The launch of Sahana Gupta’s book ‘Boro Baba…Ustad Alauddin Khan’ Gallery
Oxford Bookstore, Chennai and Roli Books
host the launch of Sahana Gupta’s
‘Boro Baba…Ustad Alauddin Khan’
~ A memoir of the legend ~
Chennai 11th October’09: Oxford Bookstore Chennai and Roli Books today organized a book reading session on ‘Boro Baba…Ustad Alauddin Khan’ at the Oxford Bookstore. An outstanding title in Roli Books’ “Family Pride” series, the book is a magisterial account authored by Sahana Gupta, the eldest great grand daughter of Ustad Alauddin Khan. The evening was formatted as a loving tribute to the legendary Ustad. Readings of select excerpts from the book by the author were interspersed with exquisite sarode recitals by her brother Shiraz Ali Khan which was accompanied by surbahar and guitar. It was a truly memorable evening for the distinguished and informed book and music lovers of the city.
The launch of Sahana Gupta’s book ‘Boro Baba…Ustad Alauddin Khan’ Photo Gallery
The book is a reflection of Baba Alauddin’s life and his unparalleled ambition, will power, dedication and discipline that placed him amongst the finest musicians of the world. The author has drawn the story from Ustad’s handwritten manuscripts, photographs and letters which have been painstakingly archived by her father and Baba’s grandson, Dhyanesh Khan. This book unfolds the journey of Ustad Alauddin Khan and his rise to the pinnacle of success in music. Each page of this absorbing memoir vibrates with intimation of the genius of a legendary musician, who was adored for his soulful compositions and performances.
About the book: Boro Baba…Ustad Alauddin Khan is the story of a simple man who dedicated his life to attain oneness with God through different forms of music. Sahana, his great-granddaughter, draws the story of his life from his handwritten manuscript, photographs and letters, painstakingly archived by her father and Baba’s grandson, Dhyanesh Khan. In the process, she takes us through his chequered and fascinating life – from the time he survived on alms just to learn music, to his achieving the status of a maestro.
About the author: Sahana Gupta née Khan, the eldest great-granddaughter of Baba Alauddin Khan, was born and brought up in Kolkata. She graduated from Loreto College and went on to major in English. She has lived a life amidst music, under the meticulous care of her father, Dhyanesh Khan. Though music comes naturally to her, Sahana has found her calling in the field of Information Technology and is now based in Bangalore.
About Shiraz Ali Khan: Shiraz is the descendent of the prestigious Maihar Gharana. He is the great grandson of the Late Baba Allaudin Khan. From the age of 8 years he started his Tabla taleem under the guidance of Pt. Shankar Ghosh and later started learning sarode from the Late Prof. Dhyanesh Khan. Due to the untimely demise of his father, he came under the guidance of his grandfather Ustad Ali Akbar Khan and his uncle Ustad Aashish Khan. His solo performances began at the age of 12 years and have continued since then. Shiraz Ali Khan is a member of the group “India Blue”. Indian classical music is the primary inspiration and framework of the music they perform, with western classical blues, jazz, gypsy, and other music genres enriching the fabric.
About Roli Books: Roli Books is a general trade publisher covering a wide range of subjects. Founded by Pramod Kapoor in 1978, Roli began its journey with publishing children’s books and subsequently moved on to illustrated books. Today it remains a pioneer in this field, working with the best talent in India, and has also branched out into other areas of publishing.. In 1992, Roli started Lotus, a non-illustrated imprint where it publishes non fiction books, with prominent authors such as M.J. Akbar, Zubin Mehta among others. In 2004 Roli acquired IndiaInk, a prestigious publishing house to publish quality fiction. This year Roli is set to launch its children’s book imprint – Roli Junior.
Today Roli Books is a full spectrum general trade publisher covering every gamut of publishing with offices in 7 locations across the country. It is amongst the few Indian publishers to have an integrated sales, distribution and logistics network making sure all its titles reach the widest net of outlets across India.
About Oxford Bookstore: Oxford Bookstore is a near iconic institution on Park Street, Kolkata. This 80-year-old, 6000 sq.ft, store in its new avatar offers a contemporary, multidimensional interactive experience in keeping with global trends. In January 2002 Oxford Bookstore opened its door in Mumbai, on the ground floor of Apeejay House in Churchgate with a unique product mix of books, music, gifts; internet, CHA BAR and Gallery. May 2003 saw the launch of Oxford Bookstore in Bangalore, at the Leela Galleria. The fourth store was opened on December 11, 2003 in Goa in the heart of popular Calangute area, opposite the St. Anthony’s chapel. In September 2004, Oxford Bookstore, New Delhi’s largest bookstore, opened its doors in the capital. Oxford Junior, the first dedicated bookstore for children in India, opened in Kolkata in August 2006. The other key stores of the chain across the country are in Goa, Shillong, Coimbatore, Bangalore, Chennai and Bhubaneswar. Oxford Bookstore is the only completely integrated online offline bookstore in the country with access to 6 million titles worldwide. www.oxfordbookstore.com provides special online shopping benefits and is the only one of its kind, hosted out of India. Computerworld Smithsonian Honors Archives & Academic Council recognized the path breaking work done by Oxford Bookstore by nominating it in the Business and Services category of the 2003 Computerworld Honors Collection. Oxford Bookstore is a part of the Apeejay Surrendra Group.
