The Unknown Legend

So when the resplendent strains of the sitar resonated in Delhi on Tuesday,the second day of the Delhi Classical Music Festival organised by Punjabi Academy and the Delhi Government,it was one of those rare days when legends played to tug at the audience’s heartstrings. It also reminded us of the old,purist times,when the same raga was played for hours at a stretch. This was not music to please an audience. Its meditative nature dealt with the spiritual side of the musician. “This is what I grew up with. It is an important part of my taleem. Unlike some musicians,I don’t do short classical music performances,nor have I ever become a part of pop festivals or any such hotchpotch,” said 77-year-old Imrat,a spitting image of his elder brother,even when it comes to speaking his mind.

On Tuesday,he brought the Imdadkhani-Etawah gharana’s trademark gayaki ang (vocal style) to the fore. The notes of the alaap wafted through the air and flowed into a hypnotic drone in a few moments. This is also the technique that Imrat has followed while playing his other favourite instrument,the surbahar,another prominent fixture in his style that made Imdadkhani-Etawah gharana extremely popular in the 20th century.

“Wherever I go,Delhi remains my best audience. Music connoisseurs understand the age-old pure form of classical music,” said Imrat,who now lives in the US. He also introduced his youngest son,eight-year-old Azmat Ali Khan,at the concert. The little boy won a lot of hearts with an adorable debut. He presented raag Jhinjhoti and a performance worthy of the festival. He struggled with the alaap a little,but gave an immaculate jod and jhala in the end. The only difficulty was reaching the top frets at the end of the stem of the sitar because of his height.

In days gone by,Imrat’s popularity was dwarfed by the famous rivalry between his brother and Shankar after a concert in Delhi. The two were playing a duet and Vilayat challenged Shankar to play a particular,rather difficult taan. This was something that Shankar struggled with. “Both loved and respected each other as musicians. They shared a great camaraderie off-stage. My brother never lusted after any awards and stayed his purist self throughout his life,unlike Raviji who always had government support and was extremely diplomatic. My brother did have some bitterness in his heart that in spite of him being a better musician,all the attention was always showered on Raviji,who was skilled but could not match Vilayat sahab,” says Imrat,who has taught at the University of California,Los Angeles,Oxford,Harvard and a host of other universities. His students include Brian Jones of Rolling Stone and the legendary Beatle George Harrison,who was also taught by Shankar.

“Ab tabiyat theek nahi rehti,isliye ab sirf koshish hi karte hain sitar bajane ki,is liye galti huyi ho toh maaf karna,” he said. It is not very often when legends say that. When they do,chances are they will not be consigned to oblivion.