Sitar maestro Zunain Khan to perform at Capital's India Habitat Centre

New Delhi: Zunain Halim Jaffer Khan, a fifth-generation representative of the Indore Beenkar Gharana and the torchbearer of the Jafferkhani Baaj, will perform on January 30 at 7 pm on Day 2 of the 33rd Pandit Radha Krishna & Pandit Karta Ram Mallick National Dhrupad Samaroh at the India Habitat Centre.

Trained under his father and guru, Padma Bhushan Late Ustad Abdul Halim Jaffer Khan — who invented the Jafferkhani Baaj — Zunain Khan is known for carrying forward a rare and highly sophisticated tradition of sitar.

The core element of the Jafferkhani Baaj is to create fractions within a beat. The notes are delivered through a combination of techniques. The style invokes a much greater use of the left hand in playing including the use of three strings. The technique demands unusual skill and command over rhythm. .

Zunain Khan’s performances do complete justice to the innovative baaj while also leaving the listeners fulfilled. An additional unique feature of his performances is the invocation of the sound of the been instrument on which his gharana is based. Watch here to get a taste of his performance style: Raag Rageshree.

Zunain Khan is grounded in the sufi tradition (Listen here to him playing Sufiyana Rang) and has collaborated with the ‘Saint of Santoor’, Late Pandit Bhajan Sopori and his son, Pandit Abhay Sopori. His versatility extends to playing sitar with the Flamenco artist Pedro Cortes on the guitar in a project called PANI that blended the instruments to the similarities of the dance forms Flamenco and Bharatanatyam.

The concert at the India Habitat Centre is open to the public and free of charge, with seating available on a first-come, first-served basis. For Delhi’s classical music audiences, the evening promises a rare opportunity to experience a living tradition.

Tags : Zunain Khan, Abdul Halim Jaffer Khan, Jafferkhani Baaj, Dhrupad, Sitar