Looking beyond Gharanas

Hamid Ali Khan of Patiala family will be launching his own music academy in Lahore

LAHORE:

Founded by Ustad Bade Fateh Ali Khan and Ustad Ali Baksh Khan, the Patiala Gharana legacy also includes maestros like Ustad Amanat Ali Khan, Asad Amanat Ali Khan, Dilshad Khan and Fateh Ali Khan and more recently Shafqat Amanat Ali. Their contribution to classical music is timeless and this time around, they plan to shatter the stereotype that ‘Gharanas don’t educate beyond their own family’.

Ustad Hamid Ali Khan, the elder brother of Asad Amanat Ali and uncle to Shafqat, is all set to launch a music academy in Lahore.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, Hamid shared his plan to establish an institute for classical music. He said, “Keeping in mind the dire need of promoting music in these tough times I have planned to launch my own academy”.  The academy will be set up in the Defence area of Lahore.

“I want to focus on teaching classical music so that this craft can be passed on to the younger generation,” Khan added.



Though the primary focus of this Gharana has been Ghazal, Thumri, Darbari and Khyal, they are also famous for rendering Ektaal and Teental, Hamid has kept himself open to the option of film music.

Sharing his other future projects, he revealed, “I am currently engaged in different projects. I am singing for film Ishq Positive and my new album will be coming out in two months which comprises of many different poems. I also sang for an Indian film Kya Dilli Kya Lahore, which gained popularity and I am now preparing ‘Tujh bin mora ji nahi lagay’ for a Pakistani film.”

Hamid said he recently came back from India after participating in the Harballabh fair at Jalandhar and Jashan-e-Rekhta. It was an honour for him because he was the only person invited from Pakistan. Stalwarts of classical music also attended the event.

“I have been singing for 35 years and am lucky people across the world love me and want to listen to my music. It is a great charm to sing classical songs in India as they acknowledge talent and classical music,” Khan added.

He said he has always felt honoured learning from his seniors, including Amanat Ali Khan, Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, Ustad Salamat Ali Khan and Nazakat Ali Khan. He has great regard for all of them and considers them to be an asset to classical music. He also appreciated his sons, saying, “I am happy that they are following my footsteps and my sons Nayab Ali Khan, Inam Ali Khan and Wali Hamid Ali Khan are also making good music.”

Khan has won the Pride of Performance Award in 2007 and was also presented with the Sitara-i-Imtiaz Award in 2010 for rendering his services to the music industry of Pakistan.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 3^rd,  2015.

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