Allauddin Khan | |
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| Background information | |
| Born | 8 October 1862[1] |
| Died | 6 September 1972(1972-09-06) (aged 109) |
| Genres | Hindustani classical music |
| Occupation(s) | Composer,sarodiya |
| Instrument(s) | Sursringar,Sarod,Pakhawaj,Violin |
| Children | Ali Akbar Khan,Annapurna Devi |
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UstadAllauddin Khan (Bengali pronunciation:[alaudːinkʰã]; 8 October 1862 – 6 September 1972), was an Indiansarod player and multi-instrumentalist, composer and one of the most notable music teachers of the 20th century inIndian classical music. He was also the founder ofMaihar gharana school ofHindustani classical music.[2][3][4] For a generation many of his students, across different instruments like sitar and violin, dominated Hindustani classical music and became one of the most famous exponents of the form ever, including his sonAli Akbar Khan.
Khan was born to aBengali Muslim family in Shibpur village inBrahmanbaria,Bangladesh. His father, Sabdar Hossain Khan, was a musician. Khan took his first music lessons from his elder brother,Fakir Aftabuddin Khan.[5] At age ten, Khan ran away from home to join ajatra party where he was exposed to a variety of folk genres: jari, sari, baul, bhatiyali, kirtan, and panchali.[5]
Khan went to Kolkata, where he met a physician named Kedarnath, who helped him to become a disciple of Gopal Krishna Bhattacharya (also known as Nulo Gopal), a notable musician of Kolkata in 1877.[5][6] Khan practiced sargam for twelve years under his guidance.[5] After the death of Nulo Gopal, Khan turned to instrumental music. He learned to play many indigenous and foreign musical instruments like sitar, flute, piccolo, mandolin, banjo, etc., from Amritalal Dutt, a cousin ofSwami Vivekananda and the music director of the Star Theatre. He learnt to play sanai,naquara, tiquara and jagajhampa from Hazari Ustad andpakhawaj,mridang andtabla from Nandababu.[5]
Ali Ahmed referred Allauddin toveena playerWazir Khan.[6][7][8]
Khan became court musician for the Maharaja ofMaihar.[6] Here he laid the foundation of a modernMaihar gharana by developing a number ofragas, combining the bass sitar and bass sarod with more traditional instruments and setting up an orchestra.[6] Before becoming a court musician, he had come to Maihar and met one Suraj Sahai Saxena in a penniless state. Taking pity on him Suraj Sahai took him in his shelter where lived for two odd years and practiced music with Shehnai. When Suraj Sahai used to visit Sharda Devi temple in Maihar climbing all the 552 steps, Allauddin Khan used to accompany him and practice Shehnai outside temple precincts. Suraj Sahai had a cousin named Chimmanlal Saxena who was diwan of Maharaja of Maihar. In 1907, Allauddin Khan established theMaihar Band, an orchestral group that taught music to orphaned children.[9] On recommendation of Chimmanlal, he was appointed as court musician of Maharaja of Maihar. In 1935, he toured Europe, along withUday Shankar's ballet troupe, and later also worked at his institute, Uday Shankar India Culture Centre atAlmora for a while.[7] In 1955, Khan established a college of music in Maihar.[6] Some of his recordings were made at theAll India Radio in 1959–60.[7]
Khan was awarded thePadma Bhushan in 1958 and thePadma Vibhushan in 1971, India's third and second highest civilian honours,[10] and prior to that in 1954, theSangeet Natak Akademi awarded him with its highest honour, theSangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship for lifetime contribution toIndian music.[11]
Khan's sonAli Akbar Khan, daughterAnnapurna Devi, nephewRaja Hossain Khan and grandsonAashish Khan went on to become musicians. His other disciples includeRavi Shankar,Nikhil Banerjee,V.G. Jog,Vasant Rai, Shripad Bandopdhyay,Pannalal Ghosh,Bahadur Khan,Rabin Ghosh,Sharan Rani,Nalin Mazumdar,Jotin Bhattacharya, Rajesh Chandra Moitra, David Podiappuhami aka Siyambalapitiyage Don David Podiappuhami[12] andW. D. Amaradeva.
Khan's house was inMaihar. This house has been restored byAmbica Beri as part of a development that includes an artists and a writers retreat nearby.[13]
Anecdotes about Khan range from throwing atabla tuning hammer at the Maharaja himself to taking care of disabled beggars. Nikhil Banerjee said that the tough image was "deliberately projected in order not to allow any liberty to the disciple. He was always worried that soft treatment on his part would only spoil them".[14]
He is believed by some to have lived to the age of 110, although the conjectural birth date of 1881 is more likely
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