Hailing from Gwalior, a world-renowned musician and the master sarod player – Ustad Amjad Ali Khan steps into his 76th year today.
He was born on October 9, 1945, into a family of musicians that is said to have invented the instrument ‘sarod’. He is the sixth-generation sarod player in his illustrious family.
Here are some lesser-known facts about the musician:
- On April 20, 1984, the US state had named a day after Amjad Ali Khan which was called Amjad Ali Khan Day.
- He has written a book named Master on Masters in which he talks about 12 famous musicians.
- He was the Indian representative at the first World Arts Summit in Venice in 1991.
- The musician got to learn sarod at a very young age from his father Hafiz Ali Khan who learnt from Tansen’s descendants.
- ‘Ustad Amjad Ali Khan’ – Gulzar had made a documentary on him in 1990.
- He has been honoured with with Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan, Padma Vibhushan, Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship, Banga Bibhushan Samman, and the 21st Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavna Award.
- Mohammad Hashmi Khan Bangash, Amjad Khan’s great great great grandfather had brought rubab to India from Afghanistan. Then it was his descendant Ghulam Ali Khan Bangas who transformed the rubab into sarod.
- Subhalakshmi Barooah, Amjad’s second wife, is a Bharatnatyam dancer.
