An elephant race held during the closing ceremony of five-day beach festival on Sunday. Picture by Eastern Projections

Jan. 18: Sarod maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, in concert with his sons Amaan and Ayaan Ali Bangash last evening, bestowed on the city one of its finest and elevating experiences of Indian classical music.

Khan’s timeless interpretation of the ragas had the 700-odd audience who had assembled at Judges Field, venue of the ongoing Brahmaputra Beach Festival, in raptures, thereby also fulfilling in part the musician’s deepest wish that Assam should get greater exposure to classical music.

A news conference earlier, the Ustad expressed the desire that Assam be made more conversant with the various notes of Indian classical music through concerts and conferences. “The government and educational institutions should invite eminent musicians frequently to the state to familiarise the art-loving people with classical music,” he said.

“Assam has extremely talented young people, who should be given a chance to hone their abilities. I, for one, would be immensely happy to conduct a workshop for those willing to learn the sarod here,” said the musician known for his indomitable belief in the integration of two of life’s greatest forces, love and music.

Last evening’s performance, that promises to remain a memorable night for the hundreds of discerning audience, began an hour late, but the sarod wizard and his sons had the audience glued to their seats for the entire one-and-half-hour-long concert — despite the chilly weather.

The trio was accompanied by Ustad Shafaat Ahmed Khan on the tabla and T. Shekhar on the mridangam.

The concert featured bhajans like Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram, Baishanaba Jana Ko and others, besides the Ustad’s self-composed raga, Ganesh Kalyan. The bandish of the raga Ganesh Kalyan, of course, drew the maximum applause.

“I composed the Ganesh Kalyan to invoke Ganesha during the Ganesh festival in Pune,” Amjad Ali Khan told his mesmerised audience. For the maestro, this composition is a manifestation of his desire that “long-lasting peace reigns in India”.

The concert reached its crescendo with the perfect jugalbandi of Ustad Shafaat Ahmed Khan and T. Shekhar. For the people of Assam, the trio played a special fusion of Bihu and the famous Rabindrasangeet Jodi Tor Dak Shune Keu Na Aashe Tobe Ekla Chalo Re.

Yesterday’s penultimate cultural night of the beach festival began with light-hearted banter, as Bhupen Hazarika warmly felicitated the Ustad, the jowai (son-in-law) of Assam, and welcomed him and his two sons. Ustad Amjad Ali Khan is married to Subhalakshmi Barua who hails from Sivasagar.

The Ustad, who has composed several pieces of music on the theme “Brahmaputra”, plans to record them soon.