With an eternal love for rhythm and music, Ustad Allarakha not only introduced Indian music to many around the world but also forever changed its landscape within the country.

By Antonia Minnecola

In the short span of one hundred years, India and the world have witnessed the unfolding legacy of Ustad Allarakha. A simple man of humble birth from a family of farmers and soldiers, he became a ground-breaking and much-revered global icon. Internationally, he was best known for his association with Pandit Ravi Shankar beginning in the late fifties and spanning three decades, a partnership which brought unprecedented recognition to Indian classical music the world over. Yet, his path to becoming one of the greatest musicians, composers and gurus of all time is a story unique to him.

The outstanding student

Attracted as a young boy to travelling theatre groups, he was especially intrigued by the tabla. Driven by his own dreams and visions, he ran away from his home in the village of Phagwal near Jammu to Lahore where an uncle took him in. There he met Mian Kader Baksh, the great doyen of the Punjab gharana, who was to become his guru. At their first meeting, the young Allarakha surprised the great maestro, who could not believe that the boy’s hands on the tabla so resembled his own. “Who taught you?” asked Mian ji. “You did,” the boy replied. “But I have never seen you,” said Mian-ji. “But I have seen you,” Allarakha responded.

During his time in Lahore, Allarakha became the most brilliant disciple of Mian-ji. At the same time, he engaged in serious vocal training with Patiala gharana guru Ustad Ashiq Ali Khan. Soon, he was offered a post at All India Radio. There, the Director of Programming, Z.A. Bukhari, was so impressed with Allarakha that he brought him along when he was transferred to All India Radio, Delhi. Bukhari was then made station director at AIR Bombay and promptly appointed Allarakha Director of Programming there.

Once in Bombay, Allarakha became interested in working in the emerging Hindi film industry. His unique talents as a singer, composer and rhythmic maestro made him an ideal music director for films. He quickly became a success under the name A.R. Qureshi with films like Sabak, Maa Baap Ki Laaj, Bewafa and many more, even performing as a playback singer. Though busy in the film industry, the tabla remained his focus and he continued to perform as a soloist and as an accompanist to the greatest classical musicians and dancers of the day. It was at this time that he performed many memorable concerts with his contemporaries also destined for greatness – Pandit Ravi Shankar, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, Nritya Samragni Sitara Devi and Ustad Vilayat Khan, to name a few.

In 1958, he was asked by the Indian government to join a delegation to Japan, a delegation which included Raviji. After this, he and Raviji began to tour internationally. Their meteoric success in Europe and the USA is now the stuff of legend. They performed at the world’s great concert halls drawing packed houses of adoring fans. More importantly, their musical dialogue became the playbook for generations of musicians to come.

The ingenious innovator

Tabla as it is played today is vastly different from the way it was performed 40 or 50 years back. The art of accompaniment has developed in tone production, creative spark, innovative spontaneity and, most of all, in the use of mathematics. The tabla and its practitioners owe all this and more to Ustad Allarakha. Rhythmically challenging and uneven phrasing of kaida patterns and the use of pause (dum) of 1/4, 1/2, 1 1/2, 2 1/2 beats were contributions of this great thinker in the science of rhythm. His ability to almost visually express the combinations and permutations that flew from his tabla was uncanny and unparalleled. He was the first tabla maestro to develop a very musical style of recitation. In his solo recitals, his vocal rendition of the compositions was just as exciting as his tabla performance. Moreover, he was known for his ability to instantly replicate any rhythmic idea of the main artiste he was accompanying, using only the last four or five beats of the rhythm cycle to accomplish this. Thus he created a new kind of call and response accompaniment style, never before heard. It was through his monumental effort that the tabla rose from being a mere supporting and largely ignored part of the performance to receiving elite centre stage recognition. In his time, tabla turned the corner and the bar was set at a dizzying height by Ustad Allarakha, our Abbaji.

The devoted guru

That he is regarded as “Abbaji” almost universally is a tribute to the great care he took as a teacher to so many. He never differentiated between his sons and his students. Knowledge was shared openly and diligently, each student a member of the family. A number of them were even financially looked after by him. Each evening, religiously, one found him in his classroom sharing vidya with his students. The Ustad Allarakha Institute of Music became a meeting point for many musicians visiting from afar and a place for musicians of Mumbai and satellite cities to come and engage in the transmission. The classroom was a place where music was discussed and analysed by many visiting maestros while students watched and learned.

At home, or when Abbaji travelled anywhere in the world, it was no different. The space which he inhabited reverberated with the sounds of taal being kept, bols being recited and knowledge being shared, regardless of who was in the room. Abbaji was purely and constantly engaged in his music, indeed a veritable fountain of theme and variation. Learning sessions with him were anticipated wherever he travelled, students and onlookers regaled with seemingly endless compositions and challenging rhythmic ideas. An interesting aside is that almost always while travelling abroad, Abbaji provided delicious meals cooked by his own hand as he taught, while students served as sous-chefs. Ever the exacting teacher, he was also very caring and treasured his time with his students and fans, always ready to share his gifts, famous for the happiness he exuded both on and off stage.

As his 100th birthday is celebrated on 29th April with an all-day, multi-venue free event at the NCPA, we will witness performances that testify to Allarakha Khansahib’s legacy. More than 100 musicians will assemble to hold forth in a variety of genres, from classical to folk to jazz and collaborative jam sessions. As Ustad Allarakha emerged from India to establish an international career, his work hearkened to what was to follow. He indeed became a bridge from the traditional to today’s burgeoning music world with all its experiments and cross-pollination. As he prodigiously realised a radical and complex strata of rhythmic thought, created a distinct baaj within his own gharana, developed a refined style of accompaniment and elevated the stature of his instrument, Ustad Allarakha caused a profound shift in the way music is played and appreciated. He was an artiste who pioneered Indian culture to the world and brought the imagination of the world back to India. With the sheer beauty of the sound of his hands on the tabla, with his rare versatility and relentlessly prolific thought, with his devotion to his family and students, he indeed strode the world like a colossus. Happy Birthday Abbaji, with deep reverence and love.

This article was originally published in the April 2019 issue of ON Stage.