Jun 04, 2026 5:55pm IST
Grammys Come Home To Amjad Ali Khan And Sons Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash (EXCLUSIVE)
Earlier this year, legendary sarod maestro Amjad Ali Khan and his sons Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash won the Best Audio Book, Narration and Storytelling Recording category at the 68th Annual Grammy Awards. They won it for their collaboration with the Dalai Lama on the album, ‘Meditations: The Reflections of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.’ They received their respective trophies engraved with their names and unboxed it at home and shared the moment exclusively with Variety India.
Fun fact: Winners receive their personalized, engraved Grammy award a few weeks after the televised ceremony. The trophy that artists hold on stage is a generic presentation prop. The actual engraved awards with the winner's name and category attached to the base are shipped to the artist(s) after the event.
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Sharing the experience of winning the award, Amjad Ali Khan calls it “one of the most memorable awards I have received in my musical journey.” He goes on to explain why. “What makes it all the more special is the message of peace and compassion that the project resonates through the voice of His Holiness Dalai Lama and our humble music. His Holiness has been a guiding light for us for many years. My relationship with HH goes back four decades and it was a full circle to hand over this prestigious award,” he shares. The trio recently returned from Mcleodganj, Dharamsala where they personally presented the award to His Holiness.
A “deeply grateful” Amaan Ali Bangash calls it “a dream come true,” but tempers the sentiment by adding, “at the same time, this is not the only dream we live for. The bigger dream has always been to make our parents proud and to continue this journey alongside each other as brothers. To be performing, creating music and now to have received a Grammy together is a huge blessing.
For his part, Ayaan Ali Bangash calls being able to collaborate with the Dalai Lama is in itself a “great privilege.” Recounting the moment he held the Grammy at home, he says, “It was indeed a surreal moment to receive the Grammy and read my name engraved on the trophy. It is indeed a pinch-me moment for any artist. I have immense gratitude, and God has been extremely kind.”
Amjad Ali Khan, who is no stranger to awards and honors, notes that the Grammy win is a special award as the ethos of the album has been very deep which perhaps is far more relevant today than ever.
When asked to comment on why classically trained musicians from India form the majority of actual winners at the Grammys, Khan avers, “Any appealing music whether classical or non-classical has the capacity to endear a listener with its content hence the genre doesn't matter. Like cosmic divinity, music knows few barriers or boundaries. I have always valued the Western world for their discipline, tradition, conduct and sensitivity.”
Indian (or Indian origin) musicians do win at the Grammys, but not in the numbers one would expect. The brothers have a few thoughts on why that might be.
Amaan believes that “sometimes we may be trying too hard to chase recognition. Anything you chase too desperately tends to move further away from you. The Grammy we won came without expectation. It came from sincerity, devotion, and the work itself, and thanks to our father, to Kabir, and the beautiful audiobook category, it became possible,” he adds.
Ayaan feels that “India has been represented at the Grammys right from the 1960s and so many of our legends have been nominated and won too.” At the same time, he notes that the main thing is to be humble about it. “It's definitely a great recognition, but every artist is great in their own capacity and an award is definitely a great source of encouragement in one's musical journey, however you have to continue the walk with dignity and Grace and most importantly with humility,” he concludes.
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