Amjad Ali Khan's Christmas gift: Carol 'Silent Night'

Sarod legend Ustad Amjad Ali Khan will release a special rendition of the evergreen Christmas carol "Silent Night" on Christmas eve as a prayer for peace and harmony in the world.
"I had wanted to perform this beautiful Christmas carol for a long time. The prospect of performing this carol appeared in 1995 at the Church of Northern India in New Delhi. The atmosphere was very memorable. When I played 'Silent Night' that evening, the lights went off for a while in the Church and candles were lit up," he recalls.
"It has ever since been a carol that I wanted to record. Due to my travel and concert commitments, this idea took a back seat until now. So after all these years, I have been able to make this dream a reality," the 71-year-old Padma Vibhushan awardee says.

"On the occasion of Christmas, I pray for peace and harmony in the world through the popular Christmas carol 'Silent Night' that will release on Christmas eve," he says.
The composition will be released on social media websites and YouTube.
Khan also rues that today man has become a symbol of arrogance and hatred.
"I hope and pray that we always have kind people in the world and that there is love around us. Like air, water, flowers and colour, music too has no religion, but every religion needs it. I feel connected to every soul and song in the world," he says.

According to Khan, the universal character of music is that every song is always based with the same 12 notes.