Ustad Ali Akbar Khan passed away

Sarod maestro Ustad Ali Akbar Khan passed away in San Francisco in the US after a prolonged kidney ailment . 88-year-old Ustad Ali Akbar Khan died at his music centre at 10 am IST.,

The Sarod maestro, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan is survived by wife Mary, three sons and daughter. Pal, a family friend of the sarod maestro, said that he was informed about the death of Khan by the Ustad's family in San Francisco. Khan's secretary in Kolkata Ashish Roy said the maestro, who was on dialysis, had been ailing for over four years and his condition had deteriorated in the last four months.

A recipient of Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan was a colossus in the world of Indian classical music for the last five decades. One of the most accomplished of Indian musicians in the Classical tradition, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan has been designated a 'Living National Treasure' in India - not to mention the fact that he is the object of much admiration in the rest of the world for his absolute mastery of the 25-stringed sarod.

Ustad Ali Akbar Khan (April 14, 1922 - June 18, 2009) was a master of the sarod. His performances worldwide have established the modern sarod idiom and contributed to greater awareness of Indian classical music. Ali Akbar Khan passed away in San Rafael, California, on 18 June, 2009. One of the most accomplished of Indian musicians in the Classical tradition, Ali Akbar Khan has been designated a 'Living National Treasure' in India for his mastery of the 25-stringed sarod.

Ali Akbar Khan was born in the village of Shibpur, Comilla, in present-day Bangladesh (then East Bengal), to Baba Allauddin Khan and Madina Begum. Ustad Ali Akbar Khan began his studies in vocal and instrumental music at very early age under his father.

Ustad Ali Akbar Khan also studied drums from his uncle, Fakir Aftabuddin. His father, Allauddin Khan trained Ustad Ali Akbar Khan on several instruments, but decided finally that he must concentrate on the sarod. After years of rigorous training Ustad Ali Akbar Khan gave his debut performance in his mid-teens. Ustad Ali Akbar Khan became the court musician of the royal family of Jodhpur at the age of 22.

Ali Akbar Khan performed all over India to great applause and rave critical acclaim, and also traveled the world extensively in the West. In 1956, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan founded the Ali Akbar College of Music in Calcutta, with the mission to teach and spread Indian classical music. Two years later, he founded another school of the same name in Berkeley, California; it moved to its present location in San Rafael, California in 1968. Ustad Ali Akbar Khan has been based in the United States since the foundation of the San Rafael school, although he tours extensively. However, ill health in recent times has curtailed this. In 1985 he founded another branch of the Ali Akbar College of Music in Basel, Switzerland.

Ustad Ali Akbar Khan was a past master at outlining a melody with great economy of stroke, which stood him in good stead in his short 78 rpm records in the middle of the last century. His long concert performances progress from the meditative to the exhilarating (gat, jhala) in a highly structured build-up in the Senia beenkar style. He is also a fine exponent of "sawal-jawab", a dialogue between two instruments (usually one melodic and one percussion). Of late, ill health has reduced the frequency of his concerts and affected his physical dexterity on his instrument.

Ustad Ali Akbar Khan has participated in a number of classic jugalbandi pairings, most notably with Ravi Shankar, the late Nikhil Banerjee and the violinist L. Subramaniam. A few recordings of some spectacular duets with Vilayat Khan also exist. He has also collaborated with many well-known Western musicians.

Ustad Ali Akbar Khan has been awarded the Padma Vibhushan in 1989, one of the highest civilian awards in India, as well as a plethora of other awards and honours. In 1997, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan received the National Endowment for the Arts' prestigious National Heritage Fellowship, the United States' highest honour in the traditional arts. This followed a MacArthur Genius Grant in 1991. Khan has also received several Grammy nominations.