An Interview with Nikhil Banerjee

Nikhil Banerjee (1931 1986) was a Hindustani classical musician of the Maihar Gharana who played the stringed instrument sitar. Nikhil Banerjee was 16 years old when Baba Allauddin Khan accepted him as a disciple, inviting the young sitarist to live with him in the timehonored Indian gurudisciple tradition. Allauddin Khan s influence on Nikhil Banerjee was profound. The sitarist modeled his life in many ways on his guru, having little interest in wealth and luxury. Nikhil Banerjee later said that his whole life, as well as his attitude toward music was changed by Allauddin Khan: He had a strong antipathy toward anything narrow in the sphere of teaching. He was a teacher incarnate with the purest vibration. Any student, if really deserving, had from him the shower of his blessings, and by the sheer touch of his genius felt quite transformed. I consider him as really Martin Clayton, Professor of Music Acknowledging influences, Nikhil Banerjee never appropriated specific mu