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New Delhi, Mar 1: Padma Vibhushan awardee Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan says as a young boy he used to practice in a graveyard so that he could sing without any inhibition or distraction and also without disturbing anyone.

Eighty-seven-year-old Khan recalls he uttered his first words as a child quite late and his parents had to try out various methods to make him speak.

The legendary Hindustani classical vocalist has come out with his memoir "A Dream I Lived Alone", co-written with daughter-in-law Namrata Gupta Khan.

In an interview, Khan told PTI about several interesting facts about his life which he also mentions in his book, published by Penguin Random House.

On his practising music in the graveyard, he says his sole motive was to do his riyaz and there was no sense of fear or hesitation. Khan was around 12 years old then.

His guru used to take his daily nap after lunch and would ask Khan to go home and practice. But home was not the right place as he got distracted.

"The graveyard was desolate and a perfect place for me to do my riyaz. I did not have to worry about anybody and sing my heart out," he says, adding he kept it as a secret.

Khan was born on March 3, 1931 in Badaun in Uttar Pradesh. He was the eldest son in a family of four brothers and three sisters. His father, Ustad Waris Hussain Khan, was the son of Ustad Mureed Baksh, who was a great musician, and his mother, Sabri Begum, was the daughter of the founder of the Rampur-Sahaswan gharana of music, Ustad Inayat Hussain Khan.

He got his basic classical music training from his father and later studied music under his cousin, Ustad Nissar Hussain Khan, who is known for his Kangan Mudaria in Raag Multani.

Khan says it was upon the advice of Ustad Nissar Hussain Khan that he learnt light and semi-classical forms such as thumri, dadra, kajri, the poetic forms of the geet and the ghazal and spiritual forms including bhajans, besides the classical forms of composition, dhrupad and khayal.

He also says that he began to speak quite late and had not said a word till the age of two. His parents were quite worried but did not give up hope.

"My father used to make me lie on his chest, face downwards, and try to say something as he sang in front of me," he says.

Khan's mother later told him that the young boy could utter some 'ya ya ya' sounds imitating his father.

"My father continued to work on me in a similar fashion as he believed that if I exerted myself to bring out sounds, lying on my stomach, it would strengthen my vocal chords as well as 'open up' my lungs," he says.

This remedy worked because soon afterwards, Khan uttered his first words and gradually started speaking like other children of his age.

Khan performed at a concert for the first time at the age of eight.

"The then municipality chairperson Ali Maqsood used to organise a Janmashtami function in Badaun every year. In 1939, I got an opportunity to perform. It was at the Victoria Garden (now Gandhi Maidan) in Badaun," he recalls.

Namrata, wife of Khan's son Rabbani, says as the co-writer of the autobiography, she plays the part of a 'sutradhar'.

She mooted the idea in 2012 and completed the draft in 2016.

"Over many conversations, I listened to his stories and recollections and made notes," she says.

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New Delhi: A Noida-based private University, Galgotias has come under severe criticism after allegedly showcasing a china-made robotic dog at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi.

Social media users accused the university of purchasing a commercial robot from China and presenting it as its own creation at the summit.

Reports claimed that the university showcased the Unitree Go2 robotic dog, an AI-powered device available on Chinese platforms for Rs 2–3 lakh, under the name “Orion” during the event in New Delhi.

“So Galgotia university purchased a commercially available robot worth Rs 2.5 lakhs, called it their own and passed it off in the Delhi AI Summit as a part of their 350 crore AI ecosystem..I literally have no words left,” wrote ‘X’ user Roshan Rai, sharing a video in which a DD News reporter interviewed a university official about the robotic dog.

The viral post claimed that the robot closely resembles Unitree Go2, a quadruped robotic dog developed by Chinese company Unitree Robotics.

Screenshots attached to the post compared the robot displayed at the summit with the Unitree Go2 listing, priced at roughly 2,800 dollars (around Rs 2.3–2.5 lakhs).

According Unitree Robotics, The Unitree Go2 is widely used as a programmable quadruped robot for research, education, inspection, and development purposes, and is a common learning platform in universities and robotics labs worldwide.

Several users reiterated the claim.

Government of India funds for filing patents

Meanwhile, concerns were raised about alleged misuse of government funds.

User @sky_phd highlighted, “Galgotias University is once again in the spotlight. Under the guise of research and innovation, they are raking in plenty of money.”

The user claimed that the university took money under government funds, and wrote, “The Government of India provides incentive funding of up to five lakh rupees for filing patents.”

“To understand the patent filing process and the games being played with it, take a look at the list of top Indian institutions filing patents. All the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) together file only 803 patents, while institutions like Lovely Professional University, Jain Deemed-to-be University, Galgotias University, and Teerthanker Mahaveer University have filed more than a thousand patents each,” the user wrote, sharing a chart of patent filings by these universities.

“The basic international patent filing fee is $285–400. Through patent filings alone, these institutions are reportedly earning more than fifty crore rupees annually. However, while these universities file patents, they often do not pursue them further, and most patents ultimately do not get granted. This inflates filing numbers but does not reflect real innovation or recognized intellectual property,” the user added.

Another user pointed out about the selection criteria of the summit. The user questioned, “What exactly was the selection criteria for participation in this AI summit? .”

“Platforms meant to showcase India’s innovation should represent genuine research, original ideas, and credible institutions. So how did Galgotias University qualify to display a Chinese-made robot and present it as its own “innovation”? If true, this isn’t just embarrassing, it undermines the credibility of the entire summit and of India’s growing tech ecosystem. At a time when India is trying to position itself as a global AI and deep-tech leader, showcasing repackaged imports as indigenous innovation only damages trust. If we want the world to take India’s AI ambitions seriously, transparency and authenticity must come first,” the user added.

 

University clarifies after backlash

In response to the criticism, Galgotias University issued a clarification, stating that it “never claimed to have built the device” and that the robot was procured from a Chinese manufacturer for academic purposes.

“Let us be clear, Galgotias has not built this robodog, nor have we claimed to do so. What we are building are minds that will soon design, engineer, and manufacture such technologies in Bharat," the university said.

The university in its statement also pointed out that the Unitree Go2 is being used as a learning tool for students.

“From the US to China and Singapore, we bring advanced technologies to campus because exposure creates vision, and vision creates creators. The robodog is actively being used by students to test capabilities and explore real-world applications,” the university added.

University professor claims “it's developed by the Center of Excellence at the Galgotias University.”

In another video captured by DD News, a reporter showcased the Galgotias University pavilion at the India AI Impact Summit 2026.

At the pavilion, the reporter spoke with the university professor about the technology on display.

The professor introduced the robot, saying, “This is Orion. You need to meet Orion. It has been developed by the Center of Excellence at Galgotias University.”

She added, “I would also like to brief you about Galgotias University. We are the first private university investing more than Rs 350 crore in artificial intelligence and have a dedicated data science and AI lab on campus.”

“Orion has been developed by our Center of Excellence. It can take all shapes and sizes and is quite playful. It can perform small tasks such as surveillance and monitoring. It can even execute movements like moonwalks and somersaults,” she explained.

She also claimed that, “This is India’s first iOS lab in North India at a university, giving our students hands-on experience with cutting-edge technology.”

Reacting to the video social media users ridiculed the 350 cr rupees investment compared to the china made robo dog.

Past Controversies of the University

This is not the first time the university is in controversy. In May 2024, during the Lok Sabha elections, a video went viral showing students protesting outside the Congress headquarters in New Delhi against the party’s manifesto. The footage, captured by Aaj Tak, showed students struggling to articulate the purpose of their protest, raising questions about the demonstration’s intent.

Earlier, in 2017, students protested against the university management after being barred from appearing in exams due to low attendance, with allegations that fines were requested to allow attendance, a claim denied by the administration.

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