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http://www.saritamcharg.com/baba-khan---book-extracts.phpDr (Baba) Allauddin Khan (18811972) founder of theSenia-Maihar Gharana.It is the authors' belief that Baba Khan must be afforded recognition as the most extraordinary and influential musician in the history of Indian (Hindustani) classical music since Mian Tansen.Included here are excerpts from the book containing interesting facts and analysis. Details of where the book is available will be posted on the website as soon as it becomes published.

First edition published in India, 2011Cover design, desktop publishing and English editing by Gary McKenzie-McHarg AuthorThis work is copyright. All rights reserved by the author. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted, except brief quotations, in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the author.ContentsIntroductionChapter One: Historical Background of Baba Allauddin KhanChapter Two: Music EducationChapter Three: Achievements, Performances and AwardsChapter Four: Teaching and StudentsChapter Five: ConclusionReferencesAppendixesExtracts from the Book Baba Allauddin KhanThe most influential figure in the history of North Indian (Hindustani) classical music

by Sarita & Gary McKenzie-McHarg

IntroductionThe essential research and findings of this book lie in an analysis of currently available documentation in the form of biographies, books, journals, newspaper articles, essays, manuscripts, letters, interviews and websites on the life of the late North Indian (Hindustani) classical musician, composer, innovator and teacher, Dr (Baba) Allauddin Khan.The authors' intention is as follows:to compile a substantial report on the origins and formative life experiences of Dr Khanto confirm his uniqueness as a musical geniustodemonstrate his pre-eminent position asthemajor influence in changing traditional concepts and other important elements ofHindustaniclassical musicto proclaim and substantiate that his true music legacy music as a form of worship is not afforded appropriate recognition and has been diluted by musicians and scholars alike.Some people might question Dr Khan's teaching methods and others may criticise his disregard for tradition, but none could seriously question his positive influence onHindustaniclassical music as we know it today. His attitude and abilities were such that he not only illustrated the goodness of music, he also demonstrated the capacity to achieve spiritual enlightenment through music; and his influence on so many other musicians is unprecedented. However, certain aspects of Dr Khan's life remain a mystery in modern times, as Jotin Bhattacharya [1] observed in thePreambleto his authorised biography on the Ustad.Emergenceof Allauddin Khan in the realm of Indian music has been an event much discussed and written about. This unique phenomenon has evoked different reactions from different quarters. So there is no comprehensive treatment of his biography, nor any objective and authentic presentation of his achievements.Tocompressbetween the covers of a book the unlimited variety of this genius and his momentous achievements and yet aspire for being able to do justice to his memory is tantamount to attempting the impossible. This attempt, therefore, is intended to be just a beginning of a discussion on this genius and his attainment, both of which have brought about a revolution in the musical world. More so because unlike his contemporaries, he turned away from commercialism and devoted his creative faculties to attain the eternal bliss of oneness with God through the medium of music and thus ushered in an era of musical regeneration.Our great names in music have mostly been vocalists. Swami Hari Das, Baiju, Tansen, Gopal Nayak were all vocalists. Only in Ustad Allauddin Khan we find the same height and the same depth as well as the same versatile achievements and yet he was essentially an instrumentalist and a host of other stalwarts sprang from this fountainhead. His significance lies in his not being confined to music alone. He had a vision that saw the whole Creation attuned to music, making him an eclectic thinker, saint and musician all rolled into one. Hallowed with these divine gifts, he was more a religious reformer than a mere artiste.Ustad Allauddin Khan And His Music,byJotin Bhattacharya, page ix

************************It seems that Allauddin Khan was always going to be a great musician. We will see in the following pages remarkable reports by his biographers that he started life tapping beats on his mother's breast as a suckling baby, and finished life more than 90 years later tapping beats while in a semi-comatose state on his deathbed. According to members of his family, right from early childhood he showed little interest in anything other than music, even running away from home as a young child to pursue an education in music. This in itself is remarkable, given that his opportunities for a normal education and a comfortable life were guaranteed by the fact that he came from a well-established and quite wealthy family from East Bengal.With regard to Dr Khan's rightful place in recorded history, there are many musicians, musicologists, music lovers and music critics who have written about him and attested to his greatness. His contribution toHindustaniclassical music is obviously immense, as seen by the large number of world-renowned musicians who studied under his guidance and went on to attract worldwide attention and create previously unheard of appreciation for Indian music.However, in spite of this, the author's findings also indicate that some people are not willing to recognise Dr Khan as the most significant contributor to Indian classical music; and there is evidence of a distinct lack of appropriate recognition and respect for this musical genius of the modern era. Whether it is simply ignorance of the facts or a deliberate attempt to play down his importance is difficult to decide. Regarding criticism from other musicians, it seems probable that there are two basic types; the first coming from musicians who don't approve of any deviation from tradition, and the second coming from musicians who simply cannot match the virtuosity required of such great artistry.Some of the author's documented evidence of the above includes the following: Attempts to rename the BhopalUstad Allauddin Khan Sangeet Academyas theTansen Academy Lack of accurate and appropriate information on Dr Khan at theculturopedia.comwebsite which claims to inform the public about India's greatest musicians Total neglect and vandalism of Dr Khan's original music school on an abandoned estate in Maihar; and use of the site as a public toilet area Lack of information on Dr Khan at the GwaliorMuseum for Musical Heritage************************Author's photographstaken atDr Khan's original music school on an abandoned estate in MaiharThe original building in a vandalised state of disrepair

A man urinating inside the grounds of the old school

Of course, there may be reasons for the disrepair and devastation at the old school. For one thing, with natural expansion of residential areas, it may be that it now lies in an inconvenient location for the purpose of being a music college, and it may also be that the state government has much higher priorities to attend to than the preservation of an old building that has served its purpose and is well past its prime. However, it is still a shameful matter to see such great potential going to unnecessary waste.The author cannot help but think, in these times of expanding tourism and a surge of interest in Indian classical music from abroad, that such an important historical building would admirably serve the state of Madhya Pradesh, and indeed the whole country, as a monument to a great and highly significant musician if it were to be restored and preserved for posterity. After all, they have only to clean up and repair the place, put some explanatory notices and images around the walls, install a watchman, and charge a small fee from visitors. The money collected would easily sustain the venture for many years to come and a great historical landmark would survive for the future education of Indians and foreigners alike.The author feels compelled to ask: Does the responsibility not lie with the government of the day to take some form of affirmative action in this regard? Where is their sense of initiative?Chapter One: Historical Background of Baba Allauddin Khan1.Family lineageThere is not a great deal of information available regarding the early history of Dr Khan's family, except what was passed down through the family itself. The author has relied mainly on the writings of Dr Khan's disciple, secretary and official biographer, Pundit Jotin Bhattacharya in this area. Bhattacharya wrote that Tripura State where Dr Khan was born lies in the north-east of India in an area known as Satlai Hills. 500 years earlier, part of this district was apparently occupied by primitive and aggressive savages, who were known to eat raw flesh, sometimes even that of humans. Because of this, the area was deemed unfit for civilian habitation and was officially declared a "no go" zone.They subsisted on the raw meat drawn from birds and animals. Theydidnot spare human beings and enjoyed their flesh with great relish. Men and women alike lived stark naked and were not familiar with the use of fire. They were so ferocious and aggressive that the region was declared out of bounds for the civilians.Ustad Allauddin Khan And His Music, by Jotin Bhattacharya, page 1According to Khan family legend, around that time their ancestor named Dinanath Dev Sharma lived in a cave located within this dangerous area. He was performingtantric sadhanaof hisIshtadevi, Shree Shree Ma Kali at a Kali temple situated in the hills there and, according to the legend, avoided any trouble from the savages because he had attainedsiddhis(supernatural powers).When and by whom She was installed is a mystery but She was there from ages gone by. How he came in Her contact and managed to survive against the onrush of the barbarians is a matter of conjecture. It is said that he was endowed with supernatural power which helped him avert the apprehending calamities.UstadAllauddin Khan And His Music, by Jotin Bhattacharya, page 1According to Jotin Bhattacharya, Dinanath Dev Sharma was once married and had a son, Siraju, before renouncing civilian life. However, the child's mother died after the birth. The father raised the boy until the age of seven then placed him in the care of a disciple before renouncing family life in favour of spiritual learning. The boy, Siraju, grew up with a highly developed social conscience, and later joined the revolutionary party of Debi Chowdharani. This group finally disbanded under British rule, and most of its members hid their identities to avoid persecution.For this reason, Siraju changed to the Muslim faith and took the name, Samash Fakir. He married a Mohammedan girl and they settled peacefully in the village of Mulagram. The evidence suggests that descendants of Siraju (alias Samash Fakir) were born into the Muslim faith due to a prudent political choice of their forefather years earlier and not necessarily because of religious preference; which may partly explain Dr Khan's attraction to the Hindu faith and places of worship. Jotin Bhattacharya wrote about the ancestor of Allauddin Khan, Dinanath Dev Sharma, and his son, Siraju; and he also described the further evolution of the family, right up to the birth of Allauddin Khan himself, as follows.Hewasthetantric sadhu, Dina Nath Deb Sharma. In his early stage of life, he was a family man with a spiritual bent of mind. His wife expired soon after the birth of a male child, leaving the child behind to the mercy of God. Despite his apathy for family life, the boy was brought up by him with necessary care. As soon as the child was 7 years old, he was placed under the care of one of his disciples, when he [Deb Sharma] renounced the family life in quest of higher spiritual attainment.The childgraduallydeveloped into a handsome young man with a winsome personality and he had a craze for public service. To give vent to his urge, in the interest of the masses, he joined the party of Debi Chowdharani who believed in equitable distribution of wealth either by tactful manoeuvring or by force. Her party was liquidated in consequence of strong repressive measures by the Britishers. However, before being victimised, most of the members of the group were disbanded with sufficient financial aid to go underground.Finding no other alternative, the young man was constrained to change his religion. He embraced Islam and identified himself as 'Samash Fakir' from 'Siraju' to conceal his real identity. In the course of time, when the trouble abated and normal life was restored, he married a young Mohammedan girl and settled down in the village of Mulagram, his ancestral place, to lead a peaceful life. He was financially well off and had enough landed property besides hard cash.UstadAllauddinKhan And His Music, by Jotin Bhattacharya, pages 12The following Genealogical Chart was taken from page 4 of Jotin Bhattacharya's biography of Dr Khan, with information regarding the third wife of Ali Akbar Khan and their three children added by the author.

2.Birth and early childhooda.BirthAccording to available evidence, Allauddin Khan was born at Shivapur (also Shivpur and Shibpur), a village in East Bengal (now Bangladesh) in 1881. There is no dispute aboutwhereDr Khan was born among his biographers, but there is a dispute aboutwhen. A lot has been written about Dr Khan being 110 years of age at the time of his death in 1972, which would mean he was born in the year 1862. There was even an official centenary birthday celebration held at Bhopal on October 7th1962, which was attended by many dignitaries, including the then Governor of Madhya Pradesh, Mr Pataskar, and State Education Minister, Dr Shankar Dayal Sharma. However, Jotin Bhattacharya totally rejected this view on Dr Khan's age as a misunderstanding based on Dr Khan's own misconception.While joining Maihar Music College, Baba vouched his year of birth in writing in contradiction to his real age, which gives the impression that his conviction was based on some misconception. UstadAllauddinKhan died when he was 91 years old, but his centenary was celebrated by the Madhya Pradesh Government when he was only 81 years old. This erroneous approach to the assessment of his age is a case of utter misunderstanding caused due to Baba's misconception which led to this confusion.Ustad Allauddin Khan And His Music, by Jotin Bhattacharya, page 114From all the sources located by the author, there is considerable variation in accounts of Dr Khan's birth year : his son, Ali Akbar Khan (1862) his great-granddaughter, Sahana Gupta (1869) a close family friend, Anuradha Ghosh (circa 1871) his interviewer in 1929, Harendra Kishore Roy Chowdhury (1881) his official biographer, Jotin Bhattacharya (1881) his nephew, Mobarak Hossain Khan (towards the end of the 19thcentury).The author believes that all credible evidence supports the H.K.R. Chowdhury and J. Bhattacharya date of 1881. Hirendra Chowdhury was given the year of Baba's birth as 1881 during an interview with Dr Khan himself in 1929. Jotin Bhattacharya was the personal secretary and a disciple of Dr Khan, and he lived at the Maihar residence (gurukul) from 1949 to 1956. Moreover, he was requested by Dr Khan to write his biography, and his research was scholarly and wide-reaching.The author investigated many avenues of research during attempts to establish Dr Khan's actual birth year, and there is a wide variety of so-called "facts" on the subjectincluding websites and literature. However, all research-based academic writings and professional journalism on the subject agree that there were many discrepancies in what was accepted as the truth of the matter. The conclusions reached by serious scholars and journalism professionals alike is that Dr Khan's age was exaggerated by twenty years and that his birth year was most likely 1881.Bhattacharya'slist of sources for establishing the birth year of Dr Khan as 1881: The Musicians of India,by Harendra Kishore Roy Chowdhury, Zaminder, Ramgopalpur, Mymensingh, 3-10-1929 Place of Tansen in Indian Music,by Birendra Kishore Roy Chowdhury, 1938 The Lives of Great Musicians, by Shreepada Bandyopadhya, 1949 Hamare Sangeet Ratna(Hindi), by Laxmi Narain Amar Katha(Bengali), in manuscript by Ustad Allauddin Khan Sangeet Bigyan Prabeshika(Bengali), Bengali year 1343 "Bansi Badak Aftabuddin"by Manilal Sharma (Sangeet Bigyan Prabeshika, Bengali year 1338) "Sital Prayanay"Editorial by Birendra Kishore Roy Chowdhury (Sangeet Bigyan Prabeshika, Bengali year 1350) "Ekti Thumri Gan"by Harihar Rai (Sangeet Bigyan Prabeshika, Bengali year 1364) "Surer GuruUstad Allauddin Khan" by Shobhana Sen,Desh, 1956 Surchhanda a Bengali monthly magazine devoted to music "Letters of Allauddin" (Basudhara-Bengali year 1368) "Letters of Sangeet Nayak-Gopeswar Bandyopadhya" "Letters of Sangeetacharya Professor Harihar Rai"Ustad Allauddin Khan And His Music, by Jotin Bhattacharya,page 112, Footnote1b.Early childhoodThe following anecdotes are taken from accounts by Sahana Gupta (great-granddaughter) in her biography on Dr Khan. They indicate Baba's extraordinary musical tendencies. Apparently, there were very early signs of young Alam's inclination towards the world of music. Gupta quotes directly from Dr Khan's own manuscript."Testimony to my passion for music comes from what my mother narrated She said that as an infant I would listen to my father playing thesitarand tap on her bosom in rhythm with the music I would hum the gats which my father played."UstadAlauddinKhan / Sahana, by Sahana Gupta, page 25This remarkable account of Alam's response to music, while still "a suckling babe", provides very strong and convincing evidence of his unique attraction to music. According to Sahana Gupta, he remembered thosegatsand hymns that his father produced for the remainder of his life, passing them down through his family. Gupta quoted from Allauddin's manuscript on this subject as follows."I still remember those gats and hymns. I have taught the same hymns to my son Ali Akbar and son-in-law Ravi Shankar. These pieces of music are not available with any other Indian musician."Ustad Alauddin Khan / Sahana, by Sahana Gupta, pages 2526In quoting the above extracts about Alam's infancy, the author emphasises that he showed signs of being one-of-a-kind at the earliest stage in life. In all the many stories attesting to the significance of countless Indian classical musicians, there are none the author found to match this anecdotal evidence of Dr Khan's uniqueness. It was undoubtedly a sign of what would follow. Another indication of his natural musical ability occurred in the immediate years before he started school. His elder brother, Aftabuddin, was being trained intablaso he could accompany their father, Sadhu Khan, in his sitar practice. As further testimony to Alam's great musical temperament, according to Sahana Gupta's account, very soon Alam had learned thethekasplayed by Ram Kanal Sin while he was teaching Aftabuddin.Boro Baba's elder brother, Aftabuddin Khan, learned to play thetablaas their father Sadhu Khan had progressed in his sitar practise and now felt the need fortablaaccompaniment. Aftabuddin practised with thetablamaestro, Ram Kanal Sil, whose elder brother, Ramdan Sil, a violinist, taught violin and vocals. By the age of four or five, Boro Baba had learned thethekaspractised by thetablamaestros and would attempt them on his own.Ustad Alauddin Khan / Sahana, by Sahana Gupta, page 26At the age of five, Alam was admitted to school where his elder brother, Aftabuddin, also attended. Further evidence of his unique attraction to music comes through accounts of his truancy from this school, and his preference to attendbhajansinging and sitar playing at the Shiva temple rather than go to school. On this subject, Sahana Gupta, again quoting from the manuscript of Dr Khan, wrote the following.Boro Baba considers his life to have started at the age of seven, when he realised his passion for music. It was from this age that he began to dedicate every moment of his life to music. Shibpur, where Boro Baba was raised, had a famous Shiva temple, where morning and evening prayers (pujaandaradhana) were conducted daily. On his way to school, Boro Baba would pass by the temple and stop to watch the prayers. Sadhus from various regions and places assembled there to conduct prayers. They would sing bhajans and play the Sitar. The sound of music mesmerised Boro Baba and he would forget to attend school. Boro Baba describes his hunger for music as it developed:"Gradually, I got habituated to this routine. I woke up early in the morning and went to the temple instead of school. Everyone in the family presumed that I was going to school as I carried my books along and nobody bothered to keep an eye on me. This passion for music gradually compelled me into continued absence from school and I repeatedly turned up at the temple, eager to listen to the sadhus' songs and music. In the evening, when all the other children returned from school, I too came back with them."It wasn't long before his teachers brought the matter of his continual absence to the notice of his parents. Sure enough, he had to bear the brunt of their anger. He was beaten, tied to a bamboo tree and punished in several other ways. But it was too late! By then, Boro Baba's attachment to music had become fiercely strong. At such a young age, he had already decided that he was not going to school any more and would only learn music.Ustad Alauddin Khan / Sahana, by Sahana Gupta, pages 2526Jotin Bhattacharya's account of Alam's truancy confirmed the above anecdote, but it also illustrates very early development ofa strong devotional tendencyand an attraction to places of worship regardless of their religiousdenomination. Though a Muslim, Alam apparently saw no problem with participating in the Hindupujaservices at the Shiva temple, even if attraction to the music was his initial motivation. This in itself is remarkable, and perhaps originates from the fact that his recent ancestors were themselves Hindu. Bhattacharya wrote about this period of school truancy as follows.There was a famous temple of Lord Shiva in Tripura, excavated and maintained by the State. It was in a flourishing state because sufficientDebuttarproperty was attached to it. Accordingly, the locality was known as Shivapur after the name of Shiva. The high pitch of musical demonstration, manifested by the devotees as a part of divine service was a source of inspiration to young Allauddin. It became his practice to visit the place daily to attend the service and takePrasadwith reverence. The temple was often visited by reputed saints from all over India as a symbolic gesture of veneration. His urge for musical proficiency can be attributed to his attraction towards the sanctuary, but his devotional turn of mind added momentum to it.His time forgoingto school synchronised with thepuja,bhajanandaratiat the temple. It helped him to tide over a difficult situation created by himself without being exposed to his parents. Gradually, he was so much fascinated with the devotional activities of the temple that he neglected his studies and spent most of his time there.Ustad Allauddin Khan And His Music, byJotin Bhattacharya, pages 67Ravi Shankar also confirmed Alam's love for music at a very early age, and his grasping of any opportunity to learn from those around him. He recounts the family's efforts to discourage him from wishing to become a professional musician. For Alam's father and brother, music was purely a source of personal pleasure and family entertainment. They strongly believed that life as a professional musician would be detrimental to Alam's future. Confirming Dr Khan's unique rise to greatness against all obstacles, including strong resistance from within his own family, Shankar wrote as follows.Hisfatherusedto play the sitar for the family and for his own pleasure. And Baba's older brother, Aftabuddin, was a very talented and versatile musician who, too, did not perform professionally but played solely to express the music he felt within himself. In his later years, he became a very religious man and was revered equally by the Hindus and the Muslims who knew him. So it was natural that the musicalinclinationsof little Alam, as my guru was called by his family, were intensified by listening to his father with sitar and his brother playing a variety of instruments, including the flute, harmonium,tabla,pakhawaj, anddotara.Young Alam used to steal into the little music room at home to try to play some of his older brother's musical instrumentsand was frequently punished for it. When his family realized that Alam had this burning love for music, they becameworriedthat he might decide to be a professional musician and did not encourage him, for music was not thought of as a respectable profession for a young man. When young Alam wanted to leave his home and devote all his life to music, his brother, the influential one in the family, refused to let him go. The family much preferred that he take up regular studies in a school.My Music, My Life(1st Edition), by Ravi Shankar (1969), page 52

According to Dr Khan's own manuscript, as it appears in translation by Mary J. Khan, he gave an account of his relationship with his elder brother, Aftabuddin. He provides an unflattering description of his brother's attitude and behaviour, and certainly doesn't thank him for the smoking habit. Regarding the local school, he refers to himself as being "there to study" and being "liked by all the teachers", which indicates that although his main desire was to be a musician, he was a good student when he actually attended school.I wasadmittedto the village school where Aftabuddin also studied. At times, when I did not go to school, he beat me. He was an ill-tempered person. He was addicted to tobacco. I had to fill his hookah for him at the back of our house, so that my parents would know nothing. If he did not get his tobacco in time, he beat me half dead. The days when he got it on time, he forced me to smoke. If I refused, he beat me. I was so scared of his beatings that smoking became a habit. He also maintained a horse for which I had to supply grass. If I refused to bring the grass, he would beat me. He was so naughty and he beat me so much that I will not forget it even after my death.Aftabuddinneglectedhis studies in school. As a result, the teachers beat him with canes which pleased me most or twisted his ears. He was so addicted to tobacco that he told lies to the teachers to get out ofschool. When he came back, his eyes would be red. Dinu Munshi, the teacher, seeing his red eyes, knew he had smoked tobacco and he would start caning him. Because of these severe punishments, Aftabuddin left his studies and started to fly kites and fish. I, Alam, was there to study. I was liked by all the teachers.The DiariesofBaba Allauddin Khan: A Film Script, by Mary J. KhanChapter Two: Music Education1.First teachersIt seems very likely that Dr Khan's great love for music originated from his father, Sabdar Hossain Khan (alias Sadhu Khan). According to Sahana Gupta, the young Sadhu Khan was so enchanted with music that he used to travel quite a long distance from Shivapur to the court of Tripura's king just to hear the music of the great musicians who performed there. Following an incident that occurred during one of his trips to Tripura, Sadhu Khan had the good fortune to be accepted as a student of the greatrababplayer Ustad Kashim Ali Khan (Tansen Gharana) who was actually a direct descendant of Mian Tansen. Because Sadhu Khan was not a family member, the great Ustad declined to teach him onrababbut instead taught him how to play on sitar. Gupta wrote about the incident that led to Sadhu Khan's introduction to sitar as follows.Suchwashis love for music that Sadhu Khan would stand for hours in the sun or rain and even hide in the bushes of the palace in order to listen to music. One day, he was found hiding and hauled up to the palace where Ustad Kasim Sahib confronted him. Sadhu Khan humbly told him that he was a farmer from Shibpur who loved music and travelled to Tripura just to hear the Ustad playing therabab.The Ustad was touched by his devotion and even went on to teach him. He taught Sadhu Khan the sitar though; instead of therabab, as tradition bid him to pass his art on only to his sons. Thus, Sadhu Khan became a disciple of Ustad Kasim Ali Khan, who belonged to the legendary Tansen's musical lineage; resulting in Boro Baba's rich musical inheritance.Ustad Alauddin Khan / Sahana, by Sahana Gupta, page 25Sadhu Khan was a non-professional musician from Shivapur village in East Bengal (now Bangladesh). He and his wife, Harasundari Devi, had five sonsSamiruddin, Aftabuddin, Allauddin, Nayab Ali and Ayet Aliand two daughtersMadhu Malati Khatun and Kadar Khatun. The second son, Aftabuddin, was also musically inclined from childhood. Sadhu Khan's various gurus included Ustad Kashim Ali Khan (rabab). and the reputed musician brothers Ram Dhan Seal (tabla) and Ram Kanai Seal (violin), who were musicians at the court of the Zamindar.Alam's first teachers were his father, Sadhu Khan, his elder brother, Aftabuddin Khan, and any musicians who visited the family to teach and play with the father and brother. Otherwise, he learnt music wherever he could, including from wandering musicians and sadhus at local temples. Bhattacharya wrote about the influence of the Seal brothers and other reputed musicians who visited the Khan home.Hisfather, Sadhu Khan, was not favourite of his [Baba's] grandfather, Mather Hussain Khan. He could not be properly educated in view of his inclination towards musical enterprises. But lucky, indeed, he was to be a disciple of a distinguished musician, Kashim Ali Khan (Tansen Gharana) who taught him sitar. He had the privilege of being associated with other celebrated musicians of Tripura State, like Haider Hussain Khan, Keshab Babu, Jadu Bhatt and others.AftabuddinKhan, elder brother of Ustad Allauddin Khan, was trained by the reputed musicians of the calibre of Ram Kanai Seal and Ram Dhan Seal in various branches of music Alam picked up the musical notations by over-hearing the demonstrations of his father and that of the Seal brothers, thanks to his subtle insight into music. In the later part of his life, he left these notations as his legacy to future generations in view of their superiority over other ragas and raginis.Ustad Allauddin Khan And His Music, by Jotin Bhattacharya, page 5Below: Dr Khan's father, Sadhu Khan (left), and his brother, Aftabuddin Khan (right)

Source:Ustad Alauddin Khan / Sahana, by Sahana Gupta, pages 26272.Vocal training with renowned singer Gopal Chandra BhattacharyaAfter Alam's adventures with the Jatra minstrels, and following his second departure from Shivapur at ten years old, his travels brought him to Calcutta where he went through a difficult and testing period, especially for one so young. He found the unfamiliar environment of Calcutta both strange and hostile. He was homeless and disoriented, bullied, robbed, abused, hungry and totally ignorant of his surroundings. Not even aware of available drinking water, he quenched his thirst by drinking salty water from the Ganges. His recollections of arriving at Calcutta are recorded by Jotin Bhattacharya and Sahana Gupta in their biographies. Referring to Dr Khan's manuscript, Gupta quotes his own words about the initial experience upon arriving there."As I walked, I looked at the people around me, their clothes. It seemed that they did not belong to our country. I did not have the courage to speak to any of them. I also stared at the tall buildings two, four, five and even seven-storeyed buildings! They were almost touching the sky. I wandered around, not knowing where to go, and stood in the middle of the road, amazed and confused. People passing by gawked at me as if I was a wild being. Some of them even bullied me. Young boys walking on my right and left pulled my ears. I wanted a way out of the situation and decided not to stand still at a place and gape at buildings."BoroBaba,walkingfurther to the west, managed to reach the River Ganga near the Howrah Bridge. He then treated himself to somedal-purifrom a street shop, got himself a container to fetch water and quenched his thirst with the saline water from the river Finally, making a pillow of his small bundle of clothes, the little boy slept on the steps of the riverbank very likely with many others. This meagre bundle also contained his fortune of twelve rupees.Themorning, however, had a rude shock in store for Boro Baba. He woke up to find the bundle missing from beneath his head. It was stolen! The poor boy started to cry in the realization that he had been robbed of his sweetest dream in life.Ustad Alauddin Khan / Sahana, by Sahana Gupta, pages 3132Jotin Bhattacharya's account of what happened following the robbery illustrates the harsh realities and unforgiving nature of Calcutta at the time, and is testament to the remarkable maturity and resilience of the young Alam. Although he found himself destitute and totally at the mercy of human nature in this foreign environment, he did not give up nor did he specifically ask for assistance. After shedding a few tears and feeling dejected, he simply carried on, somehow managing to maintain faith in his destiny and, yet again, demonstrated his pure determination and raw courage. Bhattacharya wrote about what happened following the robbery in Calcutta as follows.Thepoliceconstable on duty, instead of sympathising with him, abused him for his foolishness. Tears rolled down his cheeks. He lost his heart but he did not lose his head. Soon he made up his mind and took his loss with composure. Thus, he was completely stranded in a cosmopolitan town like Calcutta, without any reference or resource whatsoever.Beinghelpless,hestrolled along the man-made track on the bank of the Ganges. Proceeding further, he met a couple ofsannyasisin Namtalla Ghat, the famous cremation ghat of Calcutta. Besmeared with ashes, they were engaged in preparingbhangto enjoy its narcotic effect. Moved by his plight, one of them took pity on him and enquired the reason of his grief. He narrated to him his tale of misery, how he was deprived of his belongings. Thesannyasiconsoled him and advised him not to worry. He told him that it was all for the best and asked him to take a dip in the Ganges.Heplungeddeep into the water and took his bath naked and came back with his dress on. The hermit offered him a pinch of ash to swallow with the help of holy water from the Ganges; so he did. He directed him to proceed through Nimtalla Street, heart within and God overhead. He proceeded accordingly and finally reached a place where the poor and destitute were being fed under the management of a charitable trust.When hereachedthere, he found that a number of people were taking their meals without any distinction of caste, creed and nationality. One of the employees of the trust asked him to take his food. He spared no time to take his meal. Thereafter, he was directed by him to drink water from the tap nearby. He hastened up to it and as soon as he pressed the button, water poured out. He was no less surprised to drink fresh water of palatable taste.Ustad Allauddin Khan And His Music, by Jotin Bhattacharya, pages 1012Then his luck began to change. He had already decided to start searching seriously for a music teacher, and fervently prayed to God to bless him with success. It was around this time, according to Bhattacharya's account, that he met a sympathetic young man who was visiting the dispensary. Alam told him of his desire to find a music teacher and the young man arranged for him to visit his home, where his mother was overjoyed to meet him and hear about where he was from and what had inspired him to come to Calcutta.For some reason, he trusted this kindly woman who, after hearing everything that had transpired, told him that the sacrifices involved in his life at this tender age were a positive indication of his assured success in the future. Here was a woman with good knowledge of music who, like others before her, recognised something special in young Alam's musical ability, and she wanted to help. Bhattacharya described what happened next.Sheinquiredof him, if he could sing. He replied in the affirmative and reproduced the song of the Shiva temple of Tripura State with correct notations. She was deeply impressed and remarked that his voice was melodious and had a superb timbre, which was a rare combination. Being well versed in music herself, she felt inclined towards him. She directed him to accompany her to her husband, Bireswar Babu, in the outer apartment of the house, where ladies had restricted approach. She requested her husband to introduce Alam to his guru for learning music. She not only advocated his cause but also stood guarantee for a boy, who was no better than a street urchin. He [Bireswar Babu] was impressed by his nature and musical demonstration which had subsequently been intensified by her recommendation with impartial advocacy.Eventually, Bireswar Babu took him to his revered guru, Gopal Chandra Bhattacharya, alias Nulo Gopal, the famous State musician of Maharajah Jotindra Mohan Tagore of Pathuriaghata, a scion of the most enlightened and cultured family of Bengal.Ustad Allauddin Khan And His Music, by Jotin Bhattacharya, pages 1213Thus,afterenduring muchsufferingat the hands of fate and circumstance in Calcutta, Alam had finally found hisguruinGopal Chandra Bhattacharya, alias Nulo Gopal. His initial training was strict and rigorous, but apparently he enjoyed it immensely, overjoyed at finding such a splendid and talented teacher. On this, Bhattacharya wrote the following.Hewastaught the lesson ofswaragramby his guru, Nulo Gopal. Daily he used to get up at 2 a.m. and practise music with him up to 5 a.m. He got immense pleasure thereby. Unlike other orthodox musicians, his guru was liberal in training his disciples.Oneofhis teacher's favourite students, Ganga Ram Thakur who was in advanced stage of learning music, taught him the reverse action ofswaragram, known as Palta Alankar. By virtue of his [Alam's] intensesadhanawith immaculate austerity, he could win over the heart of hisguruandguru-bhaito have the best out of them. His progress was amply accelerated by their kind co-operation.Nulo Gopal was one of those talented artists of India, who had no attachment to the worldly lures. He was a compelling source of inspiration to him [Alam] and was partly responsible for hewing his musical destiny, which was finally shaped by Ustad Wazir Khan of Rampur State.Once, his guru enquired of Alam regarding the arrangement of his meals. When he narrated to him the tale of his hardship, the teacher felt sorry for him and exerted his personal influence to ensure necessary arrangement for his food in the palace of Maharajah Tagore, where he took his meals regularly for seven years, during the period he was under the training of his guru.Ustad Allauddin Khan And His Music, by Jotin Bhattacharya, page 143.Other teachers and instrumental educationFollowingthe loss of his belovedguru, Nulo Gopal, Alam was understandably very distressed and didn't know what to do about further training. After discussions with Kiron Babu of Calcutta, he decided he would cease his vocal training out of respect for his deceasedguruand commence instrumental training. Kiron Babu introduced him to Swami Vivekananda's brother, Amritlal (alias Habu) Dutta, an expert and extremely versatile instrumentalist, who commenced teaching Alam in both Indian and Western styles. By all accounts, their relationship endured for life. Sahana Gupta wrote about Alam's introduction to instrumental music as follows.In thismanner, his instrumental lessons under the tutelage of Habu Dutta started. The initial training period was devoted to theswargam, through which he was made aware of finer points of notes andswar. The instruction went on for seven years, at the end of which he could play 360paltas. Under his new teacher, Boro Baba became proficient in various indigenous as well as foreign musical instruments, like the sitar, flute, piccolo, mandolin, and banjo under his new teacher. Habu Dutta was quick to recognise the genius in Boro Baba and remarked that he would be widely acknowledged and feted as such someday.Ustad Alauddin Khan / Sahana, by Sahana Gupta, page 41Guptaalso documents evidence of Alam's desire to learn as much as humanly possible on as many instruments as possible. Apart from what he was able to learn from his new guru, Habu Dutta, Alam sought out many other teachers for training in both Indian and Western instruments. The final list of those who added to his body of musical knowledge is very impressive. Among them were such notable musicians as Mr. Robert Lobo, conductor of the Eden Garden Orchestra in Calcutta who, with his wife, taught Alam Western classical music for violin and piano; Amar Das the popular Indian-style violinist; Hazari Ustad the famousshenaiplayer; Nanda Lal Babu (also known as Nanda Babu) the famous percussionist; Ustad Ahmad Ali Khan the sarod maestro, whose forefathers were the court musicians of the last Mogul Emperor, Bahadur Shah of Delhi; and, finally, his most beloved and talented guru, Ustad Wazir Khan thebeenkarof Rampur, who was a direct descendant of the legendary Mian Tansen. For forty years, Allauddin also learneddhrupadfrom Mohammed Hussain Khan, and he studied other styles of singing from the many vocalists he met along the way. In her chapter titledMastering Instruments, Sahana Gupta wrote the following account.In the meantime, instead of being satisfied and complacent, Boro Baba became frantic to master every instrument that he could lay his hands on and eagerly looked for opportunities to further his musical knowledge. Even while learning from Nulo Gopal, he had startedmridangamlessons from a guru named Nanda Babu. He learnt the violin in the notation of Western music from Mr Lobo, a Goanese bandmaster at Eden Gardens, and the clarinet and cornet from another Western teacher in Darjipara, Calcutta. He learnt the Indian style of the violin from Amar Das, a prominent musician of the time. He became conversant with complicated instruments like thesanai, naquara, tiquara and jagajhampaunder the able guidance of Hazari Ustad, and prevailed upon Nanda Babu to teach him percussion instruments such as thepakhawaj, mridangamandtabla.Ustad Alauddin Khan / Sahana, by Sahana Gupta, pages 4144************************Allauddin's Khan's tutelage under Ustad Ahmad Ali Khan was at first very difficult. According to Sahana Gupta, he spent much of his time performing mundane household work just like a servant, including cooking, cleaning, shopping, and otherwise catering to the personal needs of hisguru. He would also have to cook for any guests who arrived at the master's house. But, he did it all without complaint, so great was his desire to serve hisguruand learn everything he could from him about playing sarod.After his induction as a disciple, it was part of Boro Baba's responsibility to take care of all the household chores. He did everything a servant would be expected to cooking, cleaning the house and the toilet, arranging for tobacco puffs, shopping and also massaging his master's feet before the latter went to sleep. Ustadji had taught Boro Baba how to prepare a number of Hindustani delicacies such aspulao, korma, rotis, paranthas, shammiandseekh kababsandzarda. If there were any guests visiting the house, Boro Baba had to cook for them as well. Although all of these tasks were a lot for a single person to handle, Bora Baba never complained.Ustad Alauddin Khan / Sahana, by Sahana Gupta, page 51As time went by, Allauddin was sometimes allowed to play alongside hisguruat the concerts he gave in Calcutta, which was a great opportunity to put his musical skill on display. He would mostly play ontablaormridangam, but was sometimes allowed to accompany the Ustad on violin. It was something that did not escape the attention of the knowledgeable Calcutta audiences either, and Allauddin began to gain recognition for his genius as a musician. About these concerts when he accompanied hisguruin Calcutta, Gupta wrote as follows.AhmedAliKhanoccasionally went formujras(concerts) in Calcutta, where Boro Baba accompanied him on the tabla and sometimes on themridangam. Occasionally, he was even allowed to givesath(company) on the violin, a performance that was much appreciated by the audience. In fact, there were times when the sound of his violin was considered superior to Ahmed Ali Khan's sarod, and Boro Baba stole the show. The concerts were an indication of Boro Baba's musical genius.Ustad Alauddin Khan / Sahana, by Sahana Gupta, page 51However, according to Jotin Bhattacharya, the Ustad did not teach Allauddin in a very generous spirit. Though he taught him the basics, he did not pass on anything of a substantial nature to his gifted student. Apparently, he belonged to the old school of thinking, which involved withholding knowledge from disciples who were not blood relatives. This situation caused Allauddin to rely purely on his cleverness and natural ability to learn the music by listening. Bhattacharya described the situation as follows.Inthoseday most of the ranked musicians had the tendency to keep their knowledge confined to their family. They were extremely conservative and did not like to pass it on to their disciples, in disregard to their capability. In the absence of any suitable descendant, their age-old art withered away with themselves, causing irreparable loss to the young music aspirants and the country. They were mostly illiterate. His Ustad, Ahmad Ali Khan, was one of the musicians of the same school of thought.Ustad Allauddin Khan And His Music, by Jotin Bhattacharya, page 2425************************Dejected and homeless, and even contemplating suicide, Allauddin decided that he must approach the greatBeenkarof Rampur,Ustad Wazir Khan, and make an all out effort to become his disciple. What happened between the time that he decided to approach Ustad Wazir Khan and when he was finally accepted by the Ustad is also recorded in his manuscript. The following account shows, yet again, the extreme difficulties and disappointments that confronted Allauddin, and it demonstrates his grim determination to succeed regardless of substantial setbacks in his quest to become a great musician.At thattime, it was the custom among thePathansand the Muslims to provide food for others even if they themselves had to fast. I received fine food from them for almost two months. When I felt in better health, I decided to go directly to Mohammed Wazir Khan's residence to see if I might persuade the greatest of all musicians to teach me. For six months I went each day, but the sentries would not allow me to enter.Frustratedand depressed, I decided to put an end to my life. With the onerupeeI had left, I bought two ounces of opium. I visited themosqueto say my lastnamaz. Themaulaviof the mosque asked me why I was sitting there with such a shattered face. I told him about my failure to meet Mohammed Wazir Khan, and my plan to end my life. He consoled me and gave me some food to eat. He encouraged me to try my luck again and told me that committing suicide was a great sin. Then he drafted a petition to theNawabof Rampur on my behalf:"Myresidenceis in Tripura state. While in the court of Tripura, I came to know that there are many learned people in the court of the Rampur Nawab. Just as the Emperor Akbar of Delhi had the great musician Tansen in his court, so the court of Rampur has the great musician Mohammed Wazir Khan. I have come to learn the veena from him. For six months I have tried to see him by going to his gate, but the sentry does not allow me to enter. Therefore, out of grief, with my last rupee I have bought two ounces of opium with which to kill myself. Since I know it is a sin to commit suicide, I make one last appeal to the court to arrange for my musical training."Themaulavithen advised me to block the road as theNawab Sahibwent for his evening drive. I kept that appeal in my pocket for almost a monthbutno opportunity presented itself. Then, one evening as theNawabwas going to the club to see a drama written by Mohammed Wazir Khan, I stepped in front of his car with my hands raised. At once a policeman grabbed me.Nawab Sahibasked the police chief what the matter was. He replied that a Bengali musician was praying for his patronage.Nawab Sahibwas intrigued. I gave him my appeal and the opium. TheNawabasked his secretary to read the appeal to him. After hearing it, to my surprise, he said he would not go to see the drama. He ordered his secretary to take theBegum Sahibato the drama, and to inform Wazir Khan to come to him. Then he asked me to get in his car and took me to Hamid Manzil, his palace.TheNawab'snamewasHamid Ali Khan. He was the chief disciple of Wazir Khan, and a great scholar. He was also a great vocalist and had learned thousands ofdhrupadsas well asveena.He asked about my experience in music. I told him about Nulo Gopal, Habu Dutta, Lobo Prabhu, Mohammed Ali Khan and all of the others who taught me vocal music, violin, clarinet,shehnai,sarod, tabla, mridangam,etc."Which instruments do you have with you now?"he asked. I said, "Sarodand violin." He sent me in his car to get my instruments. Then he asked me to playsarod. I playedalap,jor,jhala,lari, etc. inRag Yaman.He was overwhelmed with joy. When I played violin for him, he was amazed and said he had heard such violin playing in Europe, but never in India.When MohammedWazirKhan arrived, theNawab Sahibreceived him with great respect and told him that he had not attended the drama because of me. He told him about my training and my playing and recommended that he accept me as his disciple. Wazir Khan agreed. Thus, by the grace ofNawabHamid Ali Khan, I became the disciple of Wazir Khan.Nawab Sahibarranged all the formalities of aNaraceremony. Costly jewellery, shawls, and other valuables were presented to Wazir Khan in a golden casket at his expense. Nawab Sahibasked him to teach meveena,butWazir Khan said that he could only teach mesarod, rababandsursringarsince the teaching ofveenawas confined to members of his family. With folded palms, I said, "I will not learnveena. I will only learn what you wish." He made me promise that I would not teach these arts tobaijisand prostitutes. I was provided with a small house near Wazir Khan's house. When I became a disciple of Wazir Khan, the musicians who had refused to teach me earlier accepted me and showed me kindness. Though I had a place to stay, I still did not have money to eat, so I started visiting the State Band. Bandmaster Raja Hussain, a renowneddhrupadsinger, offered me a job playing violin for the band two hours every morning at a salary of 12rupeesper month. It helped me a lot. However, Wazir Khan forgot me totally.Forthreeyears, I went to his residence every morning and waited at his door from 6:00 to 10:00 a.m. I n the afternoon I visited Mohammed Hussain Khan who taught mesarod,and Karim Khan, brother of the famoussitarplayer, Hafiz Khan, who taught me manygatsandtarasonsitar. Wazir Khan's negligence was partly compensated by their training.The Diaries of Baba Allauddin Khan: A Film Script, by Mary J. KhanChapter Three: Achievements, Performances and Awards in Classical Music1.Musical virtuosity/ability with different instrumentsNowherein the history of Indian Classical Music is there a musician / composer / innovator / teacher of Dr Allauddin Khan's stature.His amazing virtuosity with different instruments included:flute, clarinet, cornet, piccolo, mandolin, banjo, violin, piano, sarod,shenai,naquara,tiquara,jagajhampa,israj,sursringar,surbahar, sitar,rabab,mridangam,tabla,pakhawaj, plus a variety of other string and percussion instruments. It seems that he could make music on any instrument placed in his hands; which demonstrated his versatility and remarkable skill. The following anecdotes demonstrate the power of his musicianship, asrecounted by Annapurna Devi, Sahana Gupta, Jotin Bhattacharya, and Ravi Shankar.Tributes to BabafromUstad Alauddin Khan / Sahana, by Sahana Gupta1.As a musician, he had mastered many instruments. This list is already mentioned. He was also the first one to introduce the concept of an orchestra in Indian music. Certain renditions were so intense and moving that the audience could hardly control their tears. I [Annapurna Devi] remember even the Maharajah of Maihar had to walk out of one of the concerts since he didn't want his people to see their ruler so overcome with emotion.Forewordby Annapurna Devi,page12... ... ...7.Once, agroupof young American and European professional dancers approached Boro Baba and requested him to explain the subtleties of Indian classical music to them. Glancing at their fashionable attire, Boro Baba decided that their intentions were far from serious and, therefore, casually strummed a part ofRaga Multani, a deeply moving composition, on his sarod. After playing for a bit, he glanced up and was amazed to see his audience visibly moved; some of them actually had tears rolling down their cheeks. Ashamed of his biased judgement, he instantly started performing with intense concentration. He playedRaga BhimpalasreeandRaga Pilufor over three hours, and his flawless rendition led the listeners to exclaim: "You have given us life. We will never forget it."Chapter 11, pages 8586Tributes to BabafromUstad Allauddin Khan And His Music, by Jotin Bhattacharya9.Intheyear1925theTripura Prince, Maharajah Manikya Bahadur, had invited Ustad Enayat Khan for a sitar evening. One after the other Amar Bhattacharya and Aftabuddin [Baba's brother] gave up accompanying him on the tabla. What now? How could the Ustad complete the already advanced evening successfully? Allauddin, without any ado, got up and the programme resumed with the great sarod maestro playing the tabla to Enayat Khan'sprimo.Chapter 9, page 62... ... ...12.There were a couple ofsittingsof his musical recitals before Sri Aurobindo, who appreciated his music with the remark: "He has attained the state of ecstasy through the medium of music". It was an achievement to gain favourable opinion of a saint of Sri Aurobindo's spiritual attainment, one who would not comment on anything lightly.Chapter 9, page 5313.The musicians of thereputationof Ustad Allauddin Khan, Ustad Hafiz Ali Khan, Patwardhan, Vishwa Deb, Sachin Motilal, Hiru Ganguly and others graced the occasion of All-India Music Conference held at Senate Hall, Allahabad, in 1934. The renowned tabla player Hiru Ganguly of Calcutta expressed his desire to demonstrate solo in Pancham Swari (15 matras) but none dared accompany him either on sarangi or on harmonium because of its intricate nature. Finding no way out, Baba accompanied on violin to help him succeeda rare instance in the musical world.Chapter 9, page 54... ... ...15.At theageof 50, Ustad Allauddin Khan was a mature musician, when he attended All-India Music Conference at Calcutta held under presidentship of Maharajah Manindra Nandy of Kashim-bazar. Stalwarts like Ustad Karamatullah Khan (sarodia), Ustad Imdad Khan a great sitar virtuoso and other noted musicians graced the occasion. The presence of the most unassuming Allauddin Khan was taken by them lightly. In view of their sound knowledge of music, they dismissed him as an ordinary musician. A hush fell upon the assembled people when Ustad Allauddin Khan gave a splendid exposition of Raga Puria on his sarod, continuously for four hours. The spectators were spell-bound all through and were completely possessed with his music. The reverberation of the dying notes echoed in their heart for hours. They were amazed at his supremacy which could not be challenged. He was ranked as best musician of the year by the panel of experts, which raised him to eminence. When requested to comment, he replied that it was by the grace of God.Chapter 9, page 55... ... ...18.In the year1952, Allauddin gave his finest performance of rabab in two sittings on the All-India Radio, Allahabad. He was accompanied by Pt Mannulal Mishra and Pt Amarnath Mishra of Varanasi. That performance has still remained unequalled in musical history.Chapter 9, page 58... ... ...21.Hisendlessperseverancein the practice of sarod and violin has distinguished him in the foremost rank of the musicians of India. It is said that while playing his favouriteragaat Maihar, he lost his identity when small birds perched and pecked on his head without his knowledge. Such was his concentration of mind.Chapter 19, page 127Tributes to Baba fromMy Music, My Life, by Ravi Shankar26.I saw him for thefirsttime at theAll-Bengal Music Conferencein December, 1934. In contrast to all the other musicians, who were wearing colorful costumes, turbans, and jewels, and were bedecked with medals, he seemed very plain and ordinary, not at all impressive. But even in my immaturity, it did not take me long to realize that he had qualities that far outshone the gaudiness of his colleagues. He seemed to shine with a fire that came from within him. Although I did not know enough about music then to discern his musical greatness, I found myself completely overwhelmed by everything about him.Chapter 2, page 51... ... ...28.Unlikesomeothermusicians, Baba has never been stingy or jealous about passing on to deserving students the great and sacred art that he possesses. In fact, when he is inspired in his teaching, it is as if a floodgate had opened up and an ocean of beautiful and divine music was flowing out.Chapter 2, page 572.Development and refinement of musical instrumentsApart from being an outstanding musician, conductor and composer, Dr Khan was also an extremely gifted instrument-maker and, along with his brother, Ayet Ali Khan, made serious beneficial changes to many existing musical instruments, particularly thesursringarand the sarod. He was also a great innovator. The resources in a small princely state like Maihar were limited. The palace had a grand piano and violins could be obtained with some effort but other western instruments were simply out of reach. Till the time a cello could be ordered and supplied, Baba got asarangimade which measured twice the size of usual one. It had strings which could be tuned and using a large bow would give out a deep tone almost that of cello. He named itSaranga.Dr Khan also created other new instruments such as thechandrasarang, sitar-banjo and thenal tarang, which is constructed from gun barrels and is played by striking with an iron rod.************************Dr Khan's modifications to the SarodDr Khan's modifications to the sarod represent his most important instrument-making contribution toHindustaniclassical music. He based all the music he taught for any instrument around his musical concepts and arrangements on sarod. Jotin Bhattacharya, himself a sarodisttrained by Dr Khan, provided a detailed history of the sarod in his biography, including illustrations of hisguru'simprovements.

It is obvious from the above extractsfrom Jotin Bhattacharya's biography that Dr Khan's alterations to the sarod were not just of a minor nature, and that his amazing skill-set extended far beyond his master musicianship. These alterations provide ample evidence of his genius in the field of instrument-making, regardless of other contributions he made toHindustaniclassical music.Ustad Allauddin Khan and His Music, by Jotin Bhattacharya, pages 120 & 121Below: Dr Khan with hisSarode,Chandra Sarang, Violin andRabab

Ustad Allauddin Khan And His Music, by Jotin Bhattacharya, page 373.Raga inventions and compositionsDr Allauddin Khan first learned about Western notation fromMr. Robert Loboconductor of the Eden Garden Orchestrain Calcuttaand his wife. He then used this newfound knowledge to invent a notation system for Indian music, which, over the years, allowed him to write down and preserve his manyragacompositions and creations. This notation system is used by Indian musicians in the modern era of Indian music. Dr Khan also composed classical ragas with harmonies for orchestral music, which opened up a whole new field in Indian music production. The following quotation by Mary J. Khan inher synopsis for a film based on the diaries of Baba Allauddin Khan,explain Baba's achievements with regard to musical notation, and his breaking with traditional teaching methods.Baba Allauddin was instrumental in developing a system of notation for Indian music. And, almost single-handedly, with his passion to pass on the music to all who could learn, Baba Allauddin broke the formidable tradition of secrecy that had surrounded Indian music. He foresaw that this would be the way by which classical music could survive in a pure form in the democratic world brought into being with Independence and the invention of recording technology.The Diaries ofBabaAllauddin Khan: A Film Script, by Mary J. Khan************************JotinBhattacharyaalso wrote about Dr Khan's raga inventions, and listed his favourites.Themainragasinvented by Baba areMadan-Manjari, Mohammad, Sursati, Subhavati, Dhabalasri, Hemant, Hem-Bihag, Hemant-Bhairav, Haimanti, Manj-Khamaj, Madhavgiri, Bhagawati, Bhuvaneshwari, Gandhi, Gandhi-Bilaval,etc., which are worth mentioning. His favouriteragasareYaman, Hemant, Hem-Bihag, Tilak-Kamod, Sri, Bilaval, Darbari, Shuddha Basant, Puria-Dhanasri, Shuddha BhairaviandShuddha Kalyan.Ustad Allauddin Khan And His Music, by Jotin Bhattacharya, page 127Dr Khan was known to use his favourite ragas and inventions as part of the exercise routines he formulated to train his students. The following selected extracts (five of his raga compositions, and five of his raga inventions) are just some examples from Bhattacharya's biography to indicate the broad scope of his talent as a composer and inventor ofragas. We can also see from the illustrations on the following pages that Dr Khan was a thorough and systematic teacher.Five of Dr Khan'sragaCOMPOSITIONS adapted as practice exercises for his studentsselected from Jotin Bhattacharya's authorised biography,Ustad Allauddin Khan And His Music

************************Five of Dr Khan'sragaINVENTIONS adapted as practice exercises for his studentsselected from Jotin Bhattacharya's authorised biography,Ustad Allauddin Khan And His Music

4.Musical performances live and recordedIt would be impossible to identify all of Dr Allauddin Khan's musical performances and recordings since there are no complete records of such things. However, quite apart from those recitals he gave as a disciple with hisgurus, his official biographer, Jotin Bhattacharya confirmed that he gave many musical recitals. Some of the more notable onesare listed below.Dr Khan organised an orchestra (the String Band, now known as the Maihar Band) with 100 orphaned children that he had taught to play strings, brass, bagpipes, and drums. Dr Khan performed along with the orchestra on many State occasions dates unrecorded.The Maihar Band was recorded by the renowned company His Master's Voice (HMV),viderecord numbers G.C.8, 10177, 10178 and P 6663 under the caption "Maihar State String Band" in the tunes: "Majuma Sanja-Sitar khani, Khamaj, Ektal; Majuma Sanja-Tilak-Kamod Tha-Dun Choutal; Majuma Sanja-Hindustani Posta Dadra; Majuma Sanja-Hindustani Posta Ektal" dates unrecorded.In 1925, the Tripura Prince, Maharajah Manikya Bahadur invited Ustad Enayat Khan for a sitar evening. After Amar Bhattacharya and Aftabuddin Khan gave up trying to accompany him ontabla, Dr Khan took over thetablaand played to Enayat Khan's sitar.At the Fourth All-India Music Conference at Lucknow in 1925, Dr Khan gave a magnificent recital on violin ofRagasKafiandTilakKamodto the accompaniment of Biru Mishra of Varanasi on thetabla. In the subsequent sitting, Ustad Abid Hussain Khan accompanied him on thetabla. In a further recital at the same conference, Dr Khan was accompanied by Rai Chand Boral of Calcutta on thetabla.Headed by Dr Khan, a select group of 18 artists from the Maihar Band performed twice at the Fourth All-India Music Conference at Lucknow in 1925, where they playedYaman-Kalyan, Tilak-KamodandKamaj.At the All-India Music Conference in Jodhpur, Dr Khan accompanied Ustad Wazir Khan's grandson, Dabir Khan, on themridanga date unrecorded.Dr Khan performed several musical recitals before Sri Aurobindo dates unrecorded.Dr Khan gave a musical performance onsurshringarfor a radio program at Calcutta, which was hailed among his best ever date unrecorded.In 1931, at the age of 50, Dr Khan attended the All-India Music Conference at Calcutta held under presidentship of Maharajah Manindra Nandy of Kashim-bazar. The audience was enraptured when Baba gave a splendid performance ofRaga Puriaon sarod for four hours continuously.In 1934 at the All-India Music Conference held in the Senate Hall at Allahabad, Dr Khan accompanied renowned tabla player Hiru Ganguly of Calcutta on violin for a demonstration inPancham Swari(15 matras), which was hailed as a rare event in the musical world.Dr Khan, playingtabla, accompanied the famousesrajmaestro Chandrika Prasad of Pewar Estate (Gaya) in the Panch Bhairavi. Theirlarant, sath-Sangatandjawal-jalab(question-answers) continued for hours in which Dr Khan's achievement ontablawas highly appreciated. He was afterwards awarded several gold medals in recognition of his superior playing, which at the time made him more popular as atablaplayer than a sarodia date unrecorded.The first gramophone record of Allauddin Khan came out in 1935. These were recitals on thesarodeand violin, and the discs were brought out by the Megaphone Gramophone Company. Later, long-play records of these recitals were also produced.Dr Khan first began popularising theSeniaMaihar Gharanain a 193536 international tour with Uday Shankar's dance troupe.Some of Dr Khan's recordings have been released on CD, on theGreat Gharanas: Maiharcompilation in RPG/EMI's Chairman's Choice series.In 1937 at the Allahabad All-India Music Conference, Dr Khan was accompanied by Kaviraj Ashutosh Bhattacharya of Varanasi on thetabla.At the All-India Music Conference at Allahabad in 1944, Dr Khan was accompanied by Samta Prasad, alias Gudai Maharaj, of Varanasi on thetabla.At the All-India Music Conference at Varanasi in 1948, Dr Khan was accompanied ontablaby Kishan Maharaj of Varanasi.In 1952, Dr Khan gave his finest performance ofrababin two sittings on the All-India Radio, Allahabad. He was accompanied by Pt Mannulal Mishra and Pt Amarnath Mishra of Varanasi. That performance still remains unequalled in musical history.In the year 1952, Dr Khan was accompanied by Hirendra Kumar Gangopadhyaya (alias Hiru Ganguly) with Ravi Shankar on tanpura, at the Tansen Music Conference in Calcutta.In the year 1959, at the age of 78, Dr Khan gave a public performance on Aurobindo Jayanti at Park Circus Ground, Calcutta, with grandson Ashish Khan; they were accompanied bytablamaestros Karamattullah Khan and Kishan Maharaj.In 1959, Dr Khan was also recorded playing sarod at his residence in Maihar by two visiting professors of botany who specialised in plant pathology. Their purpose was to collect pure tunes on tape-recorders to investigate the "effect of music on plants".Dr Khan featured in the documentary filmBaba(1969),directed by N.D. Keluskar.In 1970, at the age of 89 years, Dr Khan gave his last public recital as a maestro at the Maihar Sangeet Festival, where he played the violin.Dr Khan featured in the filmRga(1971), directed by Howard Worth.Sourced fromUstad Allauddin Khan And His Music, by Jotin Bhattacharya5.Achievements and awardsa.AchievementsThe lifetime achievements of Dr Khan are too numerous to count, but there is no doubt he spent his entire life in service to God and music. Some of his more significant achievements include the following:Invented a notation system for Indian classical musicPioneered the orchestration of Indian musical instruments with the Maihar BandEstablishedthe Maihar College of Music at his home in MaiharReformed the outdatedguru-shishya paramparatraditionCreated thousands of new compositions for existing vocal and instrumental ragasInvented hundreds of new vocal and instrumental ragasImproved existing musical instruments, particularly thesursringarand the sarodCreated new musical instruments, includingchandrasarang,saranga, sitar-banjo andnal tarangThrough his teaching at Maihar, produced countless maestros to playHindustani classicalmusic and present it to the worldEstablished theSeniaMaihar Gharana also worthy of mention here is the fact that Indian musician nominees and/or winners of the prestigious Grammy Awards in the USA include:-sitaristRavi Shankar(winner 1966, 1972 & 2002; plus four nominations)-sarodistAli Akbar Khan(nominations 1970, 1983, 1996, 1997, 1998)-guitaristVishwa Mohan Bhatt(winner 1994)-sarodist Ashish Khan (nomination 2007)Note:All of the above artists are from theSeniaMaihar Gharanaand were students of Dr Khan, except Vishwa Mohan Bhatt who was a student of Ravi Shankar.One of the most important achievements of Dr Khan was the establishment of theSeniaMaihar Gharana, sometimes referred to as theSenia Allauddin Gharana. Thisgharanaoriginated from theSenia Gharanainitiated by Mian Tansen, which gives it great significance in the context ofHindustaniclassical music history. TheSeniaMaihar Gharanawas expanded and re-shaped from the originalSenia Gharanaby Dr Allauddin Khan. It was named after Maihar in Madhya Pradesh, where Allauddin Khan settled in the latter part of his life, from 19181972.Initially, some musicians did not regard theSeniaMaihar Gharanaas a truegharanain the strictest sense,especially as its founder did not belong to a family of professional musicians and the tradition had not existed for the required three generations[1].Initially, some musicians did not regard theSeniaMaihar Gharanaas a truegharanain the strictest sense,especially as its founder did not belong to a family of professional musicians and the tradition had not existed for the required three generations[1].However, given the notable contribution toHindustanimusic by Dr Khan and his descendantsson Ali Akbar Khan and grandson Aashish Khanwho, together, clearly represent three generations of one family from theSeniaMaihar Gharana, this particular reservation has since been resolved.

[1]To be able tocalla school/tradition a Gharana there must have been three generations of established teacherdisciple pedagogic relationships already gone before.Source:http://www.ragaculture.com/gharana.html

Musicians of theSenia Gharanaof MianTansen andSeniaMaihar Gharanaof Allauddin KhanSourced on 28thAugust, 2009, at http://bangalnama.wordpress.com/2009/01/23/the-musical-legacy-of-brahmanbaria-ii/

************************From Mian Tansen to Wazir KhanMian Tansen was born in 1520 near Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh and is considered to be one of the greatest musicians in the history of Indian classical music. The Tansen style of music was originally based on the inspiration of Indian Rishis, but was later enriched by influences from the music of Arabia and Persia. Tansen was a disciple of Baba Ramdas of Oadh and also a disciple of highly esteemed saint and musical seer Swami Haridas of Vrindavan; and he later learned about the influences of Arabic and Persian music from Pir Mohammed Ghaus of Gwalior.Eventually, Mian Tansen resided as chief musician in the court of Mogul Emperor "Akbar the Great" (16th century). Tansen's talent was so great that he was referred to as one of the "Nine Jewels" (navarathna) of the court of Akbar. It is even said he could work miracles (nada siddha) and create rain by singing the monsoonRaga Megh Malhar, and create fire by singingRaga Dipak. This special power attributed to some of the great masters in earlier times was mentioned by Professor R. C. Mehta[1]in his essay,Agra Gharana, when he was commenting on the reputed power of the legendary musician Haji Sujan Khan to light lamps when he sangDipaka Raga. Professor Mehta offered the following cautionary perspective on the subject.Sometimes the stories about musicians and music carry incredible elements in them. Such exaggerated elements are meant to establish the extraordinary powers of musicians or the mystical power of music. But they do not help in the understanding or evaluation of their music. Aesthetic enjoyment or evaluation do not get enhanced by such stories. So, whether Sujan Khan lit lamps or not, he may be accepted as a singer of considerable merit.Indian Classical Music and Gharana Tradition, by R. C. Mehta, pages 7879

[1]Professor Ramanlal C. Mehta is a distinguished vocalist ofKirama Gharana. He retired as Principal of the College of Indian Music at MS University of Baroda in 1978. He was a composer and producer at All India Radio for 9 years, and an expert member of their Central Music Audition Board. He founded the Indian Musicological Society in 1970, serving as Editor of its Journal. He is also a respected author of many books on the subject of Indian music.It is generally considered that the Swami Haridasji and his student Tansen laid the foundation for the renaissance of Indian classical music through theirdhrupadstyle of singing; Tansen himself was responsible for several hundreddhrupadcompositions and his daughter, Saraswati Devi, became a famousdhrupadsingermarried to Raja Misar Singh (Naubat Khan). Allauddin Khan's teacher, Ustad Wazir Khan, was the last musical descendant of Tansen at that time. Wazir Khan, also known as Chhatrapal Singh, taught in Calcutta and Midnapur before joining the court of Rampur in 1900, where he became the tutor of Nawab Hamid Ali Khan.Below left: 16th century depiction ofAkbar the Great, Mian Tansen &Swami Haridas Below right: Ustad Wazir Khan Through his teachings, Ustad Wazir Khan built up the musical careers of the following outstanding musicians.1. Allauddin Khan (Sarode)2. Hafiz Ali Khan (Sarode)3. Mehdi Husssain Khan (Dhrupad&Kheyal)4. Mustaque Hussain Khan (Kheyal)5. Pramathanath Bandopadhya (Rudra veena)6. Jadabendra Mahapatra (Surbahar)7. Pundit Vatkhandeji (the great musicologist)Sourced 8th August, 2009, athttp://music.calarts.edu/~bansuri/pages/chapter_5.htmlAfter completing training under Wazir Khan, Allauddin Khan took responsibility for the continuing evolution of theSenia Gharanaof Tansen, through establishment of theSeniaMaihar Gharana. Sahana Gupta commended Dr Khan's great work in furthering the cause of Indian classical music both in India and abroad; and she lamented the fact that he is not given enough credit for his fundamental contribution to the evolution and survival of this valuable tradition. Gupta emphasised that it was primarily Dr Khan's work that placed Indian classical music in its rightful place on the world stage.He [Boro Baba] left behind a greatly enriched tradition of music which has since been passed down generations of music lovers, keeping his memory alive. He never lusted after material gain or fame. He always wanted to learn and to create; qualities that took him to eminence. It is a sad fact that in the world of contemporary Indian classical music, not enough is remembered of the fundamental contributions he made to evolve its tradition and enable subsequent generations to carry on.Music is said to be immortal it continues to exist and flourish well past its creators. While on one hand, Ustad Alauddin Khan forged new ways of taking the rich Indian classical music tradition to the masses in his homeland, he took it beyond its boundaries to its rightful place on the world stage.Ustad Alauddin Khan / Sahana, by Sahana Gupta, Epilogue, page 125Jotin Bhattacharyaafforded high praise to Dr Khan for another unique achievement in the field of Indian classical music; which involved transforming the artists' approach to performance onrabab, been, surshringar, sitar and surbahar. Bhattacharya also credited Dr Khan with creating a whole new system of music by modifying and combining the various pre-existing aspects of theHindustaniclassical music system. Both these achievements have prevailed to the present day, having been popularised by his many disciples.Towards the end of the mediaeval period,Akar-matrikandDanda-matriksystems of music were in vogue in Bengal but Baba preferred the latter, which he followed rigidly. The credit for transformation of rabab, been sursringar, sitar and surbahar in the lines of the sarod goes to him.He made an exception by playingdara-darain sarod, while all the musicians were in the habit of playingdiri-diri. It is said that Hafiz Ali Khan also acted accordingly, but in fact he played on mixeddara-dara. Puredara-daraandrada-radawas an innovation of Ustad Allauddin Khan, and was unique to him. He succeeded in casting his spell on everybody who came in contact with him and transforming them The musicians of the mediaeval period and thereafter had the specialised knowledge of a particular branch of music, while Baba was an exception to this. He modified the system and made a balanced combination of different aspects of music and the credit for the implementation and popularisation of his achievement in the above regard goes to his son and son-in-law. Both of them can be regarded as the concrete symbols of the world-wide success of the originality of his genius.Ustad Allauddin Khan And His Music, by Jotin Bhattacharya, pages 126127************************b.AwardsMany officialrecognition awards were granted to Dr Khan during his lifetime. The following list of awards, titles and honours bestowed on him was compiled from information furnished by his biographers, plus examination of documents at the formergurukulin Maihar.1944Vadya Acharya title from Bhatkhande University of Music, Lucknow1948Attended India's first music conference following Independence1952 Fellow, Sangeet Natak Akademi (National Academy of Performing Arts)1958 Padma Bhushan Award1961 Sangeet Acharya Award, Indrakala Sangeet Vishwavidyalya, Khairagarh1963 Doctorate of Literature Award from Rabindra Bharati University, Calcutta1964Desikottam honorary doctorate Visva-Bharati University Shantiniketan1971 FirstHindustaniclassical musician to receive Padma Vibhushan AwardChapter Four: Teaching and Students1.Home at MaiharMaihar, situated in the hills of Madhya Pradesh, gained its name from Ma-ka-haar, meaning the place where Parvati's necklace descended after she was slain. It was founded by the Rajputs of the Khajuraho clan in 1778, and became part of British India early in the nineteenth century. Its main significance to Hindus is the Shree Shree Sharada Ma temple, which dates back to the sixth century A.D. The temple is perched on top of a hill, and devotees have to climb hundreds of steps to reach it. Some pilgrims take the winding road around the hill for part of the journey but all must climb the last steps to reach the top.Shree Shree Sharada Ma is the State deity of Madhya Pradesh and is generally believed to have supreme powers. Dr Khan was himself a devotee of the goddess and attributed his considerable success in music to her blessings. Until the removal of the monarchies in the years following India's Independence, Maihar State, which measured about 400 square miles, was ruled by the Rajput Princes. The second-last ruler was His Highness Maharajah Brijnath Singh, who worked together with hisguru, Dr Allauddin Khan, to further the cause of music in the state.Shree Shree Sharada Ma Temple at Maihar

According to Bhattacharya, after achieving recognition as a superior-class performance artist and deciding to leave Calcutta, Dr Khan was directed to MaharajahBrijnath Singh ofMaiharStateby renowned harmonium player Shyamlal Khetri, who had been appointed by the Maharajah to find a suitable musician to teach him. The requirements set by the Maharajah were that he must find someone well versed in both vocal and instrumental music, and Allauddin easily fitted this description.After a rather unusual trial which included playing via a telephone link and being repeatedly ordered to change instruments after just a few minutes of playing Ustad Allauddin Khan was chosen as the Maharaja's personal musicguruand appointed as the official court musician of Maihar. However, because he was against the idea of receiving a salary for teaching, Dr Khan was gifted a plot of land by the Maharajah to ensure his income.When Ustad Allauddin Khan was seriously thinking to leave Calcutta, he met Shyamlal Khetri who was deputed by His Highness of Maihar to look around and enlist the services of an all-round musician for him. Therefore, he was in search of a class musician because he was fully aware of the Maharajah's firm determination not to acknowledge any musician as his guru who was not well versed in both vocal and instrumental music. Coincidently he spotted him out and directed him to proceed to Maihar, under specific request to His Highness to enlist his services. Accordingly, Allauddin Khan left Calcutta for Maihar at the first available opportunity.He was received with all cordiality at Maihar and was lodged in the guest house meant for V. I. P.s. He was asked to present himself before His Highness on an auspicious day, earmarked for the purpose. He reached the Durbar on the scheduled date and time and started tuning his sarod under instruction from Ghurrey Maharaj, a Maihar State musician who accompanied him on tanpura. After some time His Highness appeared in audience and enquired of Allauddin Khan's welfare and told him that he had chosen him as his guru without any prejudice. Allauddin thanked him for his kind enquiry and expressed his gratitude for his generous selection. Without wasting any time, His Highness requested him to play on the stringed instrument. As soon as he started his sarod, he became unmindful and asked the musician to take rest. The Ustad was dejected at this show of casual negligence... ... ...************************One of Dr Khan's favourite and most respected disciples, Nikhil Banerjee, painted a vivid picture of life at Maihar, in his essay,My Maestro, As I Saw Him. He made it very clear that there was no room for luxuries and no time for lazing about. Yet, he also described a profoundly sincere and saintlyguruwho was gentle and generous in nature and "bubbling with humanity" but who was also afraid of spoiling his disciples and even his grandchildren if he showed them too much affection. An excerpt from this essay is reproduced below.Maihar is a place of extreme climate and it becomes unbearably hot during the summer because of the limestone factories that surround it. Once, his son Ustad Ali Akbar Khan Sahib bought an air-cooler and took it to Maihar with the expectation that it might give him [Baba] some relief. After a few days it was rejected with scorn. As long as his health permitted him to move, he would wash his own clothes every day and would go to the market to buy his daily necessities; he would not let the students go there and waste their valuable moments of practice.He practised austerity in his own life and had therefore the right to impose it on us. He was a disciplinarian and would never allow the slightest deviation from his ideals of simple living, strict observance of Brahmacharya during our stay at Maihar, a total withdrawal of the mind from all kinds of superficialities, directing all the energy to practice of music and concentration. In going to enforce all this he had to keep up a certain hardness which was, in reality, a show. Stories of Babas severe scoldings, beating with the bow of violin and throwing of tabla hammer are so common that people are sometimes terribly mistaken to assume that he was a kind of an old village schoolmaster lacking in any sophistication, with only the ability to be rather ridiculously stern.But this image of himself he deliberately projected in order not to allow any liberty to the disciple. He always had the tension that soft treatment on his part would only spoil them. One day I heard him speaking out rather candidly, Dont you see that I am a grandsire? Dont I feel like taking them(meaning his grandchildren)in my arms and patting and loving them? But I am afraid it may spoil them. Here was the inner voice which could be heard seldom or never. Beneath the veil of toughness was the soft and tender soul bubbling with humanity.We used to watch with wonder how in different corners of his premises he arranged to set up wooden pieces of shelter-racks to let the birds build up their nests. At the time of his meals these birds would gather around him and he enjoyed their company. Whenever any Sadhu or saint was around, Baba would give him God-like treatment, offering food and clothing. He used to clean with his own hand the left-overs of their food and never let us touch them.Excerpt fromMy Maestro, As I Saw Him, by Nikhil BanerjeeAn essay printed in the bookletAfternoon Ragas, Raga Records Raga 211Sourced 25ndOctober, 2009, at http://www.raga.com/cds/211/211text.html************************The author visited the formergurukulof Dr Allauddin Khan at Maihar for research purposes. The main building, designed by Dr Khan himself, is built in the traditional north Indian style with external walls on all four sides and a central courtyard. The caretaker showed the author around the building. The entrance room where guests were welcomed contains a small amount of seating furniture and a glass display cabinet with some of Dr Khan's prized musical instruments, wrapped in cloth. His personal chamber and that of his wife are kept just as they were when both were alive and living there.The walls of Dr Khan's personal chamber are literally covered with pictures of saints of all denominations, poets, musicians, composers, writers, doctorates and other certificates conferred upon the Ustad, and some important social and political personalities of the time. The walls of his wifes chamber, by contrast, are literally bare except for the one wall facing her bed, which has pictures of her immediate family, and a few posters relating to some events and performances.The following are some photographs taken when the author visited the formergurukulat Maihar. In the first picture, the Ustad and his wife's tombs are in the building to the left, and the main residence is the double-storey red building in front of the gate.

Entrance hall to the former residence (left) and Dr Khan's personal chamber (right)

2.Personality and naturea.Routines, attitudes and behaviourBy all theaccountsof those in a position to really know him, Dr Khan possessed a unique personality with all the positive qualities you could expect to find in a true genius. His dedication to achieving his goals was one-pointed; and this was matched by his intense desire for union with the Divine through music. His intellect was outstanding and his morality was unquestionable; and he expected no less from his students and those he came into contact with, regardless of their standing in society. He was also well known for his strong dislike of the Indian caste system, and for his love and caring attitude towards the under-privileged. On the subject of Dr Khan's personality traits, Bhattacharya wrote as follows.Hewasan intellectual giant and an institution by himself. He was an embodiment of civility and simplicity blended in balanced proportion. He was highly reliable, thoroughly dependable and extremely modest. He was grave but jolly, quiet but lively, polite but manly. He was a man of firm determination and strong conviction. His most amiable disposition and simple manners endeared him to all who came into his contact. All combined, he was a unique personality.Hischaracterwas flawless and he hated people who indulged in immorality. He was not all a diplomat. He did not hesitate to confess his mistakes and hated flattery. His dynamic potentiality in every sphere of his life was impressive.He did not appreciate the sophisticated touch of modern society and did not believe in the invidious distinctions of man-made caste system, which to him were a corrupt practice to undermine the prestige of humanity as a class. According to him, the phenomenal progress of society should in no case be impaired by imposing caste restrictions to the detriment of humanity.Hebelievedin the saying that 'Cleanliness is next to Godliness' and he scrupulously followed the idea and led thesattvika[pure] life of avaishnava.Ustad Allauddin Khan And His Music, by Jotin Bhattacharya, pages 4546************************Allauddin Khan was always inclined to tell the truth even when it might cost him dearly, either physically, when he was beaten by his mother for admitting his truancy, or when it might af