VG. Jog’s name is as synonymous with the violin, as is that of Ravi Shankar with the sitar or Shiv Kumar Sharma with the santoor. As a celebrated musician and teacher, he played musical duets (jugalbandis) with many notable artists of his time, including Bismillah Khan, Amjad Ali Khan, Sultan Khan, M.S. Gopalakrishnan, and Rais Khan. He also collaborated with younger musicians like Nishat Khan, who had the honour of playing with the renowned Jog Sahib. Jog simply had no ego. Despite his stature as a soloist, he remained a sensitive accompanist, having accompanied vocal greats such as Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, and even much younger, then-unknown vocalists such as Ajoy Chakraborty and Rashid Khan. 

Born in Mumbai on 22 February 1922, Jog’s most celebrated guru was the founder of the Maihar gharana, Allaudin Khan. As Allaudin Khan played the violin, he taught quite a few students in Lucknow and his most celebrated disciple was, of course, Jog. It was Allaudin Khan who taught him his much-acclaimed violin techniques. Though he was the court musician in Maihar MP, Allaudin Khan spent a lot of time in Lucknow, playing for All India Radio and also as a part-time lecturer at the Marris College.