My Father, Our Fraternity

My Father, Our Fraternity is an intensely personal memoir which brings alive the rich classical music tradition from the early twentieth century to the present. Amjad Ali Khan offers an insider’s view of this era, through the life and times of his father, the famous sarod icon, Ustad Haafiz Ali Khan. He also affords us a glimpse into the deeply held traditions of Indian classical music, like the guru-shishya parampara, and the unique ways in which taleem (training) is imparted. As Amjad Ali Khan grows from a child prodigy to an accomplished musician, he expresses an acute sense of responsibility towards his guru and his family’s musical legacy, passed on from ancestors who created the sarod. The personal and the professional are intertwined in this book as they are in the author’s life. His friendships, relationships, and the milieu in which he has lived and performed, make for a delightful read for anyone who is interested in the classical music and musicians of India.