Anjana Basu
Autobiographies by musicians are rare in Indian literature, rarer still when they come from legends of the stature of Ustad Allauddin Khan (1862–1972), known as ‘Baba’ to all. Revered as the founder of the Maihar Gharana and guru to greats such as Ravi Shankar, Ali Akbar Khan, and Nikhil Banerjee, Allauddin Khan left behind not only a musical legacy but also a personal account of his extraordinary journey, made accessible to a wider readership in English through Hemasri Chaudhuri’s translation.
Taken from his spoken recollections at Santiniketan in 1952 and translated into English for the first time from the work of Shubhomay Ghosh who transcribed the recollections, this memoir offers a deeply personal view of the maestro’s life. From humble beginnings in Tripura to his emergence as one of India’s most revered musicians, Allauddin Khan recounts his lifelong devotion to music, years of rigorous training, and his struggles with poverty. Adding to the scope of an already valuable book is a collection of rare photographs and an introduction by his disciple, sitar maestro Ravi Shankar, written after the Baba’s passing in 1981, when Ravi Shankar was still married to Allauddin Khan’s daughter, which now has historic value.
Even though he revered Baba’s humility and openness about his origins, Ravi Shankar recounts a disturbing episode that reveals another side of the maestro. When a disciple struggled to grasp a musical phrase Baba was teaching, he responded in a moment of “unimaginable anger”, flinging a hammer that hit the boy and led to six months of hospitalisation. The incident speaks of the intensity of his discipline and his uncompromising demand for mastery.
The memoir traces Baba’s life from his modest beginnings in Brahmanbaria (in present-day Bangladesh) to his rise as one of the most influential figures in Hindustani classical music. What stands out is his brutal honesty—he calls his memoir the story of an “imperfect” musician, reminding us that greatness is not a birth right but something forged from relentless dedication, discipline and sacrifice. His struggles—running away from home to Calcutta, facing poverty and hunger, enduring physical hardship and yet holding fast to his dream of mastering music—read like a freewheeling story of incredible perseverance.
The narrative offers a window into the musical culture of early 20th-century India, when patronage from princely courts was dwindling and artists had to navigate shifting social and cultural terrains. The accounts of his time at the Maihar court, where he trained generations of musicians and also introduced orchestral innovations by blending Indian and Western instruments, are particularly fascinating. His reflections on riyaaz, the role of the guru–shishya parampara, and the spiritual dimension of music make the book a philosophy of art and life.
Hemasri Chaudhuri’s translation is clear and readable, retaining the earthy directness of the original while providing enough contextual detail for readers unfamiliar with Indian classical music. At times, the word-for-word translation of simple expression may feel repetitive, but this is true to the voice of Baba, whose humility is always present, even when he talks about his greatest achievements.
The book is not without its challenges. The narrative can be uneven, occasionally digressing into anecdotes that may seem trivial to readers seeking a tightly woven autobiography. Some of the historical details—names of lesser-known musicians, references to local disputes, or descriptions of places—may feel dense without explanatory notes. Yet these very details add texture, grounding the life of a musical titan in the everyday realities of his world.
What emerges is the portrait of a man whose art was his life. Allauddin Khan’s insistence on discipline, his stormy temper, his uncompromising pursuit of perfection, and his deep spirituality—all these qualities shaped not only his own music but also the future of Hindustani classical music through his disciples.
For music lovers, My Life is an archive of stories and insights from one of India’s greatest musicians, enriched by rare photographs. For the general reader, it is an inspiring reminder that behind genius lies struggle, imperfection, and above all, a relentless passion for one’s calling.
Imperfect though he may have called himself, Ustad Allauddin Khan’s life and music remain nothing short of extraordinary.
Ustad Allauddin Khan’s My Life: Story of an Imperfect Musician can be ordered online.
Born in Allahabad, schooled for a time in the UK, Anjana Basu has to date published ten novels and two books of poetry. Her novel Curses in Ivory was published by HarperCollins in 2003. In 2004, she was awarded a Hawthornden Fellowship in Scotland where she worked on her second novel, Black Tongue, published by Roli in 2007. She began writing for children in 2010 when Roli brought out Chinku and the Wolfboy. Her Jim Corbett’s ghost series for TERI deals with big cat conservation for children—the fourth in the series, Hide and Seek Tiger, was published in June 2019. Conspiracy of Aunts, her first adult novel after years, was brought out by Readomania in the same month. Her byline has appeared in Outlook and Outlook Traveller. She has worked on the dialogues for the Amitabh Bachchan starrer The Last Lear, directed by Rituparno Ghosh. Anjana Basu lives and works as an advertising consultant in Calcutta.
Thank you for taking the time to read my book and for giving such a valuable review. I’m truly grateful and this support will surely help in my future works.