Muscat: Sarod Maestros Amaan, Ayaan Spellbind Audience with Captivating Performance
Media Release
Muscat, Feb 4: The eve of India’s 59th Republic Day was celebrated with much fanfare and a soul-stirring recital by sarod exponents Amaan and Ayaan Ali Khan, at the Embassy of India lawns in Al Khuwair.
The delightful programme was presented by BankMuscat’s ‘Pravasi’, the global financial solutions for NRIs and BankMuscat’s private banking division. The event was meticulously organized by NPA Events and held under the auspices of Anil Wadhwa, ambassador of India to the Sultanate.
H E Anil Wadhwa declared the evening open by announcing the launch of BankMuscat’s ‘Pravasi’ and releasing 59 balloons of the Indian tricolour.
Amaan Ali Khan and Ayaan Ali Khan, sons of well-known sarod maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, held the audience spellbound with their captivating tunes. They displayed their versatility with an extensive repertoire of ragas.
The talented brothers opened the recital with evening raga Puriya Dhanashri and followed it up by playing Raga Malkaus, a night raga.
Ayaan gave a brief explanation about the historical and classical background of the Indian classical music instrument, the sarod, at the beginning and in between the performance.
He explained that the Sarod originates from the Senya rebab, an Indo-Persian instrument played in India in the 16-19th centuries. They also mentioned that it is the fingernails that work magic on steel, giving the sarod its clear, muscular sound.
Although Amaan and Ayaan were playing together, their solo renditions displayed their individual talents. As one tapered off his playing, the other would pick up to produce a smooth flow of the ragas with all their intricate nuances and finish with superb aplomb.
Dedicating the programme to Mahatma Gandhi and wishing for peace all over the world, the duo ended the programme with a rendering of the Mahatma’s favourite hymns Vaishnav Janato and Ram Dhun.
Amaan and Ayaan were accompanied on the tabla by Sandeep Das and Anupradha Chatterjee and on the tanpura by Bhavna Shetty. The programme was brilliantly compered by Chitra Sridhar who opened the show and welcomed everyone.
The evening had the right ambience with the minutest detail well taken care of by NPA Events. There was a distinguishing arch at the entrance and an inviting red carpet with lights emanating from the pots placed along both sides of the walkway, in addition to flower plants placed all over the lawns with the right combination of the colours of the Indian flag and the Pravasi logo.
At the end of the function, Ganesan Sridhar, general manger, commercial banking, BankMuscat delivered a vote of thanks.
Later Anil Wadhwa presented mementoes to all the artistes and specially thanked NPA Events’ executive director Ashok Suvarna for the efforts made by his organization in making the evening a grand success.