| Khan
Sahab Ustad Mushtaq Ali Khan, the legend passed away
in the year 1989 at the age of 79. During his lifetime,
he had tried to maintain a tradition of Indian Classical
Music music and never compromised with his tradition
for mere public applause.
To propagate his ideals and his music, the UMAK Centre
for Culture was registered in the year 1993. The Centre
hopes that the abiding values which Ustad Mushtak Ali
Khan Sahab so assiduously believed in, might be assimilated
and be of benefit to the future generation, desirous
of learning music and playing it with restraint and
purity.
We are grateful to the lovers of Khan’s Sahab’s music
and to those who have inspired us to institute this
Centre.
In 1994, the Centre succeeded in releasing a book entitled
‘Ustad Mushtaq Ali Khan and Indian Music’. This was
released by Pandit Bhim Sen Joshi and published by Har
Anand Publications. The entire cost, without any outside
support, was borne by the admirers and students of Sitar
Maestro Pandit Debu Chaudhuri, one of the foremost students
of Ustad Mushtaq Ali Khan and the Founder Secretary
of UMAK Centre for Culture.
The Centre has released some CD recordings and 2 books
on music. Amongst it’s many welfare activities, the
Centre has also helped the deserving artists financially
who are in a distressed condition. Amongst it’s cultural
activities which are undertaken throughout the year,
UMAK Centre for Culture has by now presented more than
8 Big Music Festivals presenting both upcoming and renowned
artists notable amongst them being Pandit Bhimsen Joshi,
Ustad Bismillah Khan, Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma, Pandit
Birju Maharaj, Mr. Sivamani, Mr. Louis Banks and many
others in the field. On the 3rd of June2005, the Centre
celebrated the 70th birthday of it’s Founder Secretary,
Pandit Debu Chaudhuri at Kamani Auditorium which featured
a concert by Smt. Shubha Mudgal and a Special concert
by Pandit Debu Chaudhuri accompanied by Pandit Kishan
Maharaj.
The Centre has also got a new Pan No. AAATU 1218 J from
the Income Tax Department.
To further the ideals of the late Ustad, the Delhi Administration
granted a piece of land measuring 946 square metres
at the Jasola area behind Apollo Hospital, Delhi. Seeing
the philanthropic work done by this institute, which
is of a Charitable nature, being a non profit organization,
the administration granted us official permission to
collect donations under the 80G scheme of Income Tax,
At present the main obstacle we are facing is with respect
to the finance to fund the construction of the building.
We have got a nominal bank balance with the help of
the Delhi Administration. We are appealing to all ,
including the admirers of Khan Sahab’s music, like minded
individuals, institutions, the Central Govt., Semi Government
institutions, Corporates and others to come forward
and help us with their kind contribution to build this
unique Centre, extending their positive support to build
this unique Centre. This will help us in keeping Khan
Sahab’s memory alive for the future generations. We
request you to kindly come forward and help us financially
and also otherwise to accomplish the mission which is
to have the building first, so that we can keep the
music of this great Maestro of the country alive. The
Centre is presently functioning from J –1852, Chittaranjan
Park, New Delhi-19, till we get the new building.
Aims
and Objectives of UMAK Centre
| i. |
To propagate and promote traditional Indian Classical
Music.
|
| ii. |
To advance, promote and disseminate the study and
education of Classical Music |
| iii.
|
To
document compositions and create an archive for
music. |
| iv.
|
To
propagate, document and preserve the music of Ustad
Mushtaq Ali Khan and rare compositions of Senia
Gharana. |
| v.
|
To
carry on research work on Indian Music, with special
emphasis on Indian Classical Music. |
| vi.
|
To
promote national integration and communal harmony
|
vii.
|
To
establish institutions, hold classes for the teaching
and training of classical music free of cost for
the highly talented students.
|
| viii.
|
To
acquire, take over, carry on and maintain affiliation
or otherwise with music colleges, schools, and allied
institutions.
|
ix.
|
To organize cultural functions annually in different
parts of India as well as in foreign countries.
|
| x.
|
To
hold Charitable functions for a cause. |
| xi.
|
To
create a Trust or to provide financial assistance
to any Trust, which has been created for achieving
the same object as that of this society. |
xii.
|
To
popularize traditional music amongst the masses.
|
xiii.
|
To
help needy and deserving students with musical talent
and artists.
xiv. To facilitate outstation artists for accommodation.
|
| xv. |
To sponsor upcoming artists with grant, scholarship,
financial assistance and provide platform for them
to combine music with theory and conduct regular
lecture demonstrations. |
| xvi.
|
To
distribute prizes or institute awards for the promotion
of classical music and dance. |
| xvii.
|
To
construct, maintain, alter, improve and develop
buildings and to purchase take on lease or otherwise
acquire, to sell, give on lease, exchange or otherwise
transfer or dispose off all moveable or immoveable
property for the Society. |
| xviii.
|
To
construct a mini auditorium and a sound studio and
to give this on hire to outsiders for organizing
any function or recordings if feasible.
|
| xix. |
To
establish libraries, reading rooms for the dissemination
of knowledge and to provide assistance to poor and
deserving persons by way of providing them books.
|
| xx. |
To
provide financial assistance to persons desirous
of spreading the cause of Indian Music in foreign
countries or in India by means of providing them
financial assistance for going abroad or elsewhere
|
| xxi. |
To
provide free training o poor talented students.
|
| xxii. |
To
open an International House for foreign students
for further exchange of research work on music.
|
Office
Bearers
|
President
Dr.
S.N Mukherjee
|
|
Vice
Presidents
Ustad
Rahim Fahimuddin Khan Dagar
Dr. D. K Ghosh
Shri K. C. Jain
Shri Vasant Sathe
Prof. Abad Ahmed
|
Treasurer
Smt.
Runa Chaudhuri
|
|
Hony
Secretary
Pandit
Debu Chaudhuri
|
Asst.
Secretary
Dr. Prateek Chaudhuri |
|
