When Prince Charles told Amjad Ali Khan, 'I cannot vouch for my legacy, but your legacy will continue'

Amaan Ali Bangash & Ayaan Ali Bangash with Anubrata Chatterjee on the tabla at Taj St James's Court

Few years ago, when Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash performed for the then Prince Charles at High Grove Estate, the latter took to the microphone and told sarod maestro and their father Amjad Ali Khan, "I cannot vouch for my legacy, but your legacy will continue" 

On Wednesday (11 January 2023), the senior Khan recounted the incident at Taj St James's Court, London to a wide applause in a conversation with Amish Tripathi, celebrated author and Director of Nehru Centre.  

It was an evening of magic and splendour, which consisted of live performance by the brothers followed by a small tutorial on the intricacies of Indian classical music in the form of a Q&A. 

"India is the only country where we have two traditions of classical music. I often say that I am not very comfortable to call it Hindustani and Carnatic as if Carnatic is not Hindustani. I do not know why these terms were created. It should be called Indian classical music of North India and Indian classical music of South India," said Amjad Ali Khan.

Amaan and Ayaan belong to the seventh generation of a musical lineage and the audience got a glimpse of their brilliance in the just over 30 minutes of their performance. The brothers came across as humble and grounded obliging people with pictures and responding to compliments by thanking people for taking time out to see them perform.

Amjad Ali Khan joined his sons for a conversation with Amish Tripathi

Just two days earlier, the family whose ancestors invented the sarod six generations before, performed at Wigmore Hall where the Indian high commissioner to UK, Vikram Doraiswami was among those present in the audience. It was described as an east-meets-west celebration.

"Swar hi Ishwar hain," said Amjad Ali Khan, as he expounded on how he has great regard for European music. The collaboration between East and West, he said "is a beautiful bouquet of our love and respect to the world. We have the freedom in our family to listen to any kind of music." Although it was only Amaan and Ayaan who performed accompanied by tabla player Anubrata Chatterjee, the 77-year-old Amjad Ali Khan made it up with his witty and sharp answers.    

A member of the audience asked Subhalakshmi Barooah Khan, Amjad Ali Khan's wife, and mother of Amaan and Ayaan, why she didn't get her sons to pursue any dance form considering she is an acclaimed Bharatnatyam dancer herself. "I don't like men dancing," she quipped before adding she can anyway make them dance to her tune in the house. On a serious note she said, she felt her sons had more to give to the world through the sarod which they learnt from their father at a young age.

Mehrnavaz Avari, Head of Taj's UK operations and Sudhir Sharma, SBI London Regional Head felicitated the family  

At the Taj St James's Court it was truly her sons who made those present dance to their music!