![]() In the period immediately following its two greatest exponents, Haddu Khan and Hassu Khan, Hindustani Music produced some of the finest musicians in Khayal. They had their own distinctive styles that attracted several disciples and a also found a following in the listening public. There were many princely states, small and not so small, which maintained a few musicians, vocalists and instrumentalists. And musicians attached to or having been born and brought up and residing in the place or region identified themselves as the musician-Gharana of the place. Thus, there are a number of different gharanas such as the Agra Gharana, Sikandrabad Gharana, Delhi Gharana, Jaipur Gharana, Kirana Gharana, Patiala Gharana, etc. Some of the Gharanas are also named after their originators or innovators, like Alladia Khan-Ka-Gharana, Amanali Khan-Ka-Gharana (also called Bhendi Bazar Gharana), Tanras Khan Ka-Gharana, etc. ![]() In the modern day and age, the Gharana styles have been undergoing changes, some subtle and some rather conspicuous. These changes have been the outcome of easier communication, i.e. the result of quick transmission through the channels of travel, press, gramophone, the radio and the television. In the case of a true artiste, there is always the inner urge for creativity, to give a new shape to his art and seek a new identity. So, even within the confines of Gharanas and tradition, the modern age has produced, off the centre artistes like Amir Khan and Pandit Bhimsen Joshi in the Kirana Gharana, Pt. Kumar Gandharva in the Gwalior style, and Kishori Amonkar. Innovation and assimilation have been the hallmarks of these artists. |