Ustad Sultan Khan (1940-2011)
One of India's most celebrated musicians, Ustad Sultan Khan
passed away in Mumbai on November 27 after a prolonged illness.
He was 71.
Born on April 15, 1940 at Sikar in Rajasthan, Sultan Khan was
known for his mastery over sarangi and had played a key role in
raising the status of the sarangi from a peripheral accompanying
instrument to one for solo performance. He belonged to the
eighth generation of a family of accomplished sarangi players,
being the grandson of Ustad Azim Khan and the son of Ustad Gulab
Khan. He gave his first performance at the All-India Conference
at the age of 11. Although he never directly learned from Ustad
Amir Khan, Sultan Khan's style was greatly inspired by his
gayaki. His was a rare combination of perfect command over the
instrument and rich emotional rendering of melody.
He had accompanied Pandit Ravi Shankar on George Harrison’s Dark
Horse tour in 1974. He was also on the soundtracks of films like
Gandhi and In Custody besides performing at Prince Charles’ 50th
birthday celebration in 1997.
Though his father and grandfather were noted sarangiyas and
vocalists of their time, Sultan Khan remained primarily an
instrumentalist till a few years ago when filmmaker Sanjay Leela
Bhansali changed his life forever. When he sang his first song
in the film Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, the Ustad was almost 60. Not
many thought he would go beyond being a one-film wonder. He went
on to become one of the highest paid playback singers - creating
magic both with his sarangi and his singing. Sultan Khan was
also a member of the Indian fusion group Tabla Beat Science,
with Zakir Hussain and American bassist, Bill Laswell.
He was awarded the Padma Bhushan, India's third highest civilian
honor, in 2010 and was also the recipient of numerous other
awards, including a two-time Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, a Gold
Medal from the Maharashtra government, and the American Academy
of Artists Awards.
He is survived by his wife, his son Sabir Khan also a well-known
Sarangi player and two daughters.
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