PLAYING THE TUNE: Khan

What do you call an Indian sitarist who has just returned from a performance in the Japanese Parliament to mark the 50th anniversary of Indo-Japanese diplomatic relations; carries the onus of perpetuating the Imdadkhani gharana which is now in its seventh generation; has collaborated with John McLaughlin, Philip Glass and flamenco star Paco Pena; and is planning a major project in Bollywood? Appropriately, the Global Indian. Or, in this case, Nishat Khan, the son and disciple of Imrat Khan.

ARRIVALS

Tanhaiyaan HMV; Rs 35 A compilation of 12 old hits from Hindi films—Arth, Gharonda, Mere Apne, etc—this album celebrates loneliness.

Talisma Free Spirit; Rs 75 Five of the nine tracks are remixes from Toufiq Qureishi's own album but Ustad Allahrakha sings here one lone time.

The fresh music of Khan, 40, was borne out of an obsession that began very early: at age four. "You don't know when and how it starts but it is the sweetest of all seductions," says Khan. "You don't teach a fish to swim when it's born-it starts swimming on its own. That was my case. When I went to school, I would either be humming or giving taal on the writing desk while the teacher was giving lessons. I told my father I could not concentrate on school. He understood." What followed was a turning point: Khan had to undergo chilla, 40 days of rigorous discipline and learning, to prove that he would follow the legacy of his forefathers.
In his quest for reaching out, the musician has done a plethora of collaborations. "Please don't call it 'fusion'," implores Khan, who has worked on soundtracks for films, including Merchant Ivory's Heat and Dust and Bernardo Bertolucci's Little Buddha. The other project he is fiercely proud of is his album, Meeting of Angels, released by Amiata Records last year, where he worked with the Gregorian Choir in France. "It was an ideal journey backwards in time. Music is the language, the sound of the soul. Where words cannot, music communicates, reaches and compensates," elaborates Khan.

One of the young exponents who straddle the traditional and the modern, Khan says, "I am of today, I am of tomorrow. What has happened in the past is the great gift of my masters."
He lashes out at critics who accuse him of sensationalising his performances. "Sensationalism is a part of music. I want to make the lay listener understand what I play. It's a challenge for a musician to communicate and make people understand his art," he says, adding that a musician who can't do it is a failure.

His efforts are now paying dividends. Khan's talent is being widely acknowledged. And what's more, he is a globetrotter with a home in London. "I love good clothes and I like to look good," Khan says. His life, though, revolves around sitar: "It is my life, wife and everything. I lead a gypsy life. The world is my country and the whole world, a stage."