Ali Akbar Khan	Profile
"For us, as a family, music is like food. When you need it you don't have to explain why, because it is basic to life." - Ali Akbar Khan Considered a "National Living Treasure" in India, Sarod Maestro Ali Akbar Khan is admired by both Eastern and Western musicians for his brilliant compositions and his mastery of the sarod. Concert violinist, the late Lord Yehudi Menuhin, called Ali Akbar Khan, "An absolute genius...the greatest musician in the world," and many have considered him the "Indian Johann Sebastian Bach." Ustad Ali Akbar Khan's family traces its gharana (ancestral tradition) to Mian Tansen, a 16th century musical genius and court musician of Emperor Akbar. Ali Akbar Khan's father, the late Padma Vibhusan Acharya Dr. Allauddin Khan, was acknowledged as the greatest figure in North Indian music in this century. Born in 1922 in East Bengal (Bangladesh), Khansahib began his studies in music at the age of three. He studied vocal music from his father and drums from his uncle, Fakir Aftabuddin. His father continued to teach Khansahib until he was over 100 years old, and left behind such a wealth of material that Khansahib feels he is still learning new things from it. Ali Akbar Khan gave his first public performance in Allahabad at age thirteen. In his early twenties, he became the court musician to the Maharaja of Jodhpur. The state of Jodhpur bestowed upon him his first title, that of Ustad, or Master Musician. Many years later, he received the title of Hathi Saropao and Dowari Tajeem at the Jodhpur Palace's Golden Jubilee Celebraton in 1993. Khansahib received the Genius Grant from MacArthur Foundation in 1991, and in 1997 the prestigious National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts presented by Mrs. Hillary Clinton at a ceremony in the White House. He feels most fortunate to receive the title of Swara Samrat (Emperor of Melody) from his guru and father, Baba Allaudin Khan. Recipient of scores of other awards and honors, he has received the Padma Vibhushan award, the highest honor presented to a civilian in India. At the request of Lord Menuhin, Ali Akbar Khan first visited the United States in 1955 and performed an unprecedented concert at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Khansahib founded the Ali Akbar College of Music in Calcutta, India, in 1956, and he founded the Ali Akbar College of Music in 1967. He has taught hundreds of students during the 35 years of his tenure at his college. He has recorded a large number of LPs, cassettes, CDs, four of which were nominated for the Grammy award.