(29 April 1919 to 3 Feb 2000)
By : Ravi Rohmetra
Special on the Occasion of his 107th birth Anniversary which falls on 29th April 2026
A Legendary Tabla player Padma Shree ,he was an Indian Tabla Maestro who specialized in Hindustani classical music. He was born at Phagwal village of Jammu.
Jammu The City of Temples is widely known as a Pious Land where saints , and Peers were born or have adopted this sacred place as their area of operations. At the same time , this land has also given birth to many writers , artists and Literatures who have not only won critical acclaim and appreciation at National and International Level but have also brought Laurels to the region they belong to . They inspire and are being followed by millions worldwide whenever we talk of Hindustan classical Music, there are few names that haunt our memories as they are instrumental for this pious land being recognized across the world. They are our pride as they brought laurels to the motherland through their remarkable achievements in the field of classical music one of them is Ustad Alla Rakha Khan.
Ustad Allah Rakha Khan, the country’s Leading Tabla Exponet was born on 29th April 1919 at Phagwal Village of Dist. SAMBA, Jammu in a Punjabi Gharana. His mother tongue was dogri. He became fascinated with the sound and rhythm of the tabla at the age of 12 years. He used to be fascinated by the sound of tabla while staying with his uncle at Gurdaspur. Being deeply influenced by the tabla sound , he in the teen age ran away from his home and became the discipline of Miyan kadar Bakshi of Punjab Gharana who initiated him into the world music. He studied voice and Raag vidya under Ashiq Ali Khan of the patiala gharana. He regimen of practice and dedication were legendary, hours upon hours of hard, disciplined practice, that would later pay off and started his career in All India Radio Staffer in Mumbai in 1940 and later composed music for a couple of hindi films between 1943 and 1948. In 1958, Ustad Allah Rakha khan made his first international stage appearance in Japan along with Pandit Ravi shanker. Ustad Allah Rakha Khan on the tabla and Ravi Shanker on the sitar, the Jugalbandi created a rare blend of music and earned international fame. It was during the period when foreigners took an instant liking for Indian music. In Mumbai he used to teach the students on the finger aspects of tabla at his “ustad Allah Rakha Khan Institute of Music” at Shiva Ji park. He was married to Bavi Begum, and had three sons Tabla wizard Zakir Hussain, fazal Qureshi andTaufiq qureshi, a daughter, Razia, whose death preceded his by less than 24 hours. However, he still played as an accompanist, for soloists like bade Ghulam Ali Khan, Allauddin khan, Vilayat Khan, Vasant Rai, Ali Akbar Khan and most notably Ravi shankar. The venerable master achieved world renown Ravi Shanker’s chief accompanist during his apex in the 1960s, delighting audiences in the west with his percussive wizardry, not only as uncanny accompanist with flawless timing and sensitivity but also as a soloist where he was a master of improvisation, a prolific composer and an electric showman. The partnership was particularly successful, and his Legendary and spellbinding performances with shankar at Monterey pop Festival in1967 and the Woodstock festival in 1969 served to introduce classical Indian music to general western audiences. He became a Guru to Sankha Chatterjee (in 1962). Yogesh Samsi, prafulla Athalye, Aditya kalyanpur, Anuradha pal, Nishikant Barodekar, Uday Ramdas, Shyam kane, and his sons Taufiq Qureshi and Fazal Qureshi. His eldest son, Zakir Hussain is also an accomplished tabla virtuoso. Ustad Allah Rakha Khan popularised the art of tabla, playing across the globe, elevating the status and respect of his instrument. Abba Ji (as he was affectionately known by his disciples) also bridged the gap between carnatic music and Hindustani music by playing with both renowned carnatic musicians and other Hindustani stalwarts. Leading American percussionists in Rock n’ Roll such as the Grateful Dead’s Mickey Hart, admired him and studied his technique, benefiting greatly even from single meetings. Hart, a published authority on percussion in world music, said “Allah Rakha is the Einstein, the Picasso; he is the highest from of rhythmic development on this planet. Allah Rakha also collaborated with Jazz drummer Buddy Rich, on their 1968 album Rich Allah Rakha. Ustad allah Rakha khan was honoured with Padma shree Award in 1977 and was recipient of Sangeet Natak Academy Award in 1982. ustad Allah Rakha Khan, who raised the tabla to the status of a solo instrument, died of heart attack on 3rd of Feb,2000. In the age of 81 years due to a great shock relating to the death of his younger daughter Razia on 2nd of feb,2000 at his Shimla House residence at Na pean Sea Road Mumbai. He is survived by three sons and a daughter. The people in Jammu and Kashmir had great pride in this highly accomplished instrumental musician Allah Rakha. The people of Jammu still cherish the memory of a delightful performance by pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma Santoor Maestro and Allah Rakha tabla wizard at Abhinav Theatre, Jammu, quite some time back. Speaking on the occasion, Allah Rakha recalled the thunderous applaud both of them received in united states of America of their music concert in that country and said that it was bound to get such appreciation because “Two Dogra music artists were performing”.
RAVI ROHMETRA
Social Worker and writer, M.no: 9419652999
E-mail: [email protected]
