Meet the family from Moradabad that has kept the tradition of sarangi alive

How sarangi exponent Murali Ali’s family has preserved the instrument’s place in the world of music

The sarangi is North India’s premier accompanying instrument for vocalists, as it most closely resembles the human voice. Its antiquity dates back centuries — in its current shape and size, the instrument is approximately 250 to 300 years old. The original gut strings were replaced by metal wires in the last 100 years. Hugely versatile, the sarangi is irreplaceable for vocal and Kathak performances. 

Surprisingly, despite its importance, there are very few exclusive gharanas for sarangi players — the two that come to mind are the virtually defunct Jhajjar gharana, near Panipat, and the Jaipur-based family of Ustad Moinuddin Khan. Rajasthan’s Sikar, from where Ustad Sultan Khan hails, also had a few generations of sarangi players. Ustad Mamman Khan, regarded as the greatest sarangi player of the last century, apparently learnt from Ustad Chajju Khan of Morababad.

However, as an instrument, the sarangi was always important, with enterprising musicians from every musical family playing it professionally.  Prominent examples are Pt Ram Narayan (a Padma Vibhushan awardee, he learnt the techniques of the sarangi from his father who played the dilruba), Ustad Shamir Khan, father of iconic vocalist Ustad Amir Khan, Pt. Gopal Mishra of the Benaras gharana (uncle of Pt Rajan-Sajan Mishra), Ustad Shakoor Khan of the Kirana gharana;  Ustad Sabri Khan and Pt. Dhruv Ghosh (son of tabla maestro Pt. Nikhil Ghosh).    

In the second edition of its Legacy Series, the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art chose to focus on the Moradabad sarangi players — the family of Ustad Murad Ali Khan. Wisely, it did not confine the event to only performance — the event was moderated by tabla exponent Aneesh Pradhan, whose bond with Murad and knowledge about his lineage resulted in a meaningful interaction. Murad, representing the sixth generation in his family to play the instrument, recalled his grandfather talking of his grandfather’s memories of music. “Every sarangi player had to learn compositions from every gharana. These rare compositions remain in the family and are a vital source of musical history.”

Like in other sarangi-playing families, in the Moradabad gharana, one also finds sitar players (Fateh Ali Khan) tabla players (Amaan Ali Khan) vocalists (Mohammad Ayaan Warsi).  Only relying on the sarangi for one’s sustenance was not a practical option.

Despite being the best-suited to accompany vocalists, the sarangi is today not the main accompanying instrument, having been overtaken by the harmonium. Younger vocalists who are yet to develop stage confidence sometimes avoid accompaniment by sarangi maestros as their vast repertoire and mastery of intricate taans can be intimidating.   

 Somehow, the sarangi is linked with khayal and thumri gayaki, and less with dhrupad. Vocalists of the Darbhanga gharana of dhrupad, including Pt Siyaram Tiwari, used to have the sarangi accompany them. Perhaps, the lack of good sarangi players who were taught ‘dhrupad’ has resulted in sarangi not being used today in dhrupad concerts.