Sarangi maestro lakha Khan talks to Divya Kaushik about his custom-made instrument, his recent album that helped him document his legacy and difficulties in taking ahead his musical tradition
Words like legend and maestro that are mostly used as a prefix to his name internationally, make little sense to lakha Khan. The man in his late 60s is only overwhelmed by the love he receives from every corner of the world. The sarangi player and vocalist is known as the greatest exponent of sindhi sarangi. He was born in village Raneri in Jodhpur to a family of traditional Manganiyar musicians. Khan promised his father that he would play until he dies to take forward the family legacy of folk music. His father told him that till the time he will play, people will remember him, otherwise his destiny will not continue. Khan is keeping up his promise and the number of concerts and international tours has only gone up in the last few years. The musician was recently at lodi-The Garden Restaurant to perform at an event organised by Friends of Music.
Khan was trained at an early age by his father, Tharu Khan, and later by his uncle Mohammad Khan in rendering the compositions of the Multan school of Manganiyars. He says, “My father has been a great influence in my life. As a child, I found the sound of his sarangi very sweet. From the age of eight till 14, all I did was listen and watch him tune. Once he asked me to accompany him for a performance. I refused. I was beaten up and I didn’t speak to him for a week. My mother didn’t cook for those seven days since I was her favourite kid. But later my father told my mother that she should not worry and I will become a master of sarangi. I finally started assisting my father by tuning his sarangi. But unfortunately, I could only learn from him for two years, as he passed away. I was 16 then and decided that I will continue practicing whatever my father taught me.”
Khan’s instrument is complex. His sindhi sarangi consists of 27 strings and all his sarangis are custom-made. He works closely with the suthar (carpenter) on all aspects of the sarangi — from the design, to the markings of the placement of strings, grommets and tension boles. The instrument he plays currently is about 14 years old, “but my most precious sarangis are the ones that were handed down to me by my father and my grandfather.”
From Edinburgh Music Festival to Amarras Desert Music Festival, Khan has staged his performances at many prestigious platforms. “I love playing at these festivals as youngsters not only enjoy the music but also understand it, which I like the most. Whenever I play, I go by my instinct and mood. Earlier I used to stress on playing solo, otherwise I had to play as per the musicians playing alongside and some of them were really bad,” says Khan who feels fortunate to share stage with several greats including Sultan Khan, Rita Ganguly, Vieux Farka Toure and Madou Sidiki Diabate.
It is said that digital records today are the best way to document legacy and may be that is why Khan came up with his album At Home lakha Khan, which released on Amarrass Records in December 2012 in India, in the US in 2013 and this year in the UK. “It feels great to finally get out an album in my name at this age. Its songs are not just about mythology, but there’s a song for almost every moment of life. There are songs for the seasons, songs about trees, animals and panihari songs. Our songs are a historical record maintained in families as an oral tradition. last week some kids studying in the US (from Phalodi) visited my village as they had heard my music and albums. I can see that youngsters today are interested in folk forms but that interest has to be driven by awareness,” adds Khan.
It comes as a surprise that for someone like Khan, whose music is followed internationally, it is difficult to take forward the tradition of music in his family. He says, “It has been really difficult. My elder son Dane played dholak with me. Unfortunately, that has not happened lately. My youngest son was learning well but then he met with an accident. He was working as a labourer installing glass sheets. He never fully recovered from the injuries he suffered on his hand.”