Does the rhythmic steady masitkhani baj of the Senia gharana call to you? Or are the singing sitarists of the Indore gharana your favourite? How about the lively playing of the Kapurthala rababis? Or the meend-using Pounch sitarists? How about the khayal-performing Delhi sitar players? We know its hard to choose from such a varietyContinue reading “What is Your Favourite Sitar Gharana?”
Category Archives: The Untold Half
Sitar players from the Jaipur Senia Gharana
One hot afternoon, at the peak summer in 2008, an undergraduate student from NCA, Ali Ayub was standing in the city centre of Hyderabad. For him the traffic, the noise, the jostling pedestrians, the street food vendors all seemed to merge into one another. His eyes were fixed on an ice-cream vendor and his cart.Continue reading “Sitar players from the Jaipur Senia Gharana“
Sitar Players from the Pounch district of Kashmir
The atmosphere at Bagh-e-Jinnah was electric. It almost felt as though all of Lahore was out to feast on music. It was a celebration of a centuries old tradition that was dying but certainly not dead yet. Hundreds of people were attending the December 2007 All-Pakistan Music Conference. Ali Ayub, carrying a camera and laptop,Continue reading “Sitar Players from the Pounch district of Kashmir“
Sitar Players from the Delhi Gharana
He felt like a child in a candy-store. Everything was enticing. His father sat quietly to one side and started talking to the deferential shop keeper; it was not every day that Ustad Ahmadi Khan, the finest sarangi player from the venerable Dehli gharana walked into his shop. The young boy thought for a while,Continue reading “Sitar Players from the Delhi Gharana“
Sitar Players from the Indore Gharana
As he was talking to Farhan Khan, a young man in his twenties, Ali Ayub constantly had one eye on the door. He was acutely aware of the prolonged and awkward silences. Finally, an immaculately dressed gentleman, Ustad Rais Khan, walked in with the traditional adab. He seemed to be from a bygone era, whereContinue reading “Sitar Players from the Indore Gharana“
Save the Sitar 