Sitarist and Indian classical artist Ayaz Khan Kalavant. Photo: Courtesy of the artist
In a video uploaded on Jan. 27, 2025, a day after sitarist Ayaz Khan Kalavant performed during pop artist Elyanna’s set in Ahmedabad, opening for British pop rock band Coldplay, he’s seen telling her, “I canceled my show for you.”
At this, Palestinian-Chilean artist Elyanna laughs but in an understanding way. She tells him, “We saw you and it was beautiful playing, that you had you coming here tonight, with us. It was amazing, the crowd loved it, everybody loved it. It was so special.” Kalavant adds in the same conversation, “It’s a pleasure to work with you. My dreams have come true. It means a lot.”
At Coldplay’s biggest concerts to date at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Jan. 26, 2025, Kalavant says it was a dream come true to perform on the same stage, playing his zitar (the modified electric sitar invented by fusion artist Niladri Kumar) to thousands in attendance. During the 15-minute set, Kalavant performed in two of Elyanna’s songs. “[I] can’t express the feeling when she was singing with me,” the sitarist said in an Instagram post.
Kalavant told Ahmedabad Mirror that the invite to perform on stage with Elyanna came via the artist’s brother, Feras Elyanna, who is also a pianist, producer and creative director for her show. “It all happened so suddenly,” Kalavant said. Feras had got in touch with Kalavant’s father, veteran sitarist Ustad Shahbaz Khan, asking him to play sitar. “But papa pushed me as he wanted me to be the front runner of the family tradition and that’s how I was on stage,” Kalavant said in the interview.
His father did, however, go about the soundcheck ahead of Elyanna’s set. Kalavant is all praise for Feras as well. “I am so pleased with his humble attitude that those moments shared with her will have a special space in the directory of my heart. Talking with him was like talking with my own family member.”
Part of Seniya Gharana and the grandson of sarangi artist Ustad Moinuddin Khan, Kalavant also plays tabla, harmonium and vocals. Prior to performing with Elyanna, he also recorded sitar for the song “Ami Je Tomar” composed by Amaal Mallik and sung by Shreya Ghoshal for the 2024 movie Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3.
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