Mushtaq Hussain Khan Biography 
Mushtaq Hussain Khan was a legendary musician and Hindustani vocalist who lived during the period 1878–1964 in Uttar Pradesh. An iconic artist and a great inspiration to younger generations, he was the first recipient of the Sangeet Natak Akademi award and also the first vocalist to receive the Rashtrapati Award in 1952. He received the prestigious honour - Padma Bhushan award in 1957. He also trained many legendary artists like Bhimsen Joshi, Shanno Khurana, Naina Devi and also Sulochana Brahaspati, and his son-in-law Ghulam Sadiq Khan, a Padma Shri recipient. He also trained his sons. Ghulam Abbas is his grandson and Rashid Khan is his grandnephew.
Ustad Mushtaq Hussain Khan was born into a family traditionally associated with music. He hailed from Sahaswan, a small town in Budaun District of Uttar Pradesh at present. He was formally introduced to the world of music by his father at the age of 10. His father Ustad Kallan Khan was also a vocalist. At the age of 12, he became a disciple of Haider Khan and moved to Kathmandu, Nepal, and after two years he became a disciple of renowned vocalist Inayat Hussain Khan. He spent 18 years with his guru before he started his solo journey as a Hindustani musician and vocalist. In his 20s he started regularly participating in music conferences in the early 20th century.
He became the court musician of the princely state of Rampur at the age of 35 and later became the chief court musician. Over the years he earned fame as a renowned vocalist of Rampur-Sahaswan gharana who trained numerous students as well. Many of his students like Bhimsen Joshi, Shanno Khurana and Naina Devi went on to become iconic music figures of the country. He has recorded many albums for All India Radio and remained a top grade artist. Hussain passed away on 13 August, 1964.
Published: February 18, 2019
Updated: February 18, 2019
