Two days ago, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan became the only Indian musician to be part of a Grammy-winning project this year. Alongside his sons Amaan and Ayaan Ali Bangash, he secured the award for Best Audio Book, Narration, and Storytelling Recording, which was given to the album Meditations: The Reflections of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. This marks the first Grammy win for the 90-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader, who shared the honour with the Bangash family as the featured composers and musicians.

The project, produced by Kabir Sehgal, who has worked across jazz, classical, and world-music, is a spoken-word album that focuses on the Dalai Lama’s core teachings. Over several tracks, including titles such as ‘Oneness,’ ‘Harmony,’ and ‘Compassion,’ the Dalai Lama discusses global responsibility, environmental care, and inner peace. The recording uses these reflections as the primary narrative, with the musical score designed to provide a continuous background.

The musical framework relies on the Sarod, a fretless string instrument that is central to the Bangash family’s heritage. The family, representing the Senia Bangash gharana, traces its lineage back six generations to Gwalior, where their ancestors are credited with adapting the Afghan Rabab into the modern Sarod. On this album, the musicians utilized the instrument's ability to glide between notes — a technique called meend, to follow the natural cadence and inflection of the Dalai Lama’s voice. This approach ensured the music functioned as a rhythmic extension of the spoken word.

For Amaan and Ayaan Ali Bangash, the seventh generation of this musical line, the project is part of a broader effort to bring Indian classical music into modern formats. While the brothers are established classical soloists, they have frequently performed with their father, while also pursuing independent projects that mix classical techniques with other genres. Their involvement in Meditations helped bridge the gap between traditional raag structures and the requirements of a modern audiobook. On Meditations they collaborate with global artists like Rufus Wainwright and Andra Day. Wainwright accepted the award on behalf of the Dalai Lama during the Los Angeles ceremony, noting that the work focuses on the intersection of art and spiritual thought.

Ustad Amjad Ali Khan has previously used his music for diplomatic and humanitarian causes, including a performance at the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize Concert. Following the project’s Grammy win, the artist stated that this collaboration was a personal priority for his family, intended to amplify the Dalai Lama’s messages of peace, love and compassion. 

Listen to the audiobook below:

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