Malti Gilani and Quratulain Hyder have written a personal biography of the great singer Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan. The book is both a tribute to the maestro, and a contribution to the history of Indian classical music. The authors trace Khan Sahib’s life from his birth in Kasur, now in Pakistan, to his final days in Hyderabad. Particularly rich in personal anecdotes and events is the period in the 1960s when Malti Gilani was Khan Sahib’s Shagird in Calcutta. Through her close relationship with her guru emerges an evocative account of the world of music in Calcutta, and Khan Sahib’s undisputed place in it. Khan Sahib accepted Pandit Nehru’s invitation to be an Indian citizen, because the people here loved his music. The partition of India separated him from his family virtually for life. Khan Sahib, however, continued to sing in both the Sufi and the Bhakti traditions. Music for him transcended the barriers of religion and nation, indeed, even man and nature: on his last day he heard Raga Todi in the crowing of the cock at dawn. Text of ‘Sabrang’s’ Khayal compositions are appended to the end of the book, so that they may be preserved for posterity in their authentic state. The narrative itself is enriched by frequent quotations from Khan Sahib’s lyrics. There are articles by eminent musicologists about the unique quality of Khan Sahib’s music.
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