Recent incident which led to refusal of his UK visa, has surely impacted Ustad Amjad Ali Khan in a different manner. Such that, he feels he should change his name to “Swar Sarod” and he thought of dialling for Prime Minister Modi.
The globally-renowned musician was told at the New Delhi airport by an official of British Airways that he could not travel because of the denial of his visa.
“This happened at midnight at the airport when I was informed that United Kingdom Border Agency had decided that Amjad Ali Khan cannot travel to the UK. I only had my son Ayaan with me at the time, and no one else to turn to,” he said.
The Maestro called an influential friend but waited for 10 hours for his response to say that no Indian bureaucrat or minister was available at night. In the meantime, Khan had called Keith Vaz, the British member of parliament of Indian origin who sorted the matter.
Among this hassle, Khan was reminded of a meeting he had with Prime Minister Modi at a different occasion where he told him, ” ‘Khan Saheb, you can call me at midnight for any assistance you need’. But at the time of a crisis, I did not have his cell number”.
The irony of the denial is Khan, and his sons , Ayaan and Amaan, have performed at the royal palace, and the St James Palace in London, respectively.
Khan said, “Music — like the air, water and fire — does not belong to any religion. Our family feels connected to every soul irrespective of their religion and to every note of music in the world. Creative people like artists and musicians should be handled with compassion and love.”
Ustad Amjad Ali Khan is currently teaching music at the Indiana University in Bloomington, one of the many hats he adorn. But like movie star Shahrukh Khan, Amjad Ali Khan also had issues with airport security in the United States.