New Delhi, March 13 (). There are many stars in the Indian music world whose art is very popular among the listeners. The name of one such artist is Ustad Vilayat Khan, who is also known as ‘Aftab-e-Sitar’. He took sitar playing to new heights and made significant contributions to the creation of the modern sitar. His art was so deep that during Riyaaz, fingers would get cut and blood would splatter, but he would not stop.
He used to say that even if a finger gets cut between two-three thousand gams, if you stop it, you will have to start again from the beginning. With this discipline and determination, he gave the sitar a singing style, in which the listener felt that someone was singing. His death anniversary is on 13 March.
Ustad Vilayat Khan was born in a musical family. His father Ustad Inayat Hussain Khan and grandfather Ustad Imdad Khan were also famous sitar players. Was interested in music since childhood. He carried forward the traditional style of sitar and developed his own unique ‘Gayaki Ang’ style. In this style, there was sweetness and emotion like singing on sitar. He incorporated singing elements like Meend, Gamak and Bol in the sitar in such a way that it sounds like a song.
Ustad first presented Indian classical music abroad in independent India. He played sitar on stages for almost five decades. Apart from classical music, he also contributed to films. He gave sitar music for Satyajit Ray’s films like ‘Jalsaghar’, ‘The Guru’ and ‘Kadambari’. The depth and emotionality in his presentation was such that the audience was mesmerized.
The example of his hard work is related to Riyaz. He used to say that during Riyaz, the fingers would move so fast that they would get cut in the middle. Blood was splattered on the tin wall. Friends would ask how this pattern was formed, but they would not know that it was the result of hard work. The master used to say that stopping means starting again from the beginning. This passion made him great. Both his sons Sujaat Hussain Khan and Hidayat Khan have also been famous sitar players. Vilayat Khan had strong self-respect towards classical music and kept his art above all else. His legacy still inspires musicians today.
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