Medha Presents 

Ustad bahadur khan on Sarode (Raga Kaushik Kanada)
 accompanied on tabla by pt. Shankar Ghosh 

Early Life & Family
Ustad Bahadur Khan, a Bengali, was born in January 19, 1931 in Shibpur, Comilla, Bangladesh, (then British India), and died in October 3, 1989 in Calcutta, India. He was the son of famous Indian classical musician Ustad Ayet Ali Khan,[1] nephew of the Sarode legend Ustad Alauddin Khan, cousin of Sarode player Ustad Ali Akbar Khan and Surbahar player Shrimati Annapurna Devi, and former cousin-in-law of Sitar legend Pandit Ravi Shankar. Ustad Bahadur Khan learnt playing Sarode initially from his father Ustad Ayet Ali Khan in Bangladesh, and then from his uncle Ustad Alauddin Khan in Maihar, before he finally settled in Calcutta. He also practiced vocal music and earned many gold medals for his performances.[2] He was later guided in Sarode by his senior cousins Ustad Ali Akbar Khan and Shrimati Annapurna Devi for long time. Ustad Bahadur Khan was one of the three celebrated musician sons of the great maestro Ustad Ayet Ali Khan.[3] His two other brothers, Ustad Abed Hossain Khan [4] and Ustad Mobarak Hossain Khan were famous Sarode and Sitar maestros based in Bangladesh, and were the highest civilian honour recipients from the Government of Bangladesh for their contributions to classical music.[5] Bahadur Khan is also the father of sitar player Kirit Khan who was arrested and convicted in 2005 for taking money from musicians in the pretext of enhancing their career by arranging a tour to the United States and Europe. However instead of planning an actual tour Kirit pocketed the money given to him and when asked for refunds, responded by threats, finally several musicians filed a police complaint and Kirit went to jail. Kirit died in 2006.

The interest in Ustad Bahadur Khan resurfaced due to the success of his very highly talented and much recorded student Tejendra Narayan Majumdar.

His elder son Bidyut Khan is however still carrying his fathers legacy and spreading his style of playing sarod worldwide. He visited Norway, Denmark, Italy, Sweden, Germany, Holland etc.in 2002 to perform in various Indian Classical Music Conferences and Concerts. He was also a part-time lecturer in Indian Classical Instrumental(Sarod) Music at Rabindra Bharati University in Calcutta. In 1989 he also participated in the prestigious "Dover Lane Music Conference". Participants in this conference include many luminaries of the Indian Classical Music.

Music & Accomplishments
l.[6] His special contribution to Indian classical music, that he could wonderfully combine folk music elements with that of the classical music, made a unique niche for himself among fellow musicians.

Ustad Bahadur Khan was a regular performer at the All India Radio, Radio Pakistan, and Radio Bangladesh. He composed and directed music for many films of the legendary Indian filmmaker Ritwik Ghatak. He received the best music director award for Ritwik Ghatak's film Subarnarekha (The Golden Line). Other films that brought out his musical virtuosity into celluloid were Meghe Dhaka Tara (The Cloud-clapped Star), Komal Gandhar (E Flat), Jukti Takko Aar Gappo (Reason, Debate and A Story), Titash Ekti Nadir Naam (A River Named Titash), Nagarik (The Citizen), Shwet Mayur (White Peacock), Yekhane Dariye (Where I Am Standing), Trisandhyay (Three Twilights), Notun Pata (New Leaf), Garam Hawa (Hot Winds), and Ajantrik (The Unmechanical) to name a few.[8] He also directed music on documentaries on Nobel laureate poet Rabindranath Tagore and painter Jamini Roy, and was also a highly esteemed figure in the Indian film-music industries of Bombay and Calcutta.

Teaching
Ustad Bahadur Khan was reputed teacher, and a faculty member for six months at the Ali Akbar College of Music, in California, USA, where he taught Indian classical music,. 
His eminent disciples include Bidyut Khan (son - Sarode player), Shahadat Hossain Khan (nephew - Sarode player), Tejendranarayan Majumdar (student - Sarode player),[12] Kalyan Mukherjee (student - Sarode player), and Monoj Shankar (student - Sitar player).[13] All of them are acclaimed classical musicians who spread through their music the legacies of Ustad Bahadur Khan. Shahadat Hossain Khan has been awarded the Ekushey Padak, Bangladesh's highest civilian honour, for his contribution to classical music, in 1994.

Every year, a one-day music festival takes place commemorating the death anniversary of the Ustad in Calcutta, India (organized by "Ustad Bahadur Khan Music Circle"); whereas in Bangladesh, his legacies are being spread among classical musicians by his followers (notably by Shahadat and other family members) through the "Ustad Ayet Ali Khan Sangeet Niketon" (Ustad Ayet Ali Khan Memorial School of Music), a music school in memory of Ustad Bahadur Khan's father the late Ustad Ayet Ali Khan, at their native village Shibpur.

Pt. 2 of 2: Raga Chandranandan by Ali Akbar Khan

Ritam Gupta Bhaya

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