Music festival at the NCPA celebrates gurus, families in tune

Amjad Ali Khan to perform on the sarod with sons Amaan and Ayaan; Zakir Hussain to play a beat with nephew Shikhar Naad Qureshi.

The digital boom, especially YouTube, has given birth to new-age musicians who can learn to play instruments online or even sign up for online courses. “People now have easier access to all genres of music. But you cannot do away with the human association of a guru in Indian classical music,” says Ayaan Ali Bangash.

He will be performing on the sarod alongside his father, the legendary Amjad Ali Khan, and his brother Amaan Ali Bangash, as part of the NCPA’s annual Aadi Anant festival.

“The trust and faith a disciple builds with his teacher over years of riyaaz [practice] cannot be replicated online,” Ayaan adds. That bond is the theme of the festival, and this year’s line-up features tabla maestro Zakir Hussian and nephew Shikhar Naad Qureshi too.

In addition to performing with Hussain, Shikhar will perform on the djembe, accompanied by the students of Ustad Allarakha Institute of Music and Sabir Khan, son of the late sarangi maestro Sultan Khan.

“The idea is to show the transition of musical knowledge from one generation to another. In my case, it’s from my father [percussionist Taufiq Qureshi] and his tabla skills transferred on to the African instrument, the djembe,” Shikhar says.

Having a guru, Ayaan adds, means someone who takes you from darkness to light. “Even today, there is no replacement for that.”