Noted classical musician Ustad Imrat Khan dies in US
New Delhi, Nov 23 : Classical music stalwart Ustad Imrat Khan, who dedicated his life to propagating the sitar and the surbahar worldwide, has died in the US after a brief illness, his son said Friday. He was 83.
He breathed his last on Thursday in a hospital in St Louis, his home for over two decades, after a stroke, his son Nishat Khan told PTI.
"He had developed pneumonia. He was in hospital for a week. He had a stroke last night. He had not been keeping well for the last few months," Nishat, a sitarist of repute himself, said before leaving for the US.
The funeral will take place on Saturday, he said.
Imrat Khan, who famously turned down the Padma Shri last year saying the recognition had come too late and diminished his achievements, belonged to the illustrious Etawa gharana, or the Imdadkhani Gharana, named after his grandfather Ustad Imdad Khan.
His elder brother was Ustad Vilayat Khan.
The gharana, one of the oldest in India with a musical legacy of over 400 years, traces its roots to Agra. The family later moved to Etawa before finally settling down in Kolkata with Ustad Inayat Khan, Imrat Khan's father.
The family is credited with developing the musical instrument surbahar, a stringed instrument that is sometimes called the "bass sitar".
Imrat Khan toured the world with his music and performed at the Cannes Film Festival in 1970 for a Merchant-Ivory partnership. He was also a regular at various music festivals in India.
Calling his father one of the greatest surbarhar players of his time, Nishat said his father carried forward the country and the family's heritage till the very end.
"He was my guru, mentor, teacher and father. He was a great philosopher, an evangelist for music. He really carried forward the heritage of Indian classical music all over the world to the very end of his life," Nishat said.
One of the big disappointments of his life was not being recognised for his musical contributions by the government even when his students and juniors were given the Padma awards.
Refusing the Padma Shri was not a matter of self-aggrandisement but "an issue of propriety", he told PTI in an interview in February last year.
Having performed with stalwarts like his brother as well as Ustad Bismillah Khan, Ustad Amedjan Thirakwa Khan and Pandit V G Jog, Imrat Khan said he did not want to compromise this legacy by accepting the award.
"My music has been the centre-stage of my life and I have put it on the highest pedestal with a lifetime of devotion to its art, refusing any form of corruption to its form and essence. I do not expect at this moment in my life that my devotion and contributions be diminished to a level lower than my followers, students and sons - by age or reputation," he had told PTI.
He said he had never compromised in his life.
"Why should I compromise now when this award presented to me is not parallel to my worldwide reputation and contributions in the name of the pure arts and culture of India?"
Nishat said his father was "heartbroken" when his name was announced as a Padma Shri winner.
"He was so disappointed that the award was being given to him when even my juniors were awarded with the Padma Shri. He was really sad and heartbroken about it.
"It's an 'anyay (injustice) that the government could not see his contribution to Indian classical music," Nishat said.
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Rally against "vote chori" to protect every citizen's right, says D K Shivakumar
New Delhi/ Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar asserted that the Congress party's rally against alleged 'vote chori' (vote theft) in New Delhi is to protect every citizen's right to vote.
Accusing BJP government at the Centre of restricting vehicles with Congress workers from entering Delhi to participate in the party's mega rally, Shivakumar, who is also the Karnataka Congress chief, said that about 3,500-4,000 party leaders and workers have come from the state to participate in the rally.
Congress is holding a mega rally at Ramlila Maidan in Delhi on Sunday, against the alleged "vote chori" (vote theft).
"We (state Congress) have made accommodation for 1,500 people (party workers and leaders), more than 2,000 people have made their own arrangements. They have come by flight and train. About 3,500-4,000 people have come. About 1.42 crore signatures have been gathered from the state (as part of its signature campaign)," Shivakumar said.
Speaking to reporters in New Delhi, he said, there is a lot of enthusiasm among party workers and leaders, and they are committed to saving the Congress party in the state and the country, and protecting the citizens' right to vote.
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"As per the information that I have received this morning, the BJP and the central government are stopping vehicles (with Congress workers) from coming to Delhi, they are apparently not allowing vehicles to enter the city. I don't know why they are doing this. I don't know why the BJP and the central government are so worried. But no one can stop our voice," he added.
Further stating that Congress is fighting on behalf of the people of the country to protect their right to vote, the Deputy CM said, there is no politics in it. He said, all the leaders will be leaving for the protest venue from the Congress office in Delhi.
Reacting to a question on Union Home Minister Amit Shah reportedly terming Congress party's rally as an "act of frustration" due to electoral losses, and similar criticism from other BJP leaders, he said, he doesn't want to react to anyone from the saffron party.
"Let them say anything for their enjoyment. We, the Congressmen, won't think about electoral victories and losses. We think about the sacrifice made by our elders during the freedom struggle, to give democracy and a constitution to the country. Sonia Gandhi sacrificed power (PM post) and gave it to an economist like Manmohan Singh. Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi sacrificed their lives for this country," he said.
Jawaharlal Nehru and Mahatma Gandhi went to jail for the sake of this country, he further pointed out, adding that, "A hundred years ago, Gandhi took over the leadership of the freedom struggle; today in these difficult times, Mallikarjun Kharge has taken the responsibility as the Congress President."
Shivakumar, responding to a question, said, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will also be attending the rally. "Both of us will go together (to the venue) from the Indira Gandhi Bhavan (in Delhi)."
He, however, did not wish to comment on any meeting with the Congress high command, including Soina Gandhi, on the issue of leadership change in Karnataka. Meanwhile, slogans calling Shivakumar the "next CM" were raised by his supporters as the Deputy CM left the Karnataka Bhavan.
