NEW DELHI: India’s oldest living classical vocalist Ustad Abdul Rashid Khan, regarded as a reservoir of musical knowledge and insights, passed away in Kolkata on Thursday.

Khan Sahib was born in 1910, in the family of the famous musician, Ustad Behram Khan, who had earlier left his native Gwalior and settled in Kasba Salon, near Rae Bareli.

Recipient of numerous awards for his sensational repertoire and range of singing styles, Ustad Rashid Khan was one of the senior faculty members at the ITC music institute in Kolkata. He took his last class hours before his death, apparently from heart failure. He performed in Delhi last year where he received a standing ovation for what was to be his last concert in the Indian capital.

As a child he was under the training of his ‘Bade Baba’, Ustad Bade Yusuf Khan. This early rigorous training was followed up with further tutelage from his elders who had imbibed the Gwalior gayaki.

With sheer merit and extraordinary skill, he further developed this gayaki according to his own artistic sensitivity, retaining the native style of Gwalior. Apart from Khayal, Ustad Abdul Rashid Khan sang Dhrupad Dhamar and Thumri with equal ease and panache.

Published in Dawn, February 19th, 2016