"Message of music is freedom within discipline"

EVERYTHING about him spells class -- be it his dress, mannerisms, his family or his home. To Amjad Ali Khan, the top sarod player of the country, the gift of music was bequeathed as a legacy. The sarod has been played by his family for the last seven generations. He has turned his ancestral home in Gwalior into a museum of musical instruments. It is called Sarod-Ghar.

Amjad Ali has popularised the sarod all over the world and has won awards and honours, both in India and abroad. Many universities have conferred doctorates on him but, for him, it is the audience applause which is the ultimate commendation. He is known to be a media-savvy artist who stays away from controversies. In art circles, he is known as a gentleman-musician. He gives his wife Subhaluxmi her due and acknowledges her contribution to his growth.

One cannot but help admiring his home in one of the poshest colonies of New Delhi. Aesthetically decorated, every room has its individuality. From the reception room, which is more like a corporate reception area complete which a receptionist and a computer, to his riyaaz room in the basement to the piano room or the drawing room everything sparkles and has character. The riyaaz room has wood panelling on the walls and the floor. Portraits of ancestors hang on walls and sarods and tablas have been kept on thick mattresses. The drawing room has four separate seating arrangements, each with its own theme and colour. Even the flowers match the decor. What is most striking is a wall full of paintings of Ganesha in different moods and hues, executed with perfection. These have been painted by the youngest son, Ayaan. The artefacts are mostly made of silver. It is rare to find such a tastefully decorated home. Every nook and corner blends exqusitively into the whole.

Belu Maheshwari met Amjad and his wife recently for a long interview. Excerpts:

How were you initiated into the world of music?

It was a privilege to be born in a musician’s family at Gwalior, which is the Mecca of classical music since it is the birth-place of Tansen. My house was run on very traditional lines. My walid (father), Ustad Hafiz Ali Khan Sahib, was also my Guru. He was like a faqir, absolutely committed to God and his art. I was the youngest child. As my eldest brother could not meet my father’s expectations and girls in our family did not perform, the mantle of the family tradition fell on me.

Have you ever felt the burden of carrying on the family tradition? Has there been a nagging resentment for not getting an option?

We ate, breathed and lived music in our house. I cannot recall when I was initiated into playing. Jab se hosh sambhala hai tab se baja rahe hain. I did not have an option, I had seen my father’s suffering when my brother could not be by his side. His contemporaries’children like Vilayat Ali Khan and Ali Akbar Khan had entered the profession. My father’s last hope was me. Even his friends used to say, "You have to live up to the expectation. You have to keep the tradition alive". I could not enjoy my childhood. I had to go out, earn and contribute to the running of the house. The last 25 to 30 years of my father’s life were tough. He led a retired existence.

What formal education did you have?

I had my initial education at home. Gwalior had Scindia School but it was a boarding school and as I was in to music it was ruled out. It was only in 1957, when we shifted to Delhi, that I joined Modern School. I was fortunate to have very good teachers. Because of my schooling, I can face the world and talk about my country and my music.

What about higher education? Did you go to college?

In kala, you have to inculcate a single-track mind and surrender yourself to it. If you start doing a BA or an MA, then you ruin an artiste. I did not miss going to college as I spent the time fruitfully learning music. I feel it is education that is necessary and not degrees. The British system of education in our country dishes out clerks. We have a complex. No other art matters, except BA or MA. Thus, in the process, mediocrity is encouraged.

Can you explain how you improvise on your music?

Ours is not commercial music. It does not come under the matrix of pop style. In our music, we try to ensure the beauty and purity of the raga. We improvise within the ascendancy and descendancy of the classical form. The message of music is freedom within discipline. In instrumental music there is pure sound, like in symphony.

It is not simple to understand classical music. How should the uninitiated learn to appreciate it?

To appreciate music you do not have to be a knowledgeable person. You do not really have to understand anything. It is an art where you just flow with the rhythm and give in to the sound. Research shows plants grow faster by listening to ragas they do not understand.

You were among the first to start the trend of talking to your audience about your music. How did the idea germinate?

The initial talk helps to thaw the atmosphere, it leads to creation of a rapport. If you just start playing, purdah pada rehta hai between the artiste and his listeners. Giving a talk also helps in explaining my music and initiating the audience into the world of ragas.

Most artistes feel this is the golden period of Indian music. Do you agree?

Yes, encouragement is being given to classical music; corporate houses are promoting art. There is fame and izzaat, but still there is too much uncertainty attached to the profession. A joke explains the point: The father of a girl asked her suitor, "What do you do?" "I play the sitar," replied the boy. "Good, very great, you are keeping up the tradition but what do you do," again asked the father. Even today, parents are not happy marrying their daughter to a musician.

Why is it that only musicians’ children are coming forward? Is this because the other disciples are being neglected?

Where are the children of Bhim Sen Joshi, Ustad Bade Gulam Ali Khan and Amir Ali Khan? By living in a musician’s family children do imbibe music. Many start playing or singing. But if a child is not good or does not surrender himself to the art and God, he will not succeed. The ultimate test is of survival where all are equal.

Do you ever feel guilty that you nipped the career of your wife in the bud because after marriage she stopped dancing?

My wife Subhaluxmi was an outstanding dancer. Her guru was the famous Rukmani Arundale of Kalakshetra in Madras. I have never seen such an expressive dancer as her. Many dancers have figures but most are expressionless. We met in Calcutta in the 70s and got attracted to each other and then married. Even after marriage she performed. We gave joint performances. Gradually, on her own, she gave up dancing and made her family and house her life. She remains an artiste, may be not a performing one. She was not an over-ambitious person. Do really ambitious women, who are ready to put everything at stake only for fame and wealth, really at peace? Are they happy? Even today, women face a lot of problem in the world of art. It is not easy to live alone. Old people understood the problems of women. Our attitudes have not changed much towards them.

You are supposed to have a fantastic marriage. What is the secret of your success?

Our basic bandhan is that we feel the presence of God. We are closely connected with the Almighty, though we call Him by different names. We are trying to follow the bond of love and humanity. I have created a raga called Subhaluxmi which I have dedicated to my wife. It is a tribute to all great ladies of India who have sacrificed their ambitions and careers for their houses. Mother is the most important guru. She is the one who teaches tehzeeb and culture. I want my sons to introduce themselves as Amjad and Subhaluxmi’s children.

After marriage you gave up dancing. Did you feel it was a sacrifice?

Subhaluxmi: I know the taste of stage. One enjoys the applause but it should not go to one’s head. Giving it up was no sacrifice, I get so much happiness in my home. I am really contented.

What is the strength of your marriage?

Khan Sahib is a soft-person. We were married in 1976 and from then onwards we have worked on our relationship. Communication is very important. I have provided a nest which he can come back to.

You are literally supposed to be the woman behind the success of her man?

Khan Sahib was quite successful when we got married. In a family, a man’s career is very important. The world over it is like that. I help him in whatever way he needs. My family finds an anchor in me. I do not push him or play for him. I am a foil to him.

Amjad Ali is a good looking man, when women fall for him how do you react?

I trust my man. If you give love and provide peace in the house, the man will not betray it. Our culture is not a live-in culture. So a man also does not stray easily. As for women throwing themselves at him, I just do not react.

What is your contribution to the decision of your sons joining their father?

We were hoping and praying that they would continue the family tradition. We did not push them. As a family, we sit and discuss everything. There are raised voices also, but we all have to be convinced of our actions. I keep telling them to never lose their dignity and allow name, fame or money to go to their heads.

You have missed your vocation. You should have been an interior decorator or a designer. You are also supposed to have the best collection of sarees in Delhi. Where do you collect them from?

Thank you. I am attached to every piece in the house. As for sarees, I buy traditional ones from allover, especially from Kalakshetra.

How have you acquired the sobriquet of a "gentleman musician?

Amjad: I try not to hurt anyone. I always give respect to elders. My attitude is to concentrate on my music and not get into controversies. Recently, the whole music world was agog with the controversy about Ravi Shankar being awarded the Bharat Ratna. I feel the audience should stay with me. That is my reward. When you go to the depth of swars, you become one with God. I believe in destiny and feel music is the only field in which you cannot calculate the gains.