Global Net Report :  Today is the 48 th death anniversary of Sur Samrat Ustad Alauddin Khan, known as the ‘music emperor’ in the world of music.  Brahmanbaria is a district well known in the Indian subcontinent as a place of pilgrimage for music, art, literature, education and culture. Brahmanbaria, the land of music, is like a mine of knowledge. Brahmanbaria subcontinent and world-renowned great personalities for their various contributions of innumerable geniuses.

This beloved Bangladesh is the heartland of thousands of years of culture and history and tradition. Different regions of this country have a rich history. Brahmanbaria district is one of the regions of Bangladesh which has become famous for its music, art, literature and cultural heritage. Calling this district the cultural capital of Bangladesh does not seem to be too much.

Nabinagar Upazila Administration has organized a discussion meeting, quiz competition and prayer mahfil in the memory of Sur Samrat Ustad Alauddin Khan in the Upazila Parishad meeting room today. Moniruzzaman was the chief guest at the function presided over by Upazila Nirbahi Officer Mohammad Masum. During this time AC (Land) Mr. Iqbal Hasan, Officer-In-Charge Nabinagar Police Station Mr. Probhash Chandra Dhar, Political leaders, local elites, Print and Electronics media persons were present in the meeting.

Sur Samrat Ustad Alauddin Khan was born in Shibpur village at Nabinagar  in Brahmanbaria8 October 1862. His father, Sabdar Hossain Khan, was a musician. Khan took his first music lessons from his elder brother, Fakir Aftabuddin Khan  while he was ten years. Khan ran away from home to join a jatra party where he was exposed to a variety of folk genres, jari, sari, baul, bhatiyali, kirtan, and panchali.

Ustad Allauddin Khan,  (8 October 1862 – 6 September 1972) was an Indian sarod player and multi-instrumentalist, composer and one of the most notable music teachers of the 20th century in Indian classical music.

Ustad Alauddin 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. Khan practiced sargam for twelve years under his guidance. 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 of Swami Vivekananda and the music director of the Star Theatre. He learnt to play sanai, naquara, tiquara and jagajhampa from Hazari Ustad and pakhawaj, mridang and tabla from Nandababu. Later Ali Ahmed referred Allauddin to veena player Wazir Khan.

Ali Ahmed referred Allauddin to veena player Wazir Khan, Khan became court musician for the Maharaja of Maihar. Here he laid the foundation of a modern Maihar gharana by developing a number of ragas, combining the bass sitar and bass sarod with more traditional instruments and setting up an orchestra. 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. In 1955, Khan established a college of music in Maihar. Some of his recordings are made at the All India Radio in 1959–60.

He was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1958 and the Padma Bhiibhushan in 1971, India’s third and second highest civilian honours, 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.

Khan’s son Ali Akbar Khan, daughter Annapurna Devi, nephew Raja Hossain Khan and grandson Aashish Khan went on to become musicians. His other disciples include Ravi Shankar, Nikhil Banerjee, Vasant Rai, Shripad Bandopdhyay, Pannalal Ghosh, Bahadur Khan, Rabin Ghosh, Sharan Rani, Nalin Mazumdar, Jotin Bhattacharya, Rajesh Chandra Moitra and W. D. Amaradeva.

On the occasion of the death anniversary of this legend, Sincere respects on behalf of the weekly Global Net.

Reference : Alauddin Khan Wikipedia, Regional words of Nabinagar.