Fakir Aftabuddin Khan (1862-1933) was a Bengali musician, composer and lyricist.
Early life
Khan was born on 1862 in
Shibpur
Shibpur or Sibpur is a neighbourhood in Howrah city of Howrah district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is a part of the area covered by Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA).
It is well known for being the location of the ...
,
Brahmanbaria District
Brahmanbaria ( bn, ব্রাহ্মণবাড়িয়া, translit=Brahmôṇbaṛiya) is a district in eastern Bangladesh located in the Chittagong Division. Geographically, it is mostly farmland and is topographically part of the Ga ...
,
Bengal Presidency
The Bengal Presidency, officially the Presidency of Fort William and later Bengal Province, was a subdivision of the British Empire in India. At the height of its territorial jurisdiction, it covered large parts of what is now South Asia and ...
,
British India
The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...
. His brothers were the famous musicians
Alauddin Khan
Allauddin Khan, also known as Baba Allauddin Khan ( – 6 September 1972) was an Indian sarod player and multi-instrumentalist, composer and one of the most notable music teachers of the 20th century in Indian classical music. For a generation ...
and
Ayet Ali Khan Ayet Ali Khan was a Bengali classical musician.
Early life
Khan was born in Shibpur Upazila, Shibpur, Brahmanbaria District, Brahmanbaria, Bengal Presidency, British Raj in 1884. He trained under his brothers Fakir Aftabuddin Khan and Ustad Alauddi ...
.
Career
Khan learned to play the violin and
tabla
A tabla, bn, তবলা, prs, طبلا, gu, તબલા, hi, तबला, kn, ತಬಲಾ, ml, തബല, mr, तबला, ne, तबला, or, ତବଲା, ps, طبله, pa, ਤਬਲਾ, ta, தபலா, te, తబల ...
at the court of the
Zamidar
A zamindar ( Hindustani: Devanagari: , ; Persian: , ) in the Indian subcontinent was an autonomous or semiautonomous ruler of a province. The term itself came into use during the reign of Mughals and later the British had begun using it as a ...
of Bangora. He trained in
Tripura Raja's court under the court musician Rababi Qasim Ali Khan. He was particularly talented with a flute and also played the harmonium,
dotara
The ''dotara'' (or ''dotar'') Persian ( bn, দোতারা, as, দোতাৰা, literally, 'Of or having two strings') is a two, four, or sometimes five- stringed musical instrument, originating from Iran and Central Asia. It is comm ...
, and banya. He invented his own musical instruments called the meghadambur and swarasangraha. He also wrote lyrics for the poems of Manomohan Dutta.
He was given the title "
Fakir
Fakir ( ar, فقیر, translit=faḳīr or ''faqīr'') is an Islamic term traditionally used for Sufi Muslim ascetics who renounce their worldly possessions and dedicate their lives to the worship of God. They do not necessarily renounce al ...
" for his devotion to god and the Goddess
Kali
Kali (; sa, काली, ), also referred to as Mahakali, Bhadrakali, and Kalika ( sa, कालिका), is a Hinduism, Hindu goddess who is considered to be the goddess of ultimate power, time, destruction and change in Shaktism. In t ...
and his ascetic lifestyle.
Death
Khan died on 25 January 1933.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Khan, Aftabuddin
1862 births
1933 deaths
20th-century Indian composers
20th-century Indian singers
People from Brahmanbaria district
People from Tripura
Bengali musicians
Bengali singers
Hindustani instrumentalists
Sitar players
Hindustani composers
Singers in British India
People from the Bengal Presidency