SAROD GHAR
- The background

Ustad Haafiz Ali Khan Saheb of Gwalior, father and Guru of Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, was one of the foremost classical instrumentalist of his time. Born in 1877, He belonged to the fifth generation in the Bangash family that is credited with the Sarod’s origin and development. The Ustad Haafiz Ali Khan Trust was formed in the year following the death of Ustad Haafiz Ali Khan Saheb in 1972. The objectives of the Trust are to propogate the memories of past masters and promote Indian classical music all over the world.

The first event planned by the Trust was a 17 day long music festival in Calcutta honouring the memory of Ustad Haafiz Ali Khan. Since then the Trust has been hosting the Ustad Haafiz Ali Khan music festival, and from 1985, presenting the Haafiz Ali Khan Award to artistes from all over the world for their contribution to the world of Music. The award functions are rotated between the 5 major metro cities and Gwalior, birthplace of Ustad Haafiz Ali Khan.

Some of the recipients of the Haafiz Ali Khan Award are Pandit Kishen Maharaj, Ustad Vilayet Khan, Ustad Bhimsen Joshi, Semmangudi R. Srinivasier, Smt. M. S. Subhalakshmi, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, Pandit Birju Maharaj and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. Among the international awardees are Igor Frolov, John Williams, Julian Bream, Anne Sophie Mutter, Prof. Neil Sorrel and the latest being John McLaughlin. Over 50 musicians and musicologists have been honoured with this award.

It must be mentioned that without the support of our well wishers and patrons we would not have been able to felicitate our guests and awardees in a deserving manner and will always be indebted to dignitaries like President A. P. J Kalam, Smt Sonia Gandhi, PM Shri Manmohan Singh, Former PM Shri Atal Behari Vajpayee, Vice President Shri K. R. Narayanan, Rajmata Smt. Vijayraje Scindia, Shri Pranab Mukherji, Shri Arjun Singh and others who took out time to be a part of the award ceremonies over the years.

Haafiz Ali Khan Saheb, the museum has been housed in what was once the family’s ancestral home in Gwalior. The house has a colourful history with four generations of Sarod players being born there.

The inspiration for this project came when Ustad Amjad Ali Khan visited the birthplace of Beethoven in Germany realized that there have been no museums or memorials built in memory of our own great musicians, artists and writers, where admirers and connoisseurs alike could get an insight into the life and times of the artiste and pay their homage.

The museum houses a collection of old and contemporary instruments belonging to great and illustrious musicians of the past. It also houses an impressive collection of photographs and documents. There is a plan to compile a database on classical music in the form of books, articles, audio and audio-visual recordings to make available to musicologists and music lovers.

Today, Sarod Ghar is one of the most prominent cultural landmarks on the city's cultural map. It can be considered one of the oldest institutions of the country in the sense of a classical tradition being given a contemporary and relevent physical form and an extended functionality. For the musicologist and connossieur, it has become a place of pilgimage; to the casual tourist, it gives an insight into the way of life that classical music inspires; to the student, it is a place to connect to the evolution of the art-form; to the young musician, it provides patronage and a platform to present their art, to the great and established musicians, it is an institution whose recognition and showcasing of their talant is greatly respected and appreciated; to the past masters of music who may have come across hard times, it is an institution that they can rely on for any sort of assistance, whether financial or health-care; to the general public, it is a place to experience the world of classical music through its exhibits, recordings and in-house performances.

Since 1996, the museum has been supported mainly by private donations through its trustees, music lovers and patrons of Indian art and culture. As with most philanthropic funded endeavors, it has been a labour of love for us, at our individual level, to devote the time and effort required to manage a project of this magnitude. As a growing intitution with growing needs, we recognise the need for a professional management that will do justice to the capabilities of the institution. We are are thus actively searching for an organization or sponsor who would be in a position to either fund or assist in managing the activities of the Museum and the Trust.

We would welcome the participation and collaboration from a philanthropic organization or company willing to share our vision of promoting and disseminating knowledge on our classical heritage.

SAROD GHAR - A MUSEUM OF MUSICAL HERITAGE

Creating Sarod Ghar has been a hard but satisfying journey for us. In creating this museum of musical heritage, our main achievements have been:

• Establishing a unique cultural institution devoted to classical music, perhaps the first of its kind, in the country.
• Creating and displaying one of the finest collections of musical instruments belonging to past masters of Classical music.
• Displaying one of the finest collections of photographs and portraits of classical musicians.
• Creating one of the most active and prestigious hubs of classical music in the country. Performing or listening to a concert in the courtyard at Sarod Ghar is a unique experience for both the artiste and the connoisseur.
• Achieving recognition from not only artistes and leaders, but from the day to day visitors and music lovers, for whom a visit to the museum is akin to a pilgrimage.
• Putting Gwalior back on the map of classical music, it having once been the musical capital of the country for many centuries.

Sarod Ghar is still in its infancy and we still have a lot to accomplish. It is our now our intention to make a concerted effort to bring the institution up to the desired level of excellence. In brief, the areas which we need to work on are:

• Completing the museum as per its aims and objectives. We are working on the content and a display system to create a world class experience.
• Upgrading the exhibition facilities to make them more informative. This would include interactive displays with sound to add another dimension to the instruments exhibited. Concepts of classical music such as raga, guru-shishya parampara, riyaaz and sadhana need to be elaborated.
• Displaying one of the finest collections of photographs and portraits of classical musicians.
• Installing trained professional management and staff to run the institution. The museum needs a team of professionals to create the experience desired.
• Organizing the programming calendar to promote the activities of the museum. This would include in- house performances, an annual music festival, lecturedemonstrations, workshops in music, teaching under the guru-shishya parampara.
• Creating a museum manual on running and care of the property and exhibits. Gwalior has an extreme climate which needs to be addressed.
• Collecting more material for the museum and library including display items, books, audiovisual recordings, photographs etc.
• Creating the necessary activities and developing ties with government and corporate agencies as well as tour promoters to create an itinerary that would make use of the museum in a mutually beneficial manner.

Since 1996, the museum has been supported mainly by the personal funds of the family and private donations through its trustees, music lovers and patrons of Indian art and culture. Budget constraints over the last many years has made running the museum a very difficult proposition and at present it is running short of its potential.

We realize that without the correct inputs in terms of personnel and funds, we are facing an uphill task. We are looking for bringing on board other organizations, institutions, and well wishers with the right expertise to help us in realizing our goals.

MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS

The Sarod Museum called SAROD GHAR* is a unique institution devoted to promoting Indian classical music, heritage and culture. Under the aegis of Haafiz Ali Khan Memorial Trust, through this 'window' to the past, music lovers can gain a better understandi`ng of the evolution and history of North Indian Classical Music and can get a deeper perspective and insight into the context of the art as it exists today.

The City of Gwalior is famous as an ancient seat of culture with a colourful history going back to the sixth century. Due to its location in the heart of India, it has been a melting pot of cultures and civilizations. This synthesis has manifested itself in a highly developed musical tradition reaching a peak during the reign of Emperor Man Singh Tomar in the early sixteenth century. Mian Tansen, perhaps the best known vocalist of all times was born in Gwalior in 1606, reaching the pinnacle of frame in the court of mogul emperor Akbar.The aim of setting up this institution is to create awareness and respect for classical music, musicians and the variety of instruments of India. The museum houses a collection of old and contemporary instruments, belonging to great and illustrious musicians of the past, on which they pursued their practice. Their immortality is thus enshrined in this institution.

SAROD GHAR also houses an impressive collection of photographs and documents. Work on compiling a database on classical music in the form of books, articles, audio and audio-visual recording is in progress. The road on which the museum stands has been named Haafiz Ali Khan Marg by the Govt. of Madhya Pradesh.The other objectives are:- To document the evolution of East Indian classical music and instruments.

- To illustrate the rich heritage of Gwalior in the field of classical music.
- To promote the relevance of the guru-shishya parampara (Teacher-disciple tradition / relationship) in classical music education.
- To provide a forum and platform for musician and scholars to express their art and views before a discerning audience.

The museum has been housed in the ancestral home of Amjad Ali Khan, the renowned sarod Maestro, who donated the property to the trust for this purpose. The house has a colourful history with four generations of Sarod players being born here.

The first instruments exhibited were the instruments belonging to his forefathers. The rabab of Ghulam Bandagi Khan Bangash, the Sarods of Nanne Khan, Asghar Ali Khan and Haafiz Ali Khan are part of this collection.Subsequently, musicians and well-wishers from all over the country have come forward to contribute the instruments belonging to a number of great Masters and gurus of the past. The Collection now includes the Tanpura of Krishnarao Shankar Pandit, Violin of Allauddin Khan, the Tabla of Ahmed Jaan Thirakwa, Kanthe Maharaj and Kader Bux.

The Building has been remodeled based on the traditional building techniques of Gwalior using the local stone craftsmanship. The result is a stunning assimilation of old and new architecture, where the sanctity and purity that

resides here has been translated into a composition in stone. In the words of Amjad Ali Khan."In this building, wherever you look, there is Rhythm and Sound…

Activities:
The Museum conducts regular audio programmes and live performance for the public in keeping with its aims and objectives. The central courtyard is designed as an open-air auditorium for live performance. Here is an event to be experienced in true, a classical baithak (sit-down gathering).The Museum will also collect and make available to the public a database on classical music in the form of books, articles,