Rafique Khan Biography 
Rafique Khan is a sitar player, musician and composer. He belongs to a family of musical tradition with six generations associated with the field of music. He performs in Dharwad Gharana of Hindustani music. Ustad Rafique Khan is the sibling of well-known musicians, Ustad Shafique Khan (his twin brother) and Chhote Rahimat Khan. Sitar Ratna Rahimat Khan was his paternal grandfather, the legendary musician best remembered for adding the base octave to the sitar and also for modifying 3-string sitar to 7-string musical instruments, and still now musicians prefer to use 7-string sitars.
Ustad Rafique Khan was born on 30 June 1968 in Dharwad, Karnataka. Born into a family of sitarists, he started playing sitar at the age of nine. His father Ustad Abdul Karim Khan was a renowned artist. He received training from his father and elder brothers. His uncle Ustad Dastagir Khan taught him Gayaki Ang. To pursue a career in the field of music, he studied at Gandharva Mahavidyalaya, Mumbai, and later pursued philosophy from University of Goa. At the age of 23, he won “Sur Mani Award” from Sur Singar Samsad, Mumbai. Khan is fully engaged with his live concerts and has performed in almost all music concerts of the country. He has also performed in other countries.
He is a ‘top-grade' artiste in All India Radio, and he regularly performs for radio station. Currently he works in AIR, Bangalore station. He preserves the purity of the Raga and maintains the balance of the two mixed styles in Gayaki Ang and Tantakari Ang. He has also mastered Gamak Taans, a very difficult technique in sitar. Noted ghazal singer Nisa Azeezi from Malappuram is his disciple.
Published: February 18, 2019
Updated: February 18, 2019
