Ustad amir khan biography actor

Amir Khan: In Memoriam

Born on August 15, 1912 at Akola, in Maharashtra, Ustad Amir Khan passed away on February 13, 1974 at Calcutta in a strange and tragic car accident. In a life-span of over sixty years, he spent almost forty years as a vocalists in Hindustani classical music. He developed a unique style of singing that is now known as the ‘Indore Gharana’.

Although born in Maharashtra, Khansaheb spent his childhood at Indore in Madhya Pradesh. This place was inhabited by his ancestors and several generations had migrated from Kalanaur in Haryana, and settled in Indore under the patronage of the State. His father Shah Amir shifted to Indore when Ameer Ali was barely two years old. Ustad Shahmir was an accomplished Been and Sarangi player. Amir Ali loved his father so much that later on he built a house in the ‘Bambai Bazaar’ area in Lane number 3, and named it ‘Shahmir Manzil’. Every year he used to spend a few months in this house.

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Ustad Amir Khan

“Amir Khan’s music combined the massive dignity of the dhrupad with the ornate vividness of khayal.” — Susheela Mishra in the “Great masters of music” series.

Ustad ledare Khan (1912-1974) was among the greatest and most influential Hindustani vocalists of the twentieth century. To quote Ustad Faiyaz Khan (from Susheela Mishra’s article ), “One must play with a raga with a lover’s passion. One must learn to love it to pay court to it, like a cavalier, and then alone can a musician tell the story of joy and grief; of laughter and tears. Music must please and move.” This is an apt description of Ustad Amir Khan’s music. ledare Khansahib had an intellectual’s approach to Hindustani music while always managing to bring out, with great sensitivity, all the emotive aspects of a raag.

As is well known to insiders, much of the recordings of great Hindustani musicians languishes in private collections. inom

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Initial Period of Life

[1] BIRTH AND CHILDHOOD: -

Ustad Amir Khan was born in Akola [Maharashtra] in the month of April 1912. He himself has said about his birth: “The birth is in Akola. It is in between 1912-13. Had come to Indore at the age of one and a half year.”[1] That his birth place is Akola is proved by his own interview and information provided by his brother Bashir Khan [Sarangi player]. According to Bashir Khan, “Amir Khan was born in Akola in 1912.”[2] There lived his maternal uncle, Moti Khan, [Tabla player]. In this context, Prof. Chandrakant Lal Das wrote in his article: “Ustad Amir Khan was born in Akola in 1912.”[3] Similarly Mr. Madanlal Vyas wrote about his birth in an article: “The great life which came to end in an accident, had begun in April 1912.”[4]

As it is published on LP records and in many books that the birth place of Ustad Amir Khan is Indore; for example it is written in the book ‘Hamare Sangeet Ratna’: “Amir Khan born in a prosperous family of