Chandigarh, March 26: After a colorful display of vibrant folk dances yesterday the second day of 3rd Chandigarh Arts and Heritage Festival opened with an effervescent live performance by Ustad Amjad Ali Khan at Tagore theatre today. The evening was inaugurated by Sh.M.P Singh, Secretary to Governor, by lighting the traditional lamp in the august presence of all senior officials of Chandigarh Administration and art lovers including eminent persons of music fraternity. Legendary Indian sarod player Ustad Amjad Ali Khan cased a spell over music lovers with his melody treat at Tagore Theatre today as he performed on the second day of the festivity.Instead of playing the raagas in conventional format, the maestro choose to delineate the essence of raagas through two devotional raagas , one each in raag khamaj and Raag misher.Again he presented another compositionin raag from kaafi thaat .He displayed versatality in presenting gayaki aang andtantrakari perfection.
The sarod exponents were accompanied by tabla artiste Rashid Mustafa & Fateh Singh Gangani. Two hours of soulful music began with an intensity that was moving to hear and fascinating to watch as the musicians played with each other, led each other on or picked up where one left. The two tabla players Rashid Mustafa from Farakuabbad Gharana and from Jaipur gharana added colour to the performance by their jugalbandi and the competition between the gharana’s was very evident.He dedicated the concert to world peace and Harmony. Tomorrow there will be a performance by Ustad Rashid Khan at 6.30 pm at Tagore Theatre.The passes are available on first come first serve basis.
Sarod ‘samrat’, Amjad Ali Khan is one of the most distinguished maestro in the world of Indian classical music. Amjad Ali Khan, born on October 9th, 1945 at Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, is the sixth-generation sarod player in his illustrious family. His ancestors of famous musicians, from the Bangash lineage rooted in the Senia Bangash School of music,has the distinction of having developed and shaped the instrument ‘Sarod’ over several hundred years from the ancient Rabab (an Iran Folk Instrument).
Amjad is the youngest son of Ustad Hafiz Ali Khan a musician to the royal family of Gwalior who has received musical tuition from descendants or followers of Miyan Tansen (c1520-1590), one of India’s most celebrated singers and court musician to the great Mughal emperor Akbar. Taught by his father, Amjad started playing the sarod at a very young age. Ustad has achieved immense popularity in India as well as abroad. He has the distinction of being the first north Indian artist to have performed in honour of Thyagaraja at the saint musician’s Thiruvaiyur shrine.
