World Music Day Special – An Interview with Amaan Ali Khan And Ayaan Ali Khan

Amaan: It’s a blessing to be on stage with my father. I make humble suggestions but it’s entirely up to him to agree or not. Though, he’s very open to it. It’s different with my brother. Any form of music is individualistic and till you play solo you’ll never know what is good and what is bad. We both started off as soloists. In time, a lot of concerts and tours started, TV happened back in 1999 and before we could realise what was happening, we got clubbed together. In fact, we became a club sandwich. However, when we play together, there’s a lot of interaction. That said, it was not a pre-planned thing to become this ‘sarod duo’ that we’ve ended up becoming. It just happened; perhaps something destiny had planned. However, even today there are many presenters who come to us and say that they want a solo performance.
Ayaan: Music is our life. From the time we were born the language spoken was music, the air that we were breathing was music. We took shape of the vessel like water. Though our father has been a very strict traditionalist, he’s always believed in adapting to change. In all honesty, Indian classical music has no rules about how it should be presented or executed. That’s very individualistic. Over the years we have tried our best to make the Sarod reach out to a new audience, to listeners that perhaps would not be at a classical concert!

Amaan: We were very blessed to have got a lot of love and warmth from music lovers so we did get that extra attention however our friend always understood that we were ‘different’.
Ayaan: Our friends of course were kids too so they of course saw us at concerts and television, but they understood the seriousness of the field in the years to come.

Ayaan: It did take me time to draw the line as to when he was a father and when he was a guru. This realisation obviously happened as I grew older. I feel ecstatic to think and realize from time to time that my guru is my father. As a classical musician, music for me was not just a profession but a complete way of life. Abba is an old timer with regards to many things. For one, even though he is a dear friend to me, a certain protocol in the relationship is always maintained. Abba is God-loving and a very religious person, however, his religion is music. His intuitions are scary; in fact, it’s indeed very surreal at times. He is most of the times correct in what he believes in. For as long as I can remember, the first mantra taught by my father, and in my case my guru as well, was to be a good human being and to be a symbol of etiquette and manners (Tehzeeb and Tameez as we call it). This was pretty much the code even during school days. Bad marks were acceptable but any bad behaviour was not taken well. Abba, as I call my father, is a complete disciplinarian. In fact, I feel proud to say that I have contributed to his elegant silver hair! In spite of being the monumental icon of music that he is, he continues to be an individual full of humility and a complete simpleton. In recent times, I often question his imparting of humbleness to me and my brother especially in the world that we live in. It’s almost become a bible for people to walk over you or take you completely for granted. However, Abba is man of his principles and says that God watches every individual in this world and takes care of everything.

Amaan Ali Khan, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan and Ayaan Ali Khan

TGLP: We all know about your father’s contribution to your musical journey… Please share a bit about your mother’s role in moulding you both into the individuals you are today.

Amaan: Our mother’s role has been immense in our lives. Being an artist herself who learnt from the great Rukmini Devi Arundale, she sacrificed her career for the family. Today what we are, who we are is all her contribution. As our father says, a mother is every child’s first guru.
Ayaan: Both my parents have influenced me on a personal, emotional and spiritual level and they continue to be my epitomes of inspiration.

Amaan and Ayaan: We have been very fortunate to have received so much love and adulation from music lovers all over the world. It is such a long journey and the sky is indeed the limit. The main mantra is that we have never taken any concert for granted. You are as old as your last concert and every concert is the first concert of your life. We have done many collaborations in the past with Allman Brothers band guitarist Derek Trucks, American Folk song writer Carrie Newcomer, Grammy nominated Oud player Rahim Alhaj and also with the National Youth Orchestra of UK, London Philharmonia and the Avignon Philharmonic Orchestra. Every field has its low and high phases.

Amaan: Today, classical concerts sell out all over the world. We need to understand that this has been a very intimate art form, initially not meant for masses. It was only post the aristocratic era that it opened its doors to the masses. Like one can’t compare cricket and chess, you cannot compare Bollywood to Classical music. It’s like comparing sushi and chicken tikka! Today there are innumerable number of youngsters learning music and also performing at all levels including posting themselves on YouTube.

Ayaan: To be a musician is in itself a blessing as you are really not answerable to anyone but yourself. For those few hours when you are onstage, you are in a creative frenzy, sometimes supernaturally unreal. There are times when you get off stage only to realize that something special happened up there on stage that day.  It’s a blessing to be in a profession of what you love doing.  It is also a non debatable factor that music is indeed the best way to connect to that supreme power that we have never seen. Be it any religion, music has always been the pathway to spirituality.

Amaan: I always like to chase excellence. To excel in music is not a journey of one lifetime but many lifetimes.
Ayaan: Music is who I am so it is best I stuck to that.

Find them on Twitter:
Amaan Ali Khan (@AmaanAliKhan2) | Ayaan Ali Khan (@ayaanalikhan)