Ustad Vilayat Khan: A Life Set to Music

He is the maestro of the sitar who can create musical magic on its strings. As aficionados say, when Ustad Vilayat Khan plays, you are guaranteed and unforgettable melodic experience-a medley of ragas played in the purest classical traditions. For Vilayat Khan, life has been a colourful musical journey. He was born into an illustrious gharana that traces its roots to the legendary Mughal singer Mian Tansen. He is the son of the sitar legend Ustad Inayat Khan, but had to face years of struggle as his father died young. Today Vilayat Khan continues to play in the gharana’s tradition of gayaki ang. This is the story of a musician whose talents were recognised when he was a child, and who dedicated his life to his only passion-the sitar.