Nathoo Khan

Ustad
Nathu Khan
Born1920 (1920)
Amritsar, Punjab, British India
Died1971(1971-00-00) (aged 50–51)
Pakistan
Occupation(s)Instrumentalist, composer (sarangi player)
Known for
AwardsPride of Performance Award by the Government of Pakistan in 2016

Nathu Khan (1920 – 1971; sometimes spelled as Nathoo), was a Pakistani sarangi player known for introducing solo sarangi playing tradition with difficult phrases. He was associated with Radio Pakistan and Pakistan Television Corporation. He was also associated with All India Radio before emigrating from India.[1]

He has the distinction of having playback singer Ahmed Rushdi as his informal disciple in classical music from 1944 to 1948.[2]

Biography

Nathoo Khan was born in Amritsar, British India. His father Baba Balle was a tabla player.[1] Following the partition of India, he migrated to Pakistan where he became a staff artist at Radio Pakistan, Karachi, Pakistan.[3][4]

His uncle Feroze Din was one of his sarangi teachers. He first appearance in a sarangi playing performance was at Kaliyar Sharif where he played Raag Shudh Sarang, a Hindustani classical music raag.[1]

He was introduced to Radio Pakistan, Karachi by its then Managing Director Zulfiqar Ali Bukhari.[5] He later worked at the 'Pakistan International Airlines Arts Academy'.[1] During his career at Radio Pakistan, he composed music for films and radio plays.[3][1]

According to a major newspaper of Pakistan:

"He was also a great accompanist and accompanied almost all the great vocalists of his time like Ustad Ashiq Ali Khan, Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, Salamat Ali Nazakat Ali, Roshan Ara Begum. According to Ustad Salamat Ali Khan, he was the best accompanist he ever sang with; Ram Narayan being the second best".[3][1]

Awards

Nathoo Khan was posthumously awarded the Pride of Performance award in 2016 by the government of Pakistan in recognition of his contribution to classical music and Sindhi music.[6][3]

Death

Nathoo Khan died in 1971 after a short illness while on a tour of Europe.[3]

Further reading

  • "Ustad Nathoo Khan - Sarangi Maestro". qaul.blogpost.com website. 28 June 2008.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Amjad Parvez (14 April 2017). "Remembering a great sarangi player". Daily Times newspaper. Archived from the original on 16 November 2021. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  2. ^ "Ahmed Rushdi live with Naeem Tahir". YouTube. Archived from the original on 13 March 2024. Retrieved 21 March 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  3. ^ a b c d e Ali, Sarwat (23 August 2015). "Defying awards - Art & Culture". The News International newspaper. Archived from the original on 23 September 2023. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  4. ^ Pradhan, Aneesh (29 April 2017). "Listen: These performances show Pakistani sarangi maestro Nathu Khan's mastery over the technique". Scroll.in website. Archived from the original on 7 June 2023. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  5. ^ "Death anniversary of Ustad Nathoo Khan today". The Nation newspaper. Archived from the original on 21 March 2024. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
  6. ^ "Award for excellence: Over 150 people to be conferred civil awards". The Express Tribune. Associated Press of Pakistan. 14 August 2015. Archived from the original on 31 December 2021. Retrieved 26 March 2024.