About:
- Imrat Khan (1935 – 2018) was an Indian sitar and surbahar player and composer. He is credited for keeping the art of playing surbahar alive.
- Family:
- He was the younger brother of sitar maestro Ustad Vilayat Khan.
- His father Enayat Khan and grandfather Imdad Khan were recognised as a leading sitar and surbahar player of their time.
- Awards and Honours:
- In 1988 he received Sangeet Natak Akademi Award.
- In 2017, he was conferred with the Padma Shri, however he refused to accept the award stating it came too late.
Surbahar:
- Surbahar, sometimes known as bass sitar, is a plucked string instrument used in the Hindustani classical music
- It is closely related to the sitar, but has a lower tone.
- History: The surbahar was developed around 1825 by Ghulam Mohammed, a sitar player from the Awadh principality to combine the handling convenience of the sitar with the melodic potential and acoustic richness of the rudra veena.
Imdadkhani gharana (Etawah gharana):
- Ustad Imrat Khan belonged to the ‘Imdadkhani gharana’, the school of sitar and surbahar performance named after his grandfather Imdad Khan.
- It is also known as the ‘Etawah gharana’, after a small town close to Agra where Imdad Khan lived.
- The gharana's achievements includes –
- the development of the Surbahar,
- major structural changes to both the sitar and surbahar and
- the creation of the instrumental style known as the gayaki ang (vocal style performed on sitar) by Vilayat Khan. This style of sitar is now known as the Vilayatkhani sitar.
