Famous sarod player Ustad Amjad Ali Khan is celebrating his 79th birthday today i.e. on 9th October. Along with the famous ragas of Hindustani music, he has also created other ragas. Amjad Ali Khan mesmerized everyone with his art by giving his first musical performance at the age of just 12. Amjad Ali Khan has worked to enrich Indian music with an instrument which is similar to Rabab, an instrument brought from Iran. However, some changes have been made in it according to Indian music. So let us know about some interesting things related to the life of sarod player Amjad Ali Khan on the occasion of his birthday…
Birth and family
Amjad Ali Khan was born on 09 October 1945 in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh. He belongs to the Senia Bangash Gharana of music. His father’s name was Ustad Hafiz Ali Khan, who was a renowned musician in the Gwalior royal court. Amjad Ali Khan inherited music. He got musical environment since childhood. Let us tell you that at the age of just 10, Amjad Ali Khan played Sarod in front of Yugoslavian President Marshal Tito and Indian President Rajendra Prasad when they arrived in Gwalior.
composed many ragas myself
Apart from the famous and not-so-famous ragas of Hindustani music, Amjad Ali Khan has also composed other ragas. He also mixed the tunes of others into his music. Amjad Ali Khan, while maintaining the purity of Senia Binkar Gharana, also created new ragas like Suhag Bhairav, Haripriya, Mandasamir Kiran Ranjani and Vibhaavkari Chandradhwani.
Have given performances all over the world
Amjad Ali Khan had dedicated Raaga Priyadarshini as a tribute to former PM Indira Gandhi. He composed ‘Raag Bapu Kaus’ on the 120th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. Apart from this, Amjad Ali Khan dedicated Kamalashree as a tribute to former PM Rajiv Gandhi. He has performed in many music centers around the world like House of Commons, Frankfurt’s Mozart Hall Symphony Centre, Royal Albert Hall, Kennedy Centre, Australia’s St James’s Palace and Opera House etc.
personal life
Let us tell you that he made Bharatnatyam dancer Shubhalakshmi his companion. The two first met in 1974 after giving a stage performance at the Kala Sangam program in Kolkata. After which both of them became friends and then it turned into love. However, both of them had to wait for about 2 years for marriage. Amjad Ali Khan married Shubhalakshmi in the year 1976 and they both have two sons, Aman Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash.