MSLF 2023 Blog


The Final Generation: Mukhtar Musical Shop

By plugin inactive on February 15th 2023

Mukhtar Musical Shop, is a tree that was planted aeons ago by forefathers of Kaleem Ali. The shop came into existence twelve years ago but the work done at Mukhtar Musicals has been eight-ten years old. Kaleem Ali, is the sixth generation of his family who took up the job of percussion instrument making

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Meena Harmonium Workshop

By plugin inactive on February 15th 2023

Meena Harmonium was established by Mohammad Ateeq in 1955, near the Akbari Gate in Lucknow. A few years later it was shifted to a spot near Ghulam Hussain bridge, Chaupatiya where it stands to this day. Mohammad Ateeq had learned how to make harmoniums from a shop in Latouche Road where worked for a few years before moving out and starting a shop of his own. According to his son, he has worked alongside Naushad, the famous music director from Lucknow.

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Harmonium Workshop Aishbagh

By plugin inactive on February 15th 2023

A 64-year-old man sits outside a shed on a plastic chair. This shed contains the lifelong work of his father along with his own sweat and tears. Harmoniums are stacked in every corner for as far as one’s eyes can reach. The place is full of the sounds of wood being cut and carved into something special. Another man sits stooped over a harmonium, tuning it expertly. For a second, if you close your eyes, the world stands still.

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Azad Sitar Workshop

By plugin inactive on February 15th 2023

Coming from the famous city of New Delhi, Mehmood Ahmed recites his story centered around the beautiful craft of making sitars. A sitar is a stringed instrument belonging to the lite family, it originated in the Indian subcontinent and is often used in classical, calming pieces. Now residing in the complex Qaiserbagh, Lucknow, Mehmood Ji works at his workshop daily. When he first came to Lucknow, Mehmood Ji learned the art of hand-crafting sitars from multitudes of sources, however, the one that stood out to him the most was the experience he withheld from Allan Saheb and Sons

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Akram Tabla Workshop

By plugin inactive on February 15th 2023

Akram Tabla, is not just a mere musical instrument it is a body of work whose intricate building process makes stand out from any other tabla. It is whole universe that keeps expanding with every generation despite the commercial challenges it might face but despite it has still managed to sustain itself. Mohammad Akram a worker at Akram Tabla Shop, has been a part of this industry for over eighteen years. Although he does not come from a background of family business but the skill he learnt was indeed found in the hands of his forefathers as well.

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Kalka-Bindadin Gharana

By plugin inactive on February 2nd 2023

Lucknow has been an originating space for numerous art forms. The culture of the city and the genius of the maestros there have helped refine and polish those art forms to eventually give them a gharana. The gharana culture in the city is homespun and remains a coveted concept. One such art form and its gharana that originated in the heartland of the city was Kathak, founded by Pandit Ishwari Prasad Mishra.

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Brass Bands in Lucknow

By plugin inactive on February 2nd 2023

A few years before 1920, a circus ship sank, giving a man the freedom to pursue his dream. Babban Master was a trumpeter in the Kamala Circus’ orchestra before he made up his mind to leave and set up his own shop. Times were tough and money was running low, so a friend gave his shop to Babban so he could set up his own business. Therefore, in 1920, the International Band got its name and was set up at Latouche Road, Lucknow.

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Bhatkande Sanskriti Vishwavidyalaya

By plugin inactive on February 2nd 2023

In 1923, an English conference called the National Music Conference was held to decipher the future of music studies of the students of India. The conference was attended by all the high-profile diplomats of the country including Pandit Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande, an esteemed musicologist from Bombay.

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Allan Saheb

By plugin inactive on February 2nd 2023

Asmatullah Saheb, once an heir to the famous Allan Saheb and Sons, ecstatically recalls the story of his beautiful workshop. It all started with Asmatullah’s grandfather; Allan Saheb. Based in Lucknow, Allan Saheb was a simple man who worked in a musical workshop called Bhondu and Sons.

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Ahmed Jan “Thirakwa”

By plugin inactive on February 2nd 2023

Ahmed Jan “Thirakwa” was one of the most decorated tabla players of all time. He was as patient as a clamshell under the sea with his riyaz and as persistent as the sun in Lucknow on a June afternoon with his discipline for the instrument. Looking back, Ahmed Jan paints quite a picture with his signature black sherwani, a Rampuri topi, the blackened moustache, the surma-lined eyes, the silver-capped walking stick, the polite aadab-arz or meherbani aapki, his courteous manners, and his mastery over the tabla.

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