Legendary Indian classical vocalist, Ustad Azizuddin Khan (90), died on Tuesday morning at his home on New Mahadwar Road in Kolhapur. He is survived by three sons.
Popularly known as “Baba” and “Khansaheb”, Khan was the exponent of Jaipur Atrauli Gharana, the school of classical music founded his grandfather, the doyen of the classical singing, Ustad Alladiya Khan.
Ustad Azizuddin Khan was born in Uniara village in Rajasthan on February 7, 1921. The family settled in Kolhapur when he was an infant. His father, Bhurji Khan, who died in 1950, was also a well-known vocalist of this school which is the first school in the Khayal style of singing.
Azizuddin Khan started singing at age 8, stopped singing at the age of 24 because of acute headache. But he continued with the training, using the harmonium and whistling to explain nuances to his pupils. He played an important role in establishing the music department at Shivaji University.
His disciples include Pandit Mallikarjun Mansur, Madhusudan Kanetkar, Pandit Jitendra Abhisheki, Panchakshri Mattikatti, Dhondutai Kulkarni and Shruti Sadolikar.
