Manji Khan Biography 
Manji Khan was a Hindustani Classical vocalist of the Jaipur-Atrauli Gharana founded by his father, Ustad Alladiya Khan. But he couldn’t carry forward the tradition as he died at a younger age of 49. Later the tradition was carried forward by his brother, Bhurji Khan. Pt. Mallikarjun Mansur was a disciple of Manji and he joined him just before Manji’s death. Later he was taught by Bhurji Khan. Mansur is the sole inheritor of Manji Khan and his music.
Manji Khan was born in 1888. He was the second son of Ustad Alladiya Khan. He had two siblings, Utd. Nasiruddin "Badeji" Khan and Utd. Shamsuddin "Bhurji" Khan and both became popular Hindustani vocalists later. As both these brothers suffered from health ailments, Ustad Alladiya Khan chose Manji Khan as the foremost inheritor and disciple of the Jaipur-Atrauli gayaki. He was the middle son and hence called the name, Manji. Manji was deeply influenced by Ustad Rahimat Khanof the Gwalior Gharana during that time. It made his father angry and he was asked to cultivate his own singing style. When Manji restarted his career once again, his unfortunate death resulted in the dead end of everything! Like his famous father, unfortunately he too did not leave behind any recordings.
Ustaad Manji Khan was noted for his serene face while singing and he was immensely popular among the youth for his singing style and voice. His singing styles have been often compared to rebel’s nature. Only disciple he has earned in his life was Pt. Mallikarjun Mansur. It was through the initiative of a friend that manji noticed Mansur. However their guru-shishya relationship didn’t last too long as Manji met with an unexpected death. He died in 1937 without leaving behind any of his traces!
Published: N/A
Updated: February 20, 2014
