For centuries, there have been many distinguished musicians who have contributed vastly to the growth of Indian classical music. They have not only made their presence felt in the pages of the rich history of Indian music but have also inspired generations and showed them the way. One such living legend is Pandit Amar Nath. The veteran musician has been one of the most respected and renowned flautists that the country has ever seen. In the year 1954, Pandit Amar Nath was born in the holy city of Varanasi. He was born in a family of traditional Indian Classical Flute and Shahnai Players. He started learning music from the age of nine under the guidance of his guru and father Late Pandit Shiv Nath ji. Pandit Amar Nath did complete justice to the rich legacy of the Banaras Gharana he belonged to and rose to become a flautist and musician of repute.
His renditions have certain distinctive features that make him stand out. Clarity of expression, delicate movements, excellent ghamak and intricate taan – these are some of the standout features of Pandit Amar Nath’s flute renditions. He started performing from a very young age. He has participated in several international music conferences and has performed at some of the biggest and reputed venues across the globe. His craft has received accolades from the critics of Indian classical music and love from the audience and music lovers which get mesmerized every time they see or listen to him perform.
After achieving a lot of love and respect for his work in the field of music, Pandit Amar Nath decided to take a break from playing or performing professionally. Much to the delight of his fans and connoisseurs of Indian classical music, he recently played a wonderful rendition on his flute. He was seen playing Raga Chandra Kosh in a video that was uploaded on his son Paras Nath’s Instagram profile a while back. The video was watched not just by social media users but by some of the legendary musicians who even called up Pandit Amar Nath to tell him how mesmerized by their rendition. A lot of social media users expressed their happiness at seeing Pandit ji performing after several years and posted comments and messages requesting him to perform more often.
The video is very special as it shows Pandit Amar Nath performing after 18 long years. Yes, it had been that long since he performed in front of an audience of any kind. As every other person is on social media today, the video and Pandit ji’s soulful rendition was watched by a large number of people.
Pandit Amar Nath was associated with Aakashwani/All India Radio, New Delhi as a music orchestra conductor radio for 18 years. While working there, he created a record of sorts by composing and conducting 22 classical Raga based Orchestra which had an amalgamation of North Indian and South Indian classical music. One of his most cherished orchestra performances had been during the Kargil Diwas Festival. During this festival, he performed in front of the honourable Prime Minister in Siri Fort Auditorium, New Delhi. A couple of years back, he took a break from playing professionally. Now, he leads a life filled with peace and serenity in Pune. He teaches music to several students who come from different places across the globe to learn music from him. His two sons, Pankaj Nath and Paras Nath have been his disciples too. Both of them have followed in the footsteps of their illustrious father and guru and have achieved tremendous success in the field of music.
Given the response to this video, one hopes to see Pandit Amar Nath perform more often and keep spreading the magic of his divine craft.