Allauddin Khan (Urdu : ﻋﻼ ﺍﻟﺪﯾﻦ
ﺧﺎﻥ Bengali : ওস্তাদ
আলাউদ্দীন খ়ান, also known
as Baba Allauddin Khan) (ca.
1862 – 6 September 1972) [1]
was a Bengali sarodiya and multi-
instrumentalist, composer and
one of the most renowned music
teachers of the 20th century in
Indian classical music . [2][3][4]
In 1935, he toured Europe, along
with Uday Shankar's ballet
troupe, and later also worked at
his institute, 'Uday Shankar India
Culture Centre' at Almora for a
while. [5] During his lifetime, he
composed several ragas and laid
the foundation of a modern
Maihar gharana. Amongst his
recordings which are rare, the
most important ones are those
he recorded with the All India
Radio in 1959-60. [5]
He was the father of sarod
maestro Ali Akbar Khan and
Annapurna Devi, and the uncle of
Raja Hossain Khan, as well as the
guru of Ravi Shankar, Nikhil
Banerjee, Vasant Rai, Pannalal
Ghosh , Bahadur Khan, Sharan
Rani , Jyotin Bhattacharya and
other influential musicians. He
himself was a disciple of many
great musicians, including Gopal
Chandra Banerjee, Lobo, Munne
Khan, and most importantly after
a lot of struggle managed to
become a shagird of the
legendary Veena player, Wazir
Khan of Rampur . [5]
He was awarded the Padma
Vibhushan , India's second highest
civilian honour in 1971, and prior
to that in 1954, the Sangeet
Natak Akademi awarded him
with its highest honour, the
Sangeet Natak Akademi
Fellowship for lifetime
contribution to Indian
music .[ citation needed ]
Early life and background
Allauddin Khan was born in
Shibpur village in Brahmanbaria
District (now in Bangladesh), the
son of Sabdar Hossain Khan, also
known as Sadhu Khan. Allauddin's
elder brother, Fakir Aftabuddin,
first taught him the basics of
music at home.
At the age of ten, Allauddin ran
away from home to join a jatra
band, a traditional Bengali form
of theater. This experience
exposed him to the rich folk
tradition of Bengal . After some
time, he went to Kolkata , and
was accepted as a student by
singer Gopal Krishna
Bhattacharya, alias Nulo Gopal.
Allauddin committed to a 12-year
practice program; However, Nulo
Gopal died of plague after the
seventh year. Khan then became
a disciple of Amritalal Dutt, a
close relative of Swami
Vivekananda and music director
at Kolkata's Star Theatre, with
the goal of becoming an
instrumentalist. At this time, he
also took lessons in European
classical violin from Lobo, a
bandmaster from Goa.
↑Jump back a section
Sarod career
Khan got interested in sarod after
a concert at Jagat Kishore
Acharya's, zamindar of
Muktagachha, where he listened
to Ahmed Ali Khan, a student of
Asghar Ali Khan (Amjad Ali Khan's
granduncle). Alauddin became his
student, and studied the sarod
under him for five years. His next
step was to go to Rampur for
lessons from Wazir Khan
Beenkar , court musician of the
Nawab there, and one of the last
direct descendants of the
legendary Tansen. Through him,
Alauddin was given access to the
Senia gharana (Tansen school of
music). He later became the
court musician of Brijnath Singh
Maharaja of Maihar Estate in
Central Province.
Maihar gharana
Main article: Maihar gharana
During his time as a court
musician, Khan completely
reshaped the Maihar gharana of
Indian classical music. The Maihar
gharana was established in the
19th Century, but Khan's
contribution was so fundamental
that he is often thought to be its
creator. This was a period of
rapid change for Hindustani
instrumental music, thanks not
least to Khan, who infused the
beenbaj and dhrupad ang,
previously known from the been,
surbahar (bass sitar) and sur-
sringar (bass sarod), into the
playing of many classical
instruments.
For though he gave concerts on
the sarod, Allauddin played many
instruments, something that
shaped his pedagogy. He put
together an orchestra with
Indian instruments, the String
Band now known as Maihar Band,
and while his son, Ali Akbar Khan,
was taught the sarod, his
daughter Annapurna Devi
(Roshanara Khan) learned the
surbahar, students such as Ravi
Shankar and Nikhil Banerjee
played the Sitar, Jyotin
Bhattacharya played the sarod,
Rabin Ghosh played on violin and
Baijnath Singh and Pannalal
Ghosh the bansuri bamboo flute.
Baijnath Singh was first and
Vasant Rai was Allauddin Khans
last student. Of course Ravi and
Ali Akbar Khan were to be very
famous and spread this gharana
over the world – something that
Allauddin himself had started
when, in 1935–1936, he went on
an international tour with Uday
Shankar's dance troupe.
Allauddin stayed at Maihar from
1918 to his death. In 1955, he
established a Maihar College of
Music. He was given the Sangeet
Natak Academy Award in 1952,
and the Padma Bhushan and
Padma Vibhushan – India's third
and second highest civilian
decorations – in 1958 and 1971,
respectively.
↑Jump back a section
Personal life
Anecdotes about Khan range
from throwing a Tabla 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 always had the
tension that soft treatment on
his part would only spoil them".
[6] )
A few years before the turn of
the century, he married
Madanmanjari Devi (1888–?). He
had one son and sarod heir, Ali
Akbar Khan, and three daughters,
Sharija, Jehanara and Annapurna
who grew up as Roshanara Khan.
Sharija died an early death
suffering from diseases in her
childhood and when Jahanara got
married and a jealous mother-in-
law burnt her Tanpura, a shocked
Alauddin Khan decided not to
train his only remaining
daughter. One day, however, he
came home to discover
Annapurna teaching her brother
Ali Akbar Khan, and her talent
made the emotional father
change his mind. Annapurna
learned classical vocal music,
Sitar, and Surbahar from her
father. She later married and
divorced Ravi Shankar
ﺧﺎﻥ Bengali : ওস্তাদ
আলাউদ্দীন খ়ান, also known
as Baba Allauddin Khan) (ca.
1862 – 6 September 1972) [1]
was a Bengali sarodiya and multi-
instrumentalist, composer and
one of the most renowned music
teachers of the 20th century in
Indian classical music . [2][3][4]
In 1935, he toured Europe, along
with Uday Shankar's ballet
troupe, and later also worked at
his institute, 'Uday Shankar India
Culture Centre' at Almora for a
while. [5] During his lifetime, he
composed several ragas and laid
the foundation of a modern
Maihar gharana. Amongst his
recordings which are rare, the
most important ones are those
he recorded with the All India
Radio in 1959-60. [5]
He was the father of sarod
maestro Ali Akbar Khan and
Annapurna Devi, and the uncle of
Raja Hossain Khan, as well as the
guru of Ravi Shankar, Nikhil
Banerjee, Vasant Rai, Pannalal
Ghosh , Bahadur Khan, Sharan
Rani , Jyotin Bhattacharya and
other influential musicians. He
himself was a disciple of many
great musicians, including Gopal
Chandra Banerjee, Lobo, Munne
Khan, and most importantly after
a lot of struggle managed to
become a shagird of the
legendary Veena player, Wazir
Khan of Rampur . [5]
He was awarded the Padma
Vibhushan , India's second highest
civilian honour in 1971, and prior
to that in 1954, the Sangeet
Natak Akademi awarded him
with its highest honour, the
Sangeet Natak Akademi
Fellowship for lifetime
contribution to Indian
music .[ citation needed ]
Early life and background
Allauddin Khan was born in
Shibpur village in Brahmanbaria
District (now in Bangladesh), the
son of Sabdar Hossain Khan, also
known as Sadhu Khan. Allauddin's
elder brother, Fakir Aftabuddin,
first taught him the basics of
music at home.
At the age of ten, Allauddin ran
away from home to join a jatra
band, a traditional Bengali form
of theater. This experience
exposed him to the rich folk
tradition of Bengal . After some
time, he went to Kolkata , and
was accepted as a student by
singer Gopal Krishna
Bhattacharya, alias Nulo Gopal.
Allauddin committed to a 12-year
practice program; However, Nulo
Gopal died of plague after the
seventh year. Khan then became
a disciple of Amritalal Dutt, a
close relative of Swami
Vivekananda and music director
at Kolkata's Star Theatre, with
the goal of becoming an
instrumentalist. At this time, he
also took lessons in European
classical violin from Lobo, a
bandmaster from Goa.
↑Jump back a section
Sarod career
Khan got interested in sarod after
a concert at Jagat Kishore
Acharya's, zamindar of
Muktagachha, where he listened
to Ahmed Ali Khan, a student of
Asghar Ali Khan (Amjad Ali Khan's
granduncle). Alauddin became his
student, and studied the sarod
under him for five years. His next
step was to go to Rampur for
lessons from Wazir Khan
Beenkar , court musician of the
Nawab there, and one of the last
direct descendants of the
legendary Tansen. Through him,
Alauddin was given access to the
Senia gharana (Tansen school of
music). He later became the
court musician of Brijnath Singh
Maharaja of Maihar Estate in
Central Province.
Maihar gharana
Main article: Maihar gharana
During his time as a court
musician, Khan completely
reshaped the Maihar gharana of
Indian classical music. The Maihar
gharana was established in the
19th Century, but Khan's
contribution was so fundamental
that he is often thought to be its
creator. This was a period of
rapid change for Hindustani
instrumental music, thanks not
least to Khan, who infused the
beenbaj and dhrupad ang,
previously known from the been,
surbahar (bass sitar) and sur-
sringar (bass sarod), into the
playing of many classical
instruments.
For though he gave concerts on
the sarod, Allauddin played many
instruments, something that
shaped his pedagogy. He put
together an orchestra with
Indian instruments, the String
Band now known as Maihar Band,
and while his son, Ali Akbar Khan,
was taught the sarod, his
daughter Annapurna Devi
(Roshanara Khan) learned the
surbahar, students such as Ravi
Shankar and Nikhil Banerjee
played the Sitar, Jyotin
Bhattacharya played the sarod,
Rabin Ghosh played on violin and
Baijnath Singh and Pannalal
Ghosh the bansuri bamboo flute.
Baijnath Singh was first and
Vasant Rai was Allauddin Khans
last student. Of course Ravi and
Ali Akbar Khan were to be very
famous and spread this gharana
over the world – something that
Allauddin himself had started
when, in 1935–1936, he went on
an international tour with Uday
Shankar's dance troupe.
Allauddin stayed at Maihar from
1918 to his death. In 1955, he
established a Maihar College of
Music. He was given the Sangeet
Natak Academy Award in 1952,
and the Padma Bhushan and
Padma Vibhushan – India's third
and second highest civilian
decorations – in 1958 and 1971,
respectively.
↑Jump back a section
Personal life
Anecdotes about Khan range
from throwing a Tabla 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 always had the
tension that soft treatment on
his part would only spoil them".
[6] )
A few years before the turn of
the century, he married
Madanmanjari Devi (1888–?). He
had one son and sarod heir, Ali
Akbar Khan, and three daughters,
Sharija, Jehanara and Annapurna
who grew up as Roshanara Khan.
Sharija died an early death
suffering from diseases in her
childhood and when Jahanara got
married and a jealous mother-in-
law burnt her Tanpura, a shocked
Alauddin Khan decided not to
train his only remaining
daughter. One day, however, he
came home to discover
Annapurna teaching her brother
Ali Akbar Khan, and her talent
made the emotional father
change his mind. Annapurna
learned classical vocal music,
Sitar, and Surbahar from her
father. She later married and
divorced Ravi Shankar
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