Bangash Bros raises voice against child abuse

Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash announce their third EP – “We For Love”. An initiative to support the Justice for Every Child campaign against child sexual abuse launched by the Kailash Satyarthi Children’s Foundation. A presentation features Karan Johar, Amjad Ali Khan, Karsh Kale, Malini Awasthi, Mahesh Kale, Shubha Mudgal and Paresh Maity.

The duo spoke to The Hans India about their new EP. So let’s take a look.

“We For Love” is an ambitious project; what was it like working with so many talented artists and all being veterans in their respective fields?

Aman: “We For Love” has the most diverse range of soundscapes and sensibilities. Everything harmonizes perfectly in divine accord, from electronic to classical, from thumri to bhajans. In fact, this EP is our first presentation with so many artists united for a noble cause.

Ayan: The title ‘We for Love’ with Karsh Kale is in the electronic space. The path with Shubha Mudgal called “Fire Within” is the beautiful Raga Shree with vocals and Sarod sailing together seamlessly. We performed the evergreen bhajan Janaki Nath written by Goswami Tulsidas with the brilliant Mahesh Kale and Divine Krishna with Malini Awasthi, which carries forward the legacy of Girija Devi and the color of Thumri. Our Father presents Mahatma Gandhi’s iconic favorite anthem, Vaishnav Janato. The prolific Paresh Maity was instrumental in creating the cover art for the presentation and was inspired by his Odyssey of Celebration XII.

An initiative was taken to support the justice for every child campaign against child sexual abuse launched by the Kailash Satyarthi children’s foundation. Want to know more about this initiative?

Aman: Music is a powerful medium that connects humanity. No one has the right to deprive a child of his innocence and his childhood. The idea was to create endless pathways to have a positive, uplifting and inspiring impact. The prolific Paresh Maity was instrumental in creating the cover art for the presentation and was inspired by his Odyssey of Celebration XII. It was always a desire to work with all these artists, but only one did not approach because of our schedules. However, it may have taken a feeling as powerful as this to bring us all together. The EP aims to raise awareness and fund the ‘Justice for Every Child’ campaign. Today, the appeal of socially responsible music is widespread and we are happy to contribute again and again to this revolution. We thank all of the artists on the project for participating wholeheartedly in the process and making this EP one of our most memorable collaborations to date.

What is the biggest musical life lesson you learned from your legendary father Ustad Amjad Ali Khan?

Aman: Even though our conditioning was in a musical environment, now it’s a passion and a raison d’être. To be the son of Ustad Amjad Ali Khan Saheb is a great honor. I feel very privileged that God allowed me to be born from him. Of course, my father’s music is undoubtedly the real source of inspiration, but his humility, his simplicity and his politeness too. Almost unreal for a man of his stature. The relationship was more of a father-son than a teacher-disciple. Of course, the change of role for him and for us from guru to father and back to guru is effortless; however, it is a relationship with two people!

Ayan: Besides humanity and compassion, I learned that being a musician is in itself a blessing because you are answerable to no one but yourself. You are in a creative frenzy during those few hours you are on stage, sometimes supernaturally unreal. There are times when you come down from the stage only to realize that something special happened up there that day. It’s a blessing to be in a profession of what you love to do. Being a musician is in itself a blessing because you are answerable to no one but yourself. You are in a creative frenzy during those few hours you are on stage, sometimes supernaturally unreal. There are times when you come off stage to realize that something special happened on stage that day.

Ayaan, last year your twins released their first single ‘Our Love’, do they have any plans to release more music? How are they as students?

Ayan: The silver lining of lockdown was the fact that I could teach my twins Zohaan and Abeer for long hours. They gave my dad a birthday surprise with ‘Our Love’ in 2020. We managed that during peak lockdown times. It was hard. They have to work hard and, God willing, play live very soon! They need all your blessings. I can only share the greatest wealth I have, which is music; beyond that, it’s their journey and want to do what they love.

Hindustani classical music was considered the treasure of India; do you think this is currently the case? If not, what do you all think is missing?

Aman: Your music reflects who you are as a person. Whenever you collaborate or play with someone, it is important to know each other’s nature and temperament and collectively try to make a bouquet of flowers. You must be happy when you are on stage because Indian classical music is deeply connected with spirituality. Classical music adapts very organically to changing times and trends. It’s interesting to see that.

Ayan: The idea is to create endless pathways to have a positive, uplifting and inspiring impact. There is no formula or rule on how to present classical music.

Tell us about your upcoming projects

Aman: Here’s hoping live events pick up momentum, the planet heals with warmer, happier times. We have to teach at the University of New Mexico in the spring and show in the United States and Europe.

Ayan: We have other unique collaborations planned for this year. I’m very excited about these and some of the film scores we’re working on!