Taking legacy forward

If you love Vilayat Khan's music, tune into his daughter, Begum Yaman K. Khan, who will be performing at the Capital on Thursday

If you love Vilayat Khan's music, tune into his daughter, Begum Yaman K. Khan, who will be performing at the Capital on Thursday

Those who are well-versed with Indian classical music will vouch for sitar maestro Vilayat Khan's contribution in this field.

While Vilayat Khan isn't performing in the Capital yet, those of you who wish to experience similar enchantment, listen to the family torchbearer, Yaman K Khan, the elder daughter of the sitar maestro who will take the stage on Thursday in the Capital with Sufi music and ghazals. This will be followed by a Kathak recital by Chandana Agarwal, the disciple of Ghanshyam Gangani, depicting the love and life of Meerabai.

Going Gharana way
Khan will be bringing back the Sufiana aura with ghazals on Baisakhi. "Lightness of the lamp is the theme for the evening where I will be singing something from my forthcoming album. Sufi kalaam in qawaali form is also another highlight of the evening," says Khan, who is a professional vocalist, specialising in Sufi, folk, ghazals and all forms of semi-Indian classical music. The singer, who belongs to the eighth generation of their gharana, says that her father has made her what she is today. "I would not have been so successful without the teachings and blessings of my father and God. Secondary was the riyaaz (practice) that I did for hours," she adds.

Sibling love
Talking about her childhood days, Khan divulges: "All of us, my brothers and sister are artists but we have our individual style of singing. Music depends on the emotion that of the person, therefore, there is no competition between us, we always encourage each other." Considered among the finest Sufi vocalists in contemporary times, Khan believes only in live shows where she can interact with the audience. "I am basically an audience person and it's difficult for me to sing for Bollywood unless it really touches my heart. Or if someone chooses one of my ghazals, I can think about it," reveals the proud owner of Hazrat Amir Khusrao Award.u00a0

India and abroad
The singer was named by her father after a raga which he was performing when she was born. She discloses about her performances abroad: "Mujhe bahut tajub hota hai (I am very astonished) to see the immense response I get from the people who don't even know the language (Urdu) in Europe. I didn't get a chance to perform in Pakistan but it will be a pleasure if I get a chance." Does she think Indian classical music is losing its charm among the youth? "No I don't think so. I am a semi-classical singer and I think it is very much growing these days. There are many youngsters who are very keen on learning the ragas. I myself teach a lot of students and the youngest one is a four-year-old, who is very enthusiastic," she counters.

' Yaman Khan was born in Mumbai, on June 21. Zila Khan is her sister and she has two brothers -- Shujaat Khan and Hidayather Khan
'u00a0She went to West Wind School at Nepeansea Road, Mumbai. Then she shifted to Simla, lived in Pari Mahal Palace and studied at the Convent of Jesus and Mary.
' She graduated from Dehradun, then did a Diploma in Arts from Royal College of Arts, U.K.
' Khan has a flair for languages like English, Hindi, Bengali, Punjabi, Marathi and Gujarati.
' She also runs a charitable society called Yaman Kalyan Charitable Trust.
' She has received the Hazrat Amir Khusrau Award and Al Kanji Bari Int. Award for excellence and contribution to the world of semi-Indian vocal music.