Vilayat Khan
Encyclopedia
Ustad Vilayat Khan (August 28, 1928 –March 13, 2004) was one of India
's well known sitar
maestros, born in Gauripur in Mymensingh
, Bengal
(now in Bangladesh
). He recorded his first 78-RPM disc at the age of 8, and gave his last concert in 2004 at the age of 75.
, British India to Enayat Khan
, a sitar maestro. His family of musicians trace their pedigree back to the court musicians of the Mughals
. His father, recognised as a leading sitar and surbahar
(bass sitar) player of his time, as had been the grandfather, Imdad Khan
, before him. He was taught in the family style, known as the Imdadkhani Gharana
or Etawah Gharana, after a village outside Agra
where Imdad Khan lived.
However, Enayat Khan died when Vilayat was only nine, so much of his education came from the rest of his family: his uncle, sitar and surbahar maestro Wahid Khan
, his maternal grandfather, singer Bande Hassan Khan, and his mother, Bashiran Begum, who had studied the practice procedure of his forefathers. Vilayat's uncle Zinde Hassan looked after his riyaz (practice). As a boy, Vilayat wanted to be a singer; but his mother, herself from a family of vocalists, felt he had a strong responsibility to bear the family torch as a sitar maestro.
on tabla. His performance made headlines as "Electrifying Sitar" in Bombay next day of his concert organized by Vikramaditya Sangeet Parishad, Mumbai (1944). In the 1950s, Vilayat Khan worked closely with instrument makers, especially the famous sitar-makers Kanailal & Hiren Roy, to further develop the instrument. Also, he liked to perform without a tanpura drone, filling out the silence with strokes to his chikari strings.
Some ragas he would somewhat re-interpret (Bhankar, Jaijaivanti), others he invented himself (Enayatkhani Kanada, Sanjh Saravali, Kalavanti, Mand Bhairav), but he was first and foremost a traditional interpreter of grand, basic ragas such as Yaman, Shree, Todi, Darbari and Bhairavi.
When he died from lung cancer in 2004, Vilayat Khan had been recording for over 65 years, broadcasting on All-India Radio
since almost as far back and been seen as a master (ustad) for 60. He had been touring outside India off and on for more than 50 years, and was probably the first Indian musician to play in England
after independence (1951). In the 1990s, his recording career reached a climax of sorts with a series of ambitious CDs for India Archive Music in New York, some traditional, some controversial, some eccentric. Towards the end of his life, he also performed and recorded sporadically on the surbahar. He has performed duet concerts with maestros like Bismillah Khan, Ali Akbar Khan, brother Imrat Khan.
Khan composed and conducted the score for three feature films - Satyajit Ray's Jalsaghar
in Bengali, Merchant-Ivory Productions' The Guru
in English, and Madhusudan Kumar's Kadambari in Hindi. In addition to these, he also gave music for a little known documentary film in Bengali produced by Dr. Barin Roy.
and Yaman Khan, and two sons, Shujaat (b. 1960) and Hidayat
(b. 1975), both sitarists. He was survived also by his younger brother, Imrat Khan
, the post-war star of the surbahar field. The brothers played celebrated duets in their youth, but had a severe falling-out and for years were not on speaking terms. His nephew Rais Khan is also a star sitar-player. Vilayat took few disciples other than his sons; among the best-known are Kashinath Mukherjee
(younger brother of film director Hrishikesh Mukherjee
), Arvind Parikh
, Kalyani Roy. Debashis Datta. Mrs. Lakshmi Seshan now a teacher of the instrument in her 80th year was a student of Vilayat Khan starting at the age of 12. The Maestro also gave sitar lessons to Big Jim Sullivan
, the famous English session musician
.
He enjoyed horse-riding, pool playing, swimming and ballroom dancing. His successes made him rich, and though he grew more pious late in life, he used to drive sports cars and dress in haute couture
, and also collected such various items as firearms, smoking pipes, antique European crockery, cut glass and chandeliers.
. However, in calmer moments Vilayat would admit there was not much to it. His animosity for the politics and institutions of India's cultural life was another matter. In 1964 and 1968, respectively, he was awarded the Padma Shri
and Padma Bhushan
awards – India's fourth and third highest civilian honours for service to the nation – but refused to accept them, declaring the committee musically incompetent to judge him.
In January 2000, when he was awarded the Padma Vibhushan
, the second highest civilian award, he again refused, going so far as to call it "an insult". This time, his criticism had a slightly different twist: he would not accept any award that other sitar players, his juniors and in his opinion less deserving, had been given before him. "If there is any award for sitar in India, I must get it first", he said, adding that "there has always been a story of wrong time, wrong person and wrong award in this country".
Among other honours he turned down was the Sangeet Natak Akademi
Award. For a while, he also boycotted All-India Radio. The only titles he accepted were the special decorations of "Bharat Sitar Samrat" by the Artistes Association of India and "Aftab-e-Sitar" (Sun of the Sitar) from President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed
.
He kept his childhood interest in vocal music all his life, often singing in concerts, and composed khyal
bandishes using the pen name Nath Piya.
Sitar Maestro Vilayat Khan Refuses Padma Bhushan, The Hindu
, February 7, 2000.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
's well known sitar
Sitar
The 'Tablaman' is a plucked stringed instrument predominantly used in Hindustani classical music, where it has been ubiquitous since the Middle Ages...
maestros, born in Gauripur in Mymensingh
Mymensingh District
Mymensingh is one of the districts of Dhaka division, Bangladesh, and is bordered on the north by Meghalaya state of India and Garo Hills, on the south by Gazipur district, on the east by districts of Netrokona and Kishoreganj, and on the west by districts of Sherpur, Jamalpur and Tangail...
, Bengal
Bengal
Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...
(now in Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
). He recorded his first 78-RPM disc at the age of 8, and gave his last concert in 2004 at the age of 75.
Early life
Vilayat Khan was born in GauripurGauripur
Gauripur is a town and a town area committee in Dhubri district in the state of Assam, India.-Geography:Gauripur is located at . It has an average elevation of 26 metres . The nearest airport is situated at Rupsi adjacent to the village Khudimari.Gauripur is a small beautiful town in the...
, British India to Enayat Khan
Enayat Khan
Enayat Khan was one of India's most influential sitar and surbahar players in the first decades of the 20th Century. He was the father of Vilayat Khan, one of the topmost sitariyas of the postwar period....
, a sitar maestro. His family of musicians trace their pedigree back to the court musicians of the Mughals
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
. His father, recognised as a leading sitar and surbahar
Surbahar
Surbahar , sometimes known as bass sitar, is a plucked string instrument used in the Hindustani classical music of North India. It is closely related to sitar, but it has a lower tone. Depending on the instrument's size, it is usually pitched two to five whole steps below the standard sitar, but...
(bass sitar) player of his time, as had been the grandfather, Imdad Khan
Imdad Khan
Ustad Imdad Khan was a sitar and surbahar player. His two sons Enayat Khan and Wahid Khan, his grandsons Vilayat Khan and Imrat Khan, and great-grandsons Shahid Parvez, Shujaat Khan, Nishat Khan, Irshad Khan, Wajahat Khan, Shafaatullah Khan and Hidayat Khan have all upheld his musical tradition,...
, before him. He was taught in the family style, known as the Imdadkhani Gharana
Imdadkhani gharana
The Imdadkhani gharana is a North Indian school of sitar and surbahar music, stemming from the very ancient Gwalior gharana. It was created by Imdad Khan , and is also known as the Etawah gharana, after a village outside Agra where Imdad lived...
or Etawah Gharana, after a village outside Agra
Agra
Agra a.k.a. Akbarabad is a city on the banks of the river Yamuna in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, India, west of state capital, Lucknow and south from national capital New Delhi. With a population of 1,686,976 , it is one of the most populous cities in Uttar Pradesh and the 19th most...
where Imdad Khan lived.
However, Enayat Khan died when Vilayat was only nine, so much of his education came from the rest of his family: his uncle, sitar and surbahar maestro Wahid Khan
Wahid Khan
- Childhood and training :When Wahid Khan was still quite young, Imdad Khan moved into Kolkata from Etawah with his family. There they used to stay at the house of noted connoisseur Sri. Taraprasad Ghosh, where Imdad Khan rigorously trained his two talented sons Enayat Khan and Wahid Khan. Wahid...
, his maternal grandfather, singer Bande Hassan Khan, and his mother, Bashiran Begum, who had studied the practice procedure of his forefathers. Vilayat's uncle Zinde Hassan looked after his riyaz (practice). As a boy, Vilayat wanted to be a singer; but his mother, herself from a family of vocalists, felt he had a strong responsibility to bear the family torch as a sitar maestro.
Performing career
Vilayat Khan performed at All bengal Music Conference, as his first concert, organized by Bhupen Ghosh in Kolkata with Ahmed Jan ThirakwaAhmed Jan Thirakwa
Ahmed Jan Thirakwa Khan was an Indian tabla player, commonly considered the preeminent soloist among tabla players of the 20th century, and among the most influential percussionists in the history of Indian classical music...
on tabla. His performance made headlines as "Electrifying Sitar" in Bombay next day of his concert organized by Vikramaditya Sangeet Parishad, Mumbai (1944). In the 1950s, Vilayat Khan worked closely with instrument makers, especially the famous sitar-makers Kanailal & Hiren Roy, to further develop the instrument. Also, he liked to perform without a tanpura drone, filling out the silence with strokes to his chikari strings.
Some ragas he would somewhat re-interpret (Bhankar, Jaijaivanti), others he invented himself (Enayatkhani Kanada, Sanjh Saravali, Kalavanti, Mand Bhairav), but he was first and foremost a traditional interpreter of grand, basic ragas such as Yaman, Shree, Todi, Darbari and Bhairavi.
When he died from lung cancer in 2004, Vilayat Khan had been recording for over 65 years, broadcasting on All-India Radio
All India Radio
All India Radio , officially known since 1956 as Akashvani , is the radio broadcaster of India and a division of Prasar Bharati. Established in 1936, it is the sister service of Prasar Bharati's Doordarshan, the national television broadcaster. All India Radio is one of the largest radio networks...
since almost as far back and been seen as a master (ustad) for 60. He had been touring outside India off and on for more than 50 years, and was probably the first Indian musician to play in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
after independence (1951). In the 1990s, his recording career reached a climax of sorts with a series of ambitious CDs for India Archive Music in New York, some traditional, some controversial, some eccentric. Towards the end of his life, he also performed and recorded sporadically on the surbahar. He has performed duet concerts with maestros like Bismillah Khan, Ali Akbar Khan, brother Imrat Khan.
Khan composed and conducted the score for three feature films - Satyajit Ray's Jalsaghar
Jalsaghar
Jalsaghar is the fourth feature film directed by Satyajit Ray. Jalsaghar is a narration of the end days of a Zamindar in Bengal. The landlord, Roy , is a just but other-worldly man who loves to spend time listening to music and putting up spectacles rather than managing his fields ravaged by...
in Bengali, Merchant-Ivory Productions' The Guru
The Guru (1969 film)
The Guru is a film by Merchant Ivory Productions, with a screenplay by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala and James Ivory.-Plot synopsis:A rock star, Tom Pickle , travels to India to learn to play the sitar with the great musician Ustad Zafar Khan...
in English, and Madhusudan Kumar's Kadambari in Hindi. In addition to these, he also gave music for a little known documentary film in Bengali produced by Dr. Barin Roy.
Personal life
Vilayat Khan spent much of his life living in Calcutta. He was married twice, his first marriage ending in divorce; he had two daughters, Sufi singer Zila KhanZila Khan
Zila Hussain Khan is an Indian sufi singer. She sings classical and semi-classical musical forms She performs in the tradition of Imdadkhani gharana.-Early life:...
and Yaman Khan, and two sons, Shujaat (b. 1960) and Hidayat
Hidayat Khan
Hidayat Hussain Khan a sitar virtuoso, classical singer is the son of the legend Ustad Vilayat Khan...
(b. 1975), both sitarists. He was survived also by his younger brother, Imrat Khan
Imrat Khan
Imrat Khan is a leading sitar and surbahar player. He is the younger brother of sitar maestro Ustad Vilayat Khan.-Training and early career:...
, the post-war star of the surbahar field. The brothers played celebrated duets in their youth, but had a severe falling-out and for years were not on speaking terms. His nephew Rais Khan is also a star sitar-player. Vilayat took few disciples other than his sons; among the best-known are Kashinath Mukherjee
Kashinath Mukherjee
Kashinath Mukherjee is a Hindustani classical musician and sitar player of Etawah Gharana.Kashinath Mukherjee was born in Kolkata into an aristocratic family having a rich cultural heritage. His father Shital Chandra Mukherjee was a scientist specialized in chemistry, as well as a learned dhrupad...
(younger brother of film director Hrishikesh Mukherjee
Hrishikesh Mukherjee
Hrishikesh Mukherjee ) was a famous Indian film director known for a number of films, including Satyakam, Chupke Chupke, Anupama, Anand, Abhimaan, Guddi, Gol Maal, Aashirwad, Bawarchi, and Namak Haraam.Popularly known as Hrishi-da, he directed 42 films during his career spanning over four decades,...
), Arvind Parikh
Arvind Parikh
-Early life:Arvind parikh was born in Ahmedabad into a Gujrati Business Family with cultural and spiritual influences. His father was a businessman and mother was a painter. His primary and secondary education continued in a nationalist school. At home he was taught Indian music by musicians when...
, Kalyani Roy. Debashis Datta. Mrs. Lakshmi Seshan now a teacher of the instrument in her 80th year was a student of Vilayat Khan starting at the age of 12. The Maestro also gave sitar lessons to Big Jim Sullivan
Big Jim Sullivan
Big Jim Sullivan is an English musician, whose career started in 1959. He is best known as a session guitarist. In the 1960s and 1970s, Sullivan was one of the most "in-demand" studio musicians in the UK, and performed in more than one thousand charting singles over his career...
, the famous English session musician
Session musician
Session musicians are instrumental and vocal performers, musicians, who are available to work with others at live performances or recording sessions. Usually such musicians are not permanent members of a musical ensemble and often do not achieve fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders...
.
He enjoyed horse-riding, pool playing, swimming and ballroom dancing. His successes made him rich, and though he grew more pious late in life, he used to drive sports cars and dress in haute couture
Haute couture
Haute couture refers to the creation of exclusive custom-fitted clothing. Haute couture is made to order for a specific customer, and it is usually made from high-quality, expensive fabric and sewn with extreme attention to detail and finished by the most experienced and capable seamstresses,...
, and also collected such various items as firearms, smoking pipes, antique European crockery, cut glass and chandeliers.
Controversy
Fans and media alike liked to play up Vilayat Khan's rivalry with and animosity towards Ravi ShankarRavi Shankar
Ravi Shankar , often referred to by the title Pandit, is an Indian musician and composer who plays the plucked string instrument sitar. He has been described as the best known contemporary Indian musician by Hans Neuhoff in Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart.Shankar was born in Varanasi and spent...
. However, in calmer moments Vilayat would admit there was not much to it. His animosity for the politics and institutions of India's cultural life was another matter. In 1964 and 1968, respectively, he was awarded the Padma Shri
Padma Shri
Padma Shri is the fourth highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan...
and Padma Bhushan
Padma Bhushan
The Padma Bhushan is the third highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan, but comes before the Padma Shri. It is awarded by the Government of India.-History:...
awards – India's fourth and third highest civilian honours for service to the nation – but refused to accept them, declaring the committee musically incompetent to judge him.
In January 2000, when he was awarded the Padma Vibhushan
Padma Vibhushan
The Padma Vibhushan is the second highest civilian award in the Republic of India. It consists of a medal and a citation and is awarded by the President of India. It was established on 2 January 1954. It ranks behind the Bharat Ratna and comes before the Padma Bhushan...
, the second highest civilian award, he again refused, going so far as to call it "an insult". This time, his criticism had a slightly different twist: he would not accept any award that other sitar players, his juniors and in his opinion less deserving, had been given before him. "If there is any award for sitar in India, I must get it first", he said, adding that "there has always been a story of wrong time, wrong person and wrong award in this country".
Among other honours he turned down was the Sangeet Natak Akademi
Sangeet Natak Akademi
Sangeet Natak Akademi is the national level academy for performing arts set up by the Government of India.-History:...
Award. For a while, he also boycotted All-India Radio. The only titles he accepted were the special decorations of "Bharat Sitar Samrat" by the Artistes Association of India and "Aftab-e-Sitar" (Sun of the Sitar) from President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed
Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed
Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed was the fifth President of India from 1974 to 1977.-Early life and background:Fakhruddin's grandfather, Khaliluddin Ali Ahmed, of Kacharighat near Golaghat, Assam, married in one of the families who were the relics of Emperor Aurangzeb's bid to conquer Assam Ahmed was born on...
.
Footnotes
Vilayat Khan's year of birth is a matter of some debate, some saying 1924, 1926 or 1927 – personally, he maintained he was born in 1928.He kept his childhood interest in vocal music all his life, often singing in concerts, and composed khyal
Khyal
Khyal is the modern genre of classical singing in North India. Its name comes from an Arabic word meaning "imagination". It is thought to have developed out of the qawwali singing style. It appeared more recently than dhrupad, is a more free and flexible form, and it provides greater scope for...
bandishes using the pen name Nath Piya.
Sitar Maestro Vilayat Khan Refuses Padma Bhushan, The Hindu
The Hindu
The Hindu is an Indian English-language daily newspaper founded and continuously published in Chennai since 1878. According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, it has a circulation of 1.46 million copies as of December 2009. The enterprise employed over 1,600 workers and gross income reached $40...
, February 7, 2000.
Further reading
- The Autobiography of Ustad Vilayat Khan: Komal Gandhar, written with Sankarlal Bhattacharjee. Published by Sahityam. KolkataKolkataKolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
. - Hindustani Rag Sangeet Online, Patrick Moutal's Website. Audio and video archives of Vilayat Khan.