Ramachandra Guha: ‘Baba’ Allauddin Khan’s musical family has brought me joy for 50 years

The first time I knew myself to be in the presence of greatness was while sitting under a shamiana in New Delhi’s Modern School sometime in the last quarter of 1974. I had recently joined college and a group of friends had taken me along to hear a music concert. The performers were Ali Akbar Khan, on the sarod; Ravi Shankar, on the sitar; and Alla Rakha, on the tabla. At this distance in time, I cannot recall what ragas they played. But I do remember that I was absolutely enchanted, and that the concert was being held in memory of Allauddin Khan, who was the teacher of both Ali Akbar and Ravi Shankar.

Till that night in Delhi, my musical tastes ran mostly to Bob Dylan and the Beatles, with Mohammed Rafi and Lata Mangeshkar occasionally thrown in. Slowly, and under the instruction of two older friends – both, perhaps not coincidentally, Bengali – I began to listen more, and ever more, to our shastriya sangeet. I would bunk classes to listen to All India Radio between breakfast and lunch, the hours that the Delhi A station devoted largely to classical music. And after cricket practice and dinner, I would try...

Read more