Ustad Shahid Parvez Khan mesmerises audience

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, August 8

Sitar maestro Ustad Shahid Parvez Khan exhibited his musical prowess from a lifetime of experience during his performance first at Guru Nanak Khalsa College, Gujarkhan Campus, Model Town, and then at Ramgarhia Girls College.

He was accompanied by Hindole Majumdar on tabla. The 59-year old Sitar exponent of Etawa gharana had come to the city as part of the music events organised by SPICMACAY (Society for Promotion of Indian Classical Music and Culture amongst Youth).

Coming from the lineage of Imdad Khan, who was his great grandfather, Khan started learning music and Sitar at the age of eight, performed and explained about raga Aheer Bhairav during his first performance at Gujarkhan campus and afternoon raga Shudhh Sarang at Ramgarhia Girls College.

Winner of several accolades, including Padma Shri and Sangeet Natak Academy Award, Khan told students about Sitar and said Amir Khusro had invented Sitar centuries back, which had only three strings, and the modern Sitar has evolved along with the advances in the Hindustani classical music. Speaking about tabla, he said it was the only drum in the world that had got a complete language of its own and each ‘taal’ and rhythm that could be spoken with human tongue could be played on tabla, while other drums of the world could only play a limited range.

He said Hindustani classical music was the richest and oldest in the world and much of the world music had come from it, but it still was the most profound.