Sakar Khan (aka Sakar Khan Manganiar) (1938–2013) was an Indian musician, considered by many as the greatest exponent of the Kamayacha (''or'' Kamaicha), a

Rajasthani Rajasthani may refer to: * something of, from, or related to Rajasthan, a state of India * Rajasthani languages, a group of languages spoken there * Rajasthani people, the native inhabitants of the region * Rajasthani architecture * Rajasthani art ...

version of the Persian musical instrument of the same name, popular among the

Manganiar The Manganhar are a Muslim community found in the desert of Rajasthan, India; mostly in the districts of Barmer and Jaisalmer. also found in the districts of Tharparkar and Sanghar in the bordering province of Sindh in Pakistan. They are know ...

community of the Indian desert state. The

Government of India The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, c ...

honoured Khan in 2012, with the fourth highest civilian award of

Padma Shri Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, ...

Biography

Sakar Khan was born on 9 August 1938 at Hamira, a small village in the

Jaisalmer district Jaisalmer is the largest district in the Indian state of Rajasthan, and the third largest district in India. Located in Marwar (Jodhpur Division), the city of Jaisalmer is the administrative headquarters of the district. It is around from the ...

of the Indian state of

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern si ...

, in the

community, known for their traditional music. His father, Ustad Chuhad Khan, was a renowned kamayacha (kamaicha) musician and the young Sakar started learning kamayacha (kamaicha) from an early age under the tutelage of his father to earn a name for himself later. Khan has performed in many parts of the world, notably in Brussels, at a concert at the Cirque Royal Auditorium, organized by the International Yehudi Menuhin Foundation, titled, ''From the Sitar to the Guitar'' where he played alongside such musicians as

Yehudi Menuhin Yehudi or Jehudi (Hebrew: יהודי, endonym for Jew) is a common Hebrew name: * Yehudi Menuhin (1916–1999), violinist and conductor ** Yehudi Menuhin School, a music school in Surrey, England ** Who's Yehoodi?, a catchphrase referring to the v ...

and

Pandit Ravi Shankar Ravi Shankar (; born Robindro Shaunkor Chowdhury, sometimes spelled as Rabindra Shankar Chowdhury; 7 April 1920 – 11 December 2012) was an Indian sitarist and composer. A sitar virtuoso, he became the world's best-known export of North Ind ...

. His concerts have taken place in countries such as US, France, Japan and USSR and has performed with

George Harrison George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician and singer-songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Indian c ...

, the Beatle, and Sultan Khan in London. Sakar Khan, who is credited with getting the Rajasthani kamancha noticed at the world stage, is reported to have made innovations to the instrument, originally a rabab look alike stringed instrument composed of a goat skin covered body and three or four main and fourteen sympathetic strings by adding to the number of sympathetic strings to enhance the emotional appeal of the instrument. His renditions of Bhairavi raga and Kalyani raga have been stored in the

ethnomusicology Ethnomusicology is the study of music from the cultural and social aspects of the people who make it. It encompasses distinct theoretical and methodical approaches that emphasize cultural, social, material, cognitive, biological, and other dim ...

archives of

Smithsonian Folkways Smithsonian Folkways is the nonprofit record label of the Smithsonian Institution. It is a part of the Smithsonian's Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, located at Capital Gallery in downtown Washington, D.C. The label was fou ...

, the record label of the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...

. His performance at ''The Manganiyar Seduction'', was as a guest of honour at the

Purana Qila Purana Qila () is one of the oldest forts in Delhi, India. Built by the second Mughal Emperor Humayun and Surid Sultan Sher Shah Suri, it is thought by many to be located on the site of the ancient city of Indraprastha. The fort formed the inn ...

in Delhi in November 2010, following which the organisers, Amarrass Records, made analogue field recordings of the maestro at his home in Hamira, Rajasthan, released as ''At Home: Sakar Khan'' (Amarrass Records) in September 2012. This remains the only album released by Sakar Khan. His last public performance was at the Amarrass Desert Music Festival 2012 in December in New Delhi, India. Sakar Khan died on 10 August 2013 due to respiratory illnesses and is survived by his wife, Bubba Devi, their four sons and two daughters. Four of his sons, Ghewar Khan, Feroze Khan and Darra Khan, Satar are known kamayacha (kamaicha) musicians and accompany their father on concerts.

Awards and recognitions

The Government of Madhya Pradesh awarded Sakar Khan the

Tulsi Samman The Tulsi Samman is an arts award presented annually by the government of Madhya Pradesh state in India. The award is named after Tulsi Das, an Indian saint, poet and philosopher, best known as the author of ''Ramacharitamanas'', an epic devoted ...

in 1990. The next year, in 1991, he received the

Sangeet Natak Akademi Award Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (IPA: Saṅgīta Nāṭaka Akādamī Puraskāra), also known as the Akademi Puraskar, is an award given by the Sangeet Natak Akademi Sangeet Natak Akademi (The National Academy of Music, Dance and Drama in Englis ...

from the

which, twenty one years later, followed it up with the fourth highest civilian award of

, in 2012.

References

External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Khan, Sakar 1938 births 2013 deaths Recipients of the Padma Shri in arts People from Rajasthan Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award Indian male classical musicians 20th-century Indian male classical singers

Biography

Awards and recognitions

See also

References

Further reading

External links