Ebook: The Art of Tabla Rhythm: Essentials, Tradition and Creativity

THIS book climaxes a lifelong interest. Rhythm has fascinated me from my very childhood; and so this academic fruition of my commitment to the art, at the age of eighty-three years, is very satisfying. As I grew up, I had the privilege of nurturing the interest in every possible way, namely, the following: first, years of systematic and dedicated learning under the doyen of the Ajradia gharana of tabla playing, the late Ustad Habeebuddin Khan, at Meerut (in U.P.); second, serving the A.I.R. (Delhi, Calcutta) as a staff artist (1945-48); thirdly, participation in most of the important music conferences of the country, mainly as accompanist, to almost every leading exponent of music (both vocal and instrumental) and Kathak dance of my day (1945-1995) including such legendary maestros as Ustads Faiyaz Khan, Bade Ghulam Ali Khan and Amir Khan (vocal); Ustads Vilayat Khan and Abdul Halim Jaffer Khan, and Pandit Nikhil Banerji (sitar); and Sarvashree Acchan Maharaj, Damayanti Joshi, and Roshan Kumari (Kathak dance). (from the Preface)