon in the world of percussion He is one of the emerging superstars of the instrument. A disciple of the legendary Pandit Kishan Maharaj, the doyen of the Benaras gharana, each time Das performs, I’m bowled over by the perfect blend of sweetness and power in his hands. He was also in total synchrony with Khan Sahib – matching the maestro in mood, dynamics and speed. There were several members in the audience who didn’t know much about the tabla but many of them from all age groups asked me who he was and what a sweet touch he has on his instrument. Some teenagers came over and said, “ could you tell the tabla star he rocks!” I did indeed convey the message.
The segment was followed by the introduction of the chief guest, Mark Taylor. The articulate and warm Lt. Governor of Georgia was the original sponsor of the Hope scholarship 13 years ago and close to 850,000 families have benefited from the scholarship so far. Lt. Governor Taylor said he was delighted that Atlanta and his alma mater Emory University could be associated with a cultural event of this magnitude, and linking notes of hope and the hope scholarship offered his good wishes to the maestro. This was followed by a very well put together power point presentation on Asha for Education, an organization that primarily focuses on the belief that education is a critical requisite for socio-economic change. Khan sahib and his children have been associated with Asha for several years.
The second half of the evening began with Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash playing a wonderful rendition of Rag Bageshari with Sandeep Das accompanying them on tabla.
Ayaan mentioned that as per tradition they are not supposed to play after their elders and especially after their guru and father. The program however was planned this way by Khan sahib and so they were honoring his wishes by breaking protocol. I saw the two brothers play raga Purya dhanashri last year in Michigan, but was struck by how much they have both improved in the clarity, tonal quality and speed with which they played. Amaan and Ayaan have studied under their father but have evolved their own unique styles of play. Amaan has a more vigorous style, Ayaan retains his father’s elegance and softness, and yet both can switch with ease. The highlight of their performance was also the by play between them and Sandeep Das. Their mutual affection is evident in the way they synchronize with Das. Very often you will see Amaan or Ayaan spontaneously appreciating Sandeep Das’s virtuosity on stage after a particularly electrifying segment or a spontaneously elegant touch on the tabla.
Amaan and Ayaan then welcomed their father and guru back on stage for the grand finale. Khan sahib who had dedicated the concert to the victims of Katrina and the earth quake in South Asia, said that he felt the two young maestros had left the best for the last and played their best concert in Atlanta, going by their performance. He also said that in spite of all the distractions and temptations Indian classical music continues to be loved world wide. This fact honors stalwarts of music Mian Tansen, Thyagaraja and others who were the pillars of our musical tradition. It is because of their contribution that musicians like Khan sahib and his sons are still connected to the world. Khan sahib added that in spite of tremendous technological advancements, and novel inventions, there are only 12 musical notes-no one has been able to invent or create the thirteenth note. That it self reinforces the fact that music has an indomitable presence in our lives.
The audience was treated to a solo performance first comprising of two popular folk songs ekal chalo re from Bengal that had the Bengali audience cheering and Behu an Assamese folk song from his wife Subhalakshmi Khan’s home state. Khan sahib also acknowledged her as his sons’ first guru. Subhalakshmi Khan was a highly accomplished and sought after Bharat natyam dancer before she gave it all up to raise her sons. Her artistry is evident to this day in the way she took a bouquet of roses and converted them in a beautiful addition to the stage, the way she signs her name and more than that through the way her sons conduct themselves. She is their biggest critic and their biggest admirer I’m sure, but more than that I think the three men are what they are today because of her incomparable presence in their lives.
The folk compositions had the audience swaying in unison and soon after the trio performed raga Kirwani. It was a shorter rendition as it was already late in the night, but equally enjoyable as Khan sahib linked notes from raga Hansadhwani in his alaap, and then played taans which Amaan and Ayaan reproduced. Khan sahib improvises on stage and often his sons have no idea what he will play, so it’s a tribute to their own artistry and talent and Khan sahib’s teaching that Amaan and Ayaan can read him well and keep up the pace. Atlanta’s very own Kumud Savla accompanied the Khans on tan pura and sat through almost close to 4 hours of music in an upright position. She said she was so lost in the music she didn’t feel tired even for a minute. Sandeep Savla took care of sound which is a tough call in a cathedral with high ceilings and echo. The audience was wonderfully receptive, which is always heart warming for the artists.
The concert ended with a standing ovation to the artists and a rendition of Happy Birthday by the audience when Subhalakshmi Khan announced that it was also Khan sahib’s 60th birthday that day.
The performance was followed by a dinner sponsored by Madras Shravana Bhavan for Khan sahib and the Asha volunteers who had worked so hard for weeks to make this concert the success that it turned out to be. Gaurav Bakshi said, “This was the first time that a fundraiser of this magnitude was being organized by Asha-Atlanta, and it was an unbelievably memorable one! A lot of hard work was put in by volunteers and it paid off in the end. The response received was tremendous, not only on the performance, but also on the organization of the concert. Atlanta was the Grand Finale of a wonderfully successful 7 city Asha “Notes of Hope” tour of the US.’
Sathyan Subbiah, added the work was tremendous, from pre-event publicity, marketing and getting various sponsorship levels, getting brochure ads, arranging for food options on the concert day, designing flyers, posters and the brochure itself, preparing the Asha presentation, planning and maintaining the website for ticketing purposes, designing and printing paper tickets for distribution, nailing out the ticketing and ushering details, getting the auditorium and stage ready, coordinating CDs sales and signing details among others.
Another volunteer Lavanya Subramanian added, “When planning a community fund raising event, the various action items which culminate in the final event can be compared to building little pieces of a railway track. Each person takes responsibility to build a small piece in their own way. There is always the apprehension that all the pieces should attach perfectly and the huge train will run over it smoothly. Watching Khan saab, Amaan & Ayaan on stage was very awe-inspiring and also satisfying that our hard work paid-off and has been towards a worthy cause.”
Several other volunteers at the table had even put their doctorate work aside to run around. The Khans said that they were really happy to have been part of Asha and to see that the proceeds of such events go directly where needed. Amjad Ali Khan sahib and his wife hoped that next time there will more members of the mainstream audience to enjoy the concert and be part of this noble effort.
Ustad Amjad Ali Khan is perhaps one of the few artists whose music always moves me to tears and this evening was no exception. It has become a standard joke among my friends, to ask me at what point did I start sniffling, not if I did or did not!
I have said this before and I will say this again-as the years have gone by I have noticed Khan sahib’s work gaining depth, spirituality and richness. Even as his fame has stretched over many continents along with many awards, accolades and honors, he has stayed the same non-materialistic, exceedingly humble man with an aura that is not of this world.
I still sit there scratching my head after every concert wondering how am I going to describe in words the magic of an ethereal, deeply spiritual musical journey that I embark on each time Ustad Amjad Ali Khan gets up on stage and begins playing. How does one describe that which cannot be captured in words. These are the times I wish people would just come and listen to him play and as I see their enchantment, I could begin and end my review by just these words “ I told you so!”
