Ustad Shahid Parvez, India's well-known classical sitar player who belongs to the seventh generation of the Etawah Gharana is visiting and performing in Melbourne on Sunday.
SBS Hindi met with Ustad Parvez where he spoke about his passion for music, his Etawah Gharana and also about his father – noted sitar player Ustad Aziz Khan, who was a professional music composer in Bollywood in the 50s.
"My father composed under pseudonym Aziz Hindi. My father composed in partnership with composer Khaiyyam and the duo was known as ‘Sharmaji and Vermaji,’ Ustad Parvez tells SBS Hindi.
Ustad Shahid Parvez descends from six generation of sitarists. His musical journey began at a very early age of three. He was first trained in classical vocal and then was introduced to Sitar.
Born in Mumbai, India, Shahid Parvez was trained by his father Aziz Khan, who was the son of the sitar and surbahar player Wahid Khan.
Aziz Khan first initiated his son into vocal music and tabla before training him on the Sitar over many years.
Shahid Parvez also got vocal and surbahar training from his uncle Hafeez Khan, a singer and player of the surbahar and sitar.
He also received training in tabla for many years from Munnu Khan of the Delhi Gharana.
His family has produced many instrumentalists in Hindustani classical music including Imdad Khan (his great grandfather), Enayat Khan, Wahid Khan (his grandfather) and Vilayat Khan.
He is a strong believer in the Guru Shishya tradition.
“if you want to learn music, Guru Shishya parampara is the only right way. It is a discipline which one should follow”, said Ustaadji.
Talking about various ragas and about creating a new one, he said, ”the focus should not be on creating a new one. There is no harm in it rather one should immerse into the raga and discover new boundaries within."
Ustad Shahid Parvez Source: Ustad Shahid Parvez
He shares the experience of how he once created a new raga.
“I was to perform at a time which was neither night nor day. So I combined raga Bhinna Sharaj and Lalit. And I named it Bhinna Lalit,” he says.
His advice to all music learners is to love the music. Music is the most beautiful thing in the world.
