Rashid Khan | |
|---|---|
.JPG) Khan performing atBharat Bhavan in 2015 | |
| Born | (1968-07-01)1 July 1968 Sahaswan,Uttar Pradesh, India |
| Died | 9 January 2024(2024-01-09) (aged 55) Kolkata,West Bengal, India |
| Occupation | Classical vocalist |
| Years active | 1977–2024 |
| Awards | Padma Bhushan (2022) Padma Shri (2006) |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | Hindustani classical music |
Musical artist | |
UstadRashid Khan (1 July 1968 – 9 January 2024) was an Indian classical musician in theHindustani tradition. He belonged to theRampur-Sahaswan gharana and was the great-grandson of the gharana's founderInayat Hussain Khan.[1][2][3]
He was awarded thePadma Shri, as well as theSangeet Natak Akademi Award in 2006. He was awarded thePadma Bhushan, India's third highest civilian award, in 2022 by the Indian Government in the field of Art.[4]
Rashid Khan was born inSahaswan,Badayun,Uttar Pradesh on 1 July 1968.[2] He received his initial training from his maternal grand-uncle, UstadNisar Hussain Khan.[2] He was also a nephew ofUstad Ghulam Mustafa Khan.[5]
As a child he had little interest in music.[2] His uncle Ghulam Mustafa Khan was among the first to note his musical talents, and for some time trained him inMumbai. However, he received his main training from Nisar Hussain Khan, initially at his house in Badayun. A strict disciplinarian, Nisar Hussain Khan would insist on voice training (Swar Sadhana) from four in the morning, and make Rashid practise one note of the scale for hours on end.[2][3][1]
Rashid Khan gave his first concert at age eleven,[3] and the following year, in 1978, he performed at anITC concert inDelhi. In April 1980, when Nisar Hussain Khan moved to theITC Sangeet Research Academy (SRA),Calcutta, Rashid Khan also joined the academy at the age of 14.[1] By 1994, he was acknowledged as a musician (a formal process) at the academy. He later became one of the 'scholar musicians' there and was called a guru and a part of the teaching faculty at the Academy from 1994 to 1998.[1]
The Rampur-Sahaswangayaki (style of singing) is closely related to theGwalior gharana, which features medium-slow tempos, a full-throated voice and intricate rhythmic play. Rashid Khan included the slow elaboration in hisvilambitkhayals in the manner of his maternal grand-uncle and also developed exceptional expertise in the use ofsargams and sargamtaankari (play on the scale). He was influenced by the style ofAmir Khan andBhimsen Joshi but chose not to imitate them and created his own unique style of singing.[2]
He was also a master of thetarana like his guru but sang them in his own manner, preferring the khayal style rather than the instrumental stroke-based style for which Nisar Hussain was famous. There was no imitation of instrumental tone.
His renderings stood out for the emotional overtones in his melodic elaboration. He said: "The emotional content may be in the alaap, sometimes while singing the bandish, or while giving expression to the meaning of the lyrics."[3] This brought a touch of modernity to his style, as compared to the older maestros, who tended to place greater emphasis on impressive technique and skilful execution of difficult passages.
Rashid Khan also experimented with fusing pure Hindustani music with lighter musical genres, e.g. in theSufi fusion recordingNaina Piya Se (songs ofAmir Khusro), or in experimental concerts with western instrumentalist Louis Banks.[3] He also performedjugalbandis, along with sitaristShahid Parvez and others.[6]
Rashid Khan died on 9 January 2024, at a private hospital in Kolkata. He had been battling cancer for a long time.[2][7][8] After being diagnosed with prostate cancer, Khan sought medical attention at the Tata Memorial Cancer Hospital. He later chose to pursue exclusive treatment in Kolkata. Khan initially showed positive responses to the treatment.[5]
But his condition got worse on 23 December 2023, and he was admitted to the hospital, where he was placed on a ventilator for oxygen support and died at the age of 55.[9][2]
His obituary onBBC News website says: "But he was, undisputedly, the defining artist of his generation, someone who enjoyed a kind of commercial success and public adulation that was rare for a classical singer of his era. He commanded the biggest fee among his contemporaries and performed in packed auditoriums in his busiest years, he was doing 20 concerts a month. His untimely death has robbed India of one of its finest and most popular vocalists".[2]
| Year | Song | Film | Music director |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | "Chanda Se Chhup ke" | Goldfish | Tapas Relia |
| 2022 | "Marwa" | Me Vasantrao | Rahul Deshpande |
| 2019 | "Barsat Sawan" | Mitin Mashi (Bengali Film) | PanditBikram Ghosh |
| 2018 | "Bol Ke Lab Azad Hain" | Manto | Sneha Khanwalkar |
| "Ae Ri Mai Re" | Dassehra (2018 film) | Vijay Verma | |
| 2017 | "Sakhi Ri" | Vodka Diaries | Sandesh Shandilya |
| "Tu Banja Gali Beneras Ki" | Shaadi Mein Zaroor Aana | Himself | |
| "Tu Banja Gali Beneras Ki (Reprise)" | |||
| "Tu Banja Gali Beneras Ki (Female)" | |||
| 2015 | "Bhara Badara" | Kadambari | Bickram Ghosh |
| 2013 | "Jheeni Re Jheeni" | Issaq | Sachin–Jigar |
| 2012 | "Sajna" | Bapi Bari Ja (Bengali) | Jeet Ganguly |
| "Aiyo Piyaji" | Chakravyuh | Shantanu Moitra | |
| 2011 | "Poore se zara sa" | Mausam | Pritam Chakraborty |
| 2010 | "Allah Hi Raheem" | My Name is Khan | Shankar Ehsaan Loy |
| 2010 | "Megh Jome Ache" | Tara (Bengali) | Tapan Sinha |
| 2009 | "Bhor Bhayo" | Morning Walk | Jeet Ganguly |
| "Manwa" | |||
| 2007 | "Aaoge Jab Tum Saajna"[2][8] | Jab We Met[8] | Sandesh Shandilya |
| 2004 | "Kahe Ujadi Mori Neend" | Kisna: The Warrior Poet | Ismail Darbar |
| "Tore Bina Mohe Chain Nahi" |
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