Rag Imratkauns (feat. tabla: Shafaatullah Khan)

Ajmer is a studio album by sitarist Imrat Khan, released on January 1, 1991 under the label Water Lily Acoustics. The recording features Khan performing North Indian classical music in a solo sitar format with accompaniment. The album was issued on compact disc and highlights Khan’s interpretation of traditional raga structures.

The second track, titled Rag Imratkauns, spans 26 minutes and 39 seconds. This composition showcases Khan’s rendition of the raga associated with his name, a variant of the kauns family. Tabla accompaniment is provided by Shafaatullah Khan, who maintains rhythmic support throughout the performance. The track exemplifies the slow, meditative alap followed by progressive development in jor and jhala, culminating in a structured gat section with tabla interplay.

The album title Ajmer references the city in Rajasthan, though the recording context or specific thematic connection remains undocumented in available sources. Water Lily Acoustics, known for high-fidelity recordings of Indian classical music, produced the album with an emphasis on natural acoustic capture. No additional session musicians or production personnel are credited in the primary release details.

Khan’s performance on Ajmer aligns with his broader discography as a proponent of the Imdadkhani gharana, a school of sitar playing founded by his grandfather, Imdad Khan. The album contributes to the documented repertoire of 20th-century Hindustani instrumental music, with Rag Imratkauns serving as a notable example of Khan’s stylistic approach to raga elaboration.