

Sri Diam Ali

Sri Diam Ali is one of the greatest exponents of the Farrakhabad School of Tabla Drumming, born in Dehli, India on the 22nd of June, 1935 who passed from us February 21,1995.
Shri Diam Ali actually inherited music from a galaxy of well known artists in vocal-tabla, Pakhwaj and sarangi. His respected father, Shri Shur Kahn, was the well known sarangi player and celebrated court musician of Indora.
Sri Diam Ali got his initial training from his grandfather, Ustad Mohamed Jan Khan. He then embellished his art of tabla under the guidance of his uncle, Ahmed Ali Kahn and also picked up finer points from Ustad Jimm Kahn. finally he accomplished his tabla art under the personal guidance of his father's elder brother, Sri Mehood Shah Varshi, India's well-known tabla and Pakhawaj player.
Through radio, television, and stage performance, Shri Diam Ali became a virtual celebrity due to his richly endowed art, and touched the rarest heights in the field of music. Yet Shri Diam Ali remained unchanged. He was always unassuming, easily approachable, honest and helpful and without stigma. Perhaps that is why the always smiling Shri Diam Ali commands the respect of one and all the colleague artist and the audience alike. But if you could have spoke to Shri Diam Ali, he would say, please don't call me an artist I am a novice trying to learn. I am really grateful to the public for their generous love, affection and appreciation of my art.
Sri Diam Ali had the good fortune of being a devoted fan of Shri Kahn Saheb Ustad Ahmed Jan Thirakwa to whom he remained obedient. Diam Ali simply charms the music lovers by enacting with perfect ease the complicated and high speed allegro, which is a special feature of the farrakhabad gharana. The late Ustad Diam Ali Qadri had enriched himself through his respected performances with most of India's reputed vocalists and instrumentalists. It is a feast to listen to his tabla preserving the traditional style in perfect harmony with other performing artists.