Alla Rakha

Allah Rakha Qureshi was born on 29 April 1919 in Ghagwal village in the Jammu Province of the princely kingdom of Jammu and Kashmir under British Raj; today located in the Samba District of the union territory of the same name in India. His mother tongue was Dogri and his family were Muslim Dogras, although most of the Dogra clan around them were Hindus. Finding little chances for grooming and appreciation, the determined young lad began his training in tabla with Mian Kader Baksh of the Punjab gharana of tabla players. Mian Kadir Bakhsh, who had no sons, formally adopted Alla Rakha and called him the next head of the Punjab gharana of tabla players (a 'gharana' is a community of musicians sharing a distinctive musical style). Allah Rakha had a third daughter named Roohi Bano (1951–2019) who was born in Pakistan and achieved a "legendary" status in television and film acting in that country. ==Career==

Ustad Alla Rakha began his career as an accompanist in Lahore and then as an All India Radio, Delhi staffer in 1936 but later moved to Bombay in 1940, playing the station's first ever tabla solo and elevating the instrument's position in the process. Soon after, he also started composing music for Hindi/Urdu films under the name A. R. Qureshi. He composed for a total of 23 films between 1943 and 1964. However, he still played as an accompanist, for soloists like Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, Allauddin Khan, Vilayat Khan, Vasant Rai, Ali Akbar Khan, and Ravi Shankar. The master achieved world renown as Shankar's chief accompanist during his apex in the 1960s, delighting audiences in the West with his wizardry, not only as an accompanist with timing and sensitivity but also as a soloist where he was a master of improvisation, a composer and an electric showman. His musical partnership with Ravi Shankar was particularly successful and lasted nearly three decades, and their legendary and spellbinding performances at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967 and the Woodstock Festival in 1969 served to introduce classical Indian music to general audiences worldwide. Alla Rakha also was a devoted music teacher. He founded 'Alla Rakha Institute of Music' in Mumbai in 1985. ==Global influence==

Alla Rakha popularised the art of tabla, playing across the globe, elevating the status and respect of this instrument. "Abbaji" (as he was affectionately known by his disciples) also bridged the gap between Carnatic music and Hindustani music by playing with both renowned Carnatic musicians and other Hindustani stalwarts. Ravi Shankar and Alla Rakha duo represented India at several international music festivals. Alla Rakha's partnership with Ravi Shankar began in the early 1950s. ==Awards and recognition==

• Padma Shri in 1977 ==Death and legacy==

Qureshi died on 3 February 2000 at his Simla House residence on Nepean Sea Road following a heart attack, which he suffered on learning of the death of his daughter, Razia, the previous evening during cataract surgery. In his obituary, The New York Times called him "the most important tabla drummer of his generation". The newspaper further stated that Alla Rakha was given the title Ustad or master musician and teacher of the art of tabla playing. Alla Rakha... "used his skill to invigorate every musician who shared the stage with him." The Then-Prime Minister of India Atal Bihari Vajpayee also issued a formal statement regretting the loss in his death. ==See also== • Zakir Hussain • Kishan Maharaj • Anokhelal Mishra • Samta Prasad • Yogesh Samsi • Peter Szalai ==References==