Ustad Vilayat Khan: 'Aftab-e-Sitar' of India

The Imdadkhani-Etawah Gharana is one of the oldest and most illustrious gharanas of Indian classical music and has produced some of the brightest stars in each generation, since the era of Emperor Akbar. Among the most influential being Ustad Vilayat Khan, a visionary sitarist acclaimed as the architect of modern sitar.

Vilayat was born on August 28, 1928, at Gouripur, Mymensingh, in East Bengal (now Bangladesh). His father, Enayat Khan, was a leading sitar and 'surbahar' (bass sitar) player of his time, as had been his grandfather, Imdad Khan. Vilayat’s father died when he was 10, owing to which the responsibility of his 'riyaz' fell upon his uncles, maternal grandfather and mother. He was taught in the family style, known as Imdadkhani Gharana, and had the responsibility to carry the torch of sitar maestros. He put in his all to learning and became the most famous name in the lineage. So much so, his gharana came to be known as Vilayatkhani Gharana in his honour.

Along with Imdad Khan, Enayat Khan, and Imrat Khan, he is credited with the creation and development of Gayaki Ang Sitar Baaj, or Vilayatkhani Baaj—a technique that emulates the vocal melisma of Hindustani classical music on the sitar.

He introduced a left-hand technique through which he could achieve the continuity of a note for a longer duration than any former performer, giving his music a lyrical inflection and continuous flow. Many of his admirers said his sitar virtually sang. With matchless balance between two hands, he added a different level of crystal clear and elegant 'taans' to his performances.

He recorded his first 78-RPM disc at the age of 8. His first concert was at the All Bengal Music Conference in 1936, after which there was no stopping him until his last performance in 2004—the year he succumbed to lung cancer at the age of 76. He also made music for several films, including 'Jalsaghar' (1958), 'The Guru' (1969), and 'Kadambari' (1976).

He drew widespread acclaim through his career. He became a member of the Sangeet Natak Akademi, an honour bestowed upon only 30 living artists at any time.

However, he refused to accept the Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan awards in 1964 and 1968, respectively, declaring the committee "musically incompetent" to judge his and his gharana’s prowess in the art. He also boycotted All India Radio for a while, and in 2000, when he was awarded the Padma Vibhushan, he again declined it. He said he would not accept any award that any other sitar player, his juniors, and in his opinion, "less deserving" artists, had received before him.

"If there is any award for sitar in India, I must get it first,” he stated. He also rejected the 1995 Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship, the highest honour conferred by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, India's National Academy for Music, and claimed there had been favouritism and lobbying in the committee.

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 — both honours never accorded to another artiste.