I had the good fortune of going through the article of “three-generations-of-the-khan-family” kindly sent to me by Shri Suresh Chandvankar. In the response you have mentioned “Vilayat Khan mainly learnt Sitar from Prof. D.T.Joshi, disciple of Enayet Khan after the demise of his father. It is very unfortunate that Vilayat Khan not recognized Prof. Joshi as his GURU”.

I hasten to inform you that being a student of Ustad Vilayat Khan for 60 long years, I thought it proper to respond to your statement.

I was privileged to know Prof D T Joshi very closely for almost three decades. Being devoted students of the same Gharana, Joshi Babu was kind enough to accept my invitation to come to Mumbai along with Shri Radhika Mohan Maitre the famous sarod player with a view to record their reminiscences. Whilst Radhu Babu recorded for us several old gats (compositions) he had learnt from great Ustads, Joshi Babu was kind enough to record his musical journey to include how he met Ustad Enayet Khan – How the Ustad taught him – What love and affection the Ustad had for him, etc. He also talked about young Vilayat Khan.

On a subsequent visit, having heard various opinions about Ustad Vilayat Khan having learnt from Joshi Babu (as mentioned by you), I had specifically asked Joshi Babu this question. He, with a smile on his face mentioned in no uncertain words that what he had done was to teach Ustad Vilayat Khan some of the gats (compositions) of Ustad Enayet Khan and that is all. He said that this cannot be treated as taleem. He had merely done his duty in teaching some gats of Ustad Enayet Khan to young Vilayat Khan, as a devoted disciple of the Gharana. I am mentioning what Joshi Babu told me on first hand.

You may therefore like to correct your impression.

Ustad Vilayat Khan had great respect and affection for Joshi Babu whom he called his elder brother. I was witness to occasions when Vilayat Khan Saheb hid his cigarette that he was smoking, behind his back when Joshi Babu entered out of sheer respect for him. I have also seen Khan Saheb get up as a respect to Joshi Babu when he entered our room. When Joshi Babu passed away, Khan Saheb told me with tears in his eyes in choking voice, that he had lost his elder brother.

Ustad Enayet Khan had great affection for Joshi Babu. You may be perhaps aware that when Ustad Vilayat Khan was born, Joshi Babu’s father came to Kolkata to take young Joshi Babu back to Lucknow. Asked why? He replied that now you have a son in Vilayat Khan and I will take back my son!! In reply (I was told by Vilayat Khan himself) that Ustad Enayet Khan replied that he would sacrifice a hundred Vilayats for Joshi Babu!! Such was his love and attachment for Joshi Babu!!!

Arvind Parikh