The string that brings the world together

Neha Kirpal

When author Namita Devidayal’s book, The Sixth String of Vilayat Khan, based on the life of sitar legend late Ustad Vilayat Khan recently released, his son Hidayat Husain Khan said he couldn’t have imagined the book to be any better. “My dad was real inside out. That is how he lived his life and that’s exactly what the book is: real.”

Ustad Vilayat Khan’s introduction of the gayaki ang has inspired musicians of all disciplines. “Namita was the right person to tell his story, to keep him real and human. He was the greatest musician, but what made it happen were all these experiences from his life and times,” adds Hidayat, who is himself well-versed in the gayaki ang. 

Born into a family of seven generations of the Imdadkhani-Etawah gharana, which has produced some of the country’s finest musicians, Hidayat was always surrounded by the world’s best minds. So, music came naturally to this master sitar player and vocalist. “While just being in their presence would have been enough, I got to share the stage with them,” he says.

Though rooted in tradition, his style extends to a more contemporary form. Along with his global fusion group, Sufi Music Ensemble, Hidayat has been a part of several collaborations with international artistes such as Ndugu Chancler, Yo Yo Ma, Zubin Balaporia, Ronnie Woods, Alicia Keys, Usher, Zakir Hussain, Will.I.Am and Jay Z. “Whether it’s Sufi, jazz, hip-hop or classical, I love to collaborate and have musical conversations on stage,” he says. 

In the past he has also worked on various film scores, some of the prominent ones being Mira Nair’s Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love and Discovery Channel’s Tracking a Legend. Apart from that, Hidayat has also done many jingles in the US. In 2006, he went on to receive a Grammy nomination for his album Ziver, his first crossover venture. Talking about the experience, he says, “I had an amazing team of musicians and I loved what we did. I just told them to make music that we enjoy. We had no theme in mind. We just took one song at a time and let it flow.”

Asked about the Etawah gharana’s legacy, Hidayat believes it is here to stay as its contributions are so many. He is doing his bit by routinely taking music workshops, giving lectures on unconventional careers and teaching music from the point of creativity.

“I never give my students lessons etched in stone. I always give them an idea that they need to explore further,” he explains.