Strains of melody

Sarod maestro Amjad Ali Khan’s sons Amaan and Ayaan have been groomed as the seventh generation musicians of the Bangash dynasty. They are carrying forward the family tradition with aplomb, says Parul Manchanda

IN their casual jeans and Tshirts, they could be mistaken for regular college lads. At home their rooms resemble a music shop, with a vast selection of cassettes, CDs and posters of pop stars adorning the walls.

But hold it. These are no ordinary boys. Amaan and Ayaan Ali Bangash, sons of the famous sarod maestro Amjad Ali Khan, bear the responsibility of carrying the baton of musical tradition that their father has passed on to them. They are being groomed as the seventh generation of the unbroken musical chain of Bangash dynasty.

Their six generations removed forefather, Mohammad Hashmi Khan Bangash, a horse trader from Afghanistan who frequently came to India, played the rabab and was drawn to Indian classical music.

He settled in Rewa where his son, Ghulam Bandegi Khan, studied Indian classical music. Bandegi Khan modified the rabab into the melodious and more intricate sarod, which has been passed down the line to Amjad Ali Khan and now to his two sons.

It is this legacy that Amaan and Ayaan have been bestowed with and the onus of carrying on the family tradition is reflected in their sombre countenances. Not for them the stolen pleasures of bunking classes and partying. Their routine comprises eight hours of daily practice to measure up to their sacred lineage.

Legacy indeed makes a big difference, specially in performing arts. Psychologists say that more than the heredity, it is the environment that inculcates the urge for music in a young child. "When you are constantly exposed to notes of music in the house, you are bound to be affected," says Amaan.

The training of these boys started when they were toddlers. "When you are born into a family of musicians, the actual initiation starts from childhood. Even when I was a baby, my parents used to sing to me," says Ayaan.

Total devotion

Amaan was clear about his future while still in school. Like his father, he too studied at Delhi’s Modern School, but unlike many of his other classmates he had his goal marked out clearly.

For him, the school bell meant going home to rigorous sarod training. Such was his singleminded devotion to music that he refused to join a regular college and opted for a correspondence course instead. "As such not much is taught and learnt in a college. I thought I could use these three years better," says he.

Adds Ayaan, "Sometimes being a great father's son can be a great burden. When you think how daunting the task is of attaining your father's standards, you just want to run away from it all."

Amaan, too, says he was never forced into music to fulfil his father's desire. "He never dictated to me or to my brother what we should do in life. Magar bachchon ko apne maabaap ki aankhon mein jhaank kar dekhnaa chaahiye, woh kya chaahte hain (But children should look into their parents' eyes to see what they want). We shouldn't become selfish and disappoint them in life."

But while striving to live up to the family's name, the new generation of musicians faces the daunting task of popularising classical music to a young audience which is getting weaned away by pop and film music. Their father must have had it easier because the musical tastes had not been moulded by western influence as much as they are today.

However, the confidence of the younger generation is heartening. Amaan feels that media and corporate houses have made all the difference and glamour has entered the field of classical form.

For the elite, it has become fashionable to be seen in concerts. "But this certainly does not take away from classical music, which is like a flowing river. Though tastes may be getting depraved, a time will come when good music will stage a comeback."

Interestingly, more than the audience, it is the family's applause that these young musicians cherish. Amaan recalls, "In 1996 at my debut solo performance in Mumbai with Ustad Zakir Hussain, I could see tears in my parent's eyes. It was the greatest joy and reward. I knew I had lived up to the expectations of my teacher and father."

Today both the brothers can keep the audiences enthralled as they did in a classical music festival in the Capital. They created magic with Raga Shivanjali and Raga Ganesh Kalyan. And when they finished, they received a standing ovation.

Indeed, at every concert their devotion to music and to their father’s guidance is unmistakable. Yes, they were initially promoted by their father but today the two brothers can stand tall on their own as extraordinary performers in their own right. — NF