There are some musicians who have left an indelible impression on the minds of music-lovers, who would want to remain connected to their art. One such is Ustad Vilayat Khan. Every year, on Guru Purnima, his foremost disciple, Pt Arvind Parikh, makes it a point to bring together admirers of the Ustad and musicians who follow his style of music.
The 2024 edition was held at Geeta Bhavan Hall at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan in Mumbai. The event underlined the significance of the guru-sishya bond in Indian classical music.
A guru is defined by five attributes — gyan (knowledge), vigyan (analytical approach), vachan (the ability to articulate clearly), prayog-siddhi (the ability to demonstrate what he/she wants to teach) and shishya-nishpadan-kshamata (the commitment to mentor the disciple into an artiste). Pt. Arvind Parikh seems to combine these attributes in his music and persona. A dedicated teacher, he remains accessible to his students across the globe.
Being Khan Saheb’s ganda-bandh shagird, Pt. Arvind is one of the principal inheritors of the Vilayatkhani Baaj (style). He painstakingly carries forward the glorious legacy of the Agra gharana. Besides practical lessons, he has recorded a wealth of music material. He has also created a website with detailed information about several raags, their varieties, compositions and much more. This serves both as a musical treasure and lessons for his sishyas.
Ustad Vilayat Khan with his foremost disciple Arvind Parikh. | Photo Credit: The Hindu Archives
Each morning, Pt. Arvind listens to the recordings sent by students who can’t reach him in person. He makes a note of the points to be discussed during the virtual class.
At the Guru Purnima event, addressing the students, he said, “Ustad Vilayat Khan’s parampara (legacy) should live long and all of you have to work towards it.”
The two-day event, showcasing nearly 33 students performing vocal, shehnai, surbahar, guitar and sitar recitals, opened with the screening of the video recordings of Pt. Arvind’s senior disciples.
Pt. Arvind Parikh | Photo Credit: BHAGYA PRAKASH
Soon the hall echoed with the sonorous notes of raag Yaman, compositions studded with well-knit taans, ‘Apni garaj pakad linhi bainyaan…’ the bandish in Bageshri, the haunting melody of the shehnai, a detailed delineation of Malkauns on the sitar, raga Bihag on the guitar, an aalap-jod-jhala in raga Miyan Malhar on the surbahar and the romantic raag Pilu on the flamboyant red Zeetar. The vocalists sang choicest bandish.
Pt. Arvind Parikh sees this annual congregation as a tribute to Ustad Vilayat Khan’s genius. “Sur and laya are the two pillars of music, hold on to them tight,” he said. “At 90, it’s heartening to see so many young artistes and their students joining the celebration. I hope you all will keep it going,” he added.
Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.
