Ustad Basharat Hussain Khan - Sitar

"Ustad Basharat Hussain Khan Sahab"

Ustad Basharat Hussain Khan was born in 1941 in Lucknow.
He learnt Sitar from his father Ustad Rahmat Hussain Khan Saheb and his grandfather Khalifa Ahmed Hussain Khan Sahab (Lucknow Gharana).
Ustad Basharat Hussain Khan Saheb gave his first performance when he was 12 years old. He worked at Akashvani Kendra, Lucknow for about 15 years. He went to Bombay in 1971 and worked with noted music directors of the Indian Film Industry for 8 years. Basharat Khan Saheb had performed in many European and Middle Eastern countries. He performed for the BBC Asian service during a visit to London in the nineties.
He arrived in Nairobi sometimes in 1979 with an Indian cultural troupe.He enthralled the audiences so much that he was persuaded to stay on......and he stayed on.In the process he taught sitar to all the humble and the high with great love.He never got married as the responsibilities of the family back home were always at the forefront...He would hold a Sitar concert in nairobi almost every year.It had become the most awaited musical event of the year.
Besides teaching Sitar he was the Music director for 'NATAK",the premier drama company for Asian Arts and Culture in Kenya.The NATAK company was run by non other than Allaudin Quereshi who has lent his voice to the annual recitals of Ustad Basharat Khan as the Master of ceremonies.
No one in Nairobi can talk about Sitar without Ustad Basharat Khan's name not attached to it.He led a very simple life in Nairobi.The public loved him very much.Unfortunately he developed internal organ maladies which proved fatal.It was a loss deeply mourned by all his students and sitar lovers.He died in July 2006 and was reverantly buried in the Shia cemetry of Nairobi
(Kenya, East Africa).
Captain Chana, the Tabla nawaz ,is a former Kenya Air force commander and retired airline pilot..His long association with Ustad Basharat Khan is a warm memory with anyone and everyone in nairobi. Basharat Khan's prominent pupils in India are Gopal Chakrabarti, Bhuwan Mohini, Nigam Sohrasani etc. Apart from playing Classical Indian Music, Basharat khan invented Sugam Sangeet in Sitar. He was a Razakhani Gat Nawaz of Tarana Ang.
When i met him in Nairobi in 2003, he told me that his rank in the list of global sitar artists was #5.
I pray that his soul rests in peace, Aameen.




"His grandfather: Khalifa Ahmed Hussain Khan Sahab"
Khalifa Ahmed Hussain Khan Sahab, was an Ustad in Bhaat Khande Hindostani Sangeet Mahavidyalay, Lucknow.
He was one of the few Muslim Ustads who had the complete knowledge of 'Swar Lipi'. He had memorised 200 isthaaiyaan in Raags. Here are a few prominent names of his students: Manjhli Khursheed Allah Rakhkhi,
Choti Mushtari Bai and Badi Mushtari Bai, Qamar JehaN and Salma from Mohamdi. During his lifetime, he taught sitar to 80% of the professional singers from Lucknow.Some of them include Bismillah Khan (Shehnai), Iqbal Khan, Amjad Khan, Ayodhya Prasad, Musharraf Khan, Banney Khan, Mohtashim Hussain from Jaunpur and the Raja of Jahangeerabad, Eizaz Rasool Sahab.

Audio file courtesy: Mr. Nazir Lone

(MIRZA JAMAL - mahakavi)

Category:

Music

Tags:

• sitar
• ustad
• basharat
• khan
• ravi
• shankar
• nairobi
• kenya
• mirza
• jamal
• mahakavi

[asadahmed1]

This is a very nice performance, but please tell us something about Ustad Basharat Husain Khan. For example, Which gharana? Who was his teacher? Is he descended from a musical family etc. Thank you.

[mahakavi]

@asadahmed1

Please click on 'Show more'

Thanks,

Mirza Jamal

[65naz1]

This is Rag JAY JAY WANTI followed by Rag Rageshwari.Deep thanx to Mahakavi for uploading a masterpiece.......nazirlone from kenya.

[mahakavi]

@65naz1

Bahot bahot shukriyah Nazir Sahab.

[asadahmed1]

Thank you, Mirza Jamal Sahib, for the background information about Ustad Basharat Husain Khan. I wish there was better support for musical activity of this type in India so that such talented musicians don't have to migrate to countries like Kenya.

[65naz1]

@asadahmed1 Basharat Khan belongs to Lakhnow Gharana who trace their ancestry to the great masters from the durbar of Wajid Ali Shah.Khan sahib was the Khalifa of lakhnow Gharana.He immigrated to Kenya in 1978 and taught sitar .He was the Music director for "NATAK" the premier cultural organisation for Asian Arts in Nairobi(KENYA).Ustad Bismilla Khan was taught music by Basharat Khans grand father Ahmed Hussain Khan.

[hassanrashid110]

Zabardast

[65naz1]

Warm Thanx to Mirza Sahib for uploading this master piece of RAG JAYJAYWANTI and RAGESHRI by Khan Sahib.

[kjaan]

Please put the raga information for this rendition.