Mumbai square named after Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan, guru of Rahman

A little over a year after his death Mumbai will get a square named after the legendary Hindustani classical singer Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan the guru of stalwarts like AR Rahman Hariharan Shaan Salim Merchant and othersTourism Minister Aditya Thackeray will unveil a plaque commemorating the Padma Vibhushan Ghulam Mustafa Khan Chowk on Carter Road Bandra near the Additional Police Commissioners office on WednesdayProminent singers from Bollywood members of the Ustads family and his disciples shall witness the momentous occasion to honour the torchbearer of the formidable Sahaswan Rampur Gwalior Gharana school of music said a close associateBorn in UPs Badaun Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan was the eldest son in a family of musicians four brothers and three sisters and learnt basics in Hindustani classical music from his father Ustad Waris Hussain Khan at a very tender ageLater he was groomed by his uncle Ustad Fida Hussain Khan and cousin Ustad Nissar Hussain Khan which helped polish the traditional styles of Rampur Sahaswan and Gwalior gharanas that were distinctive to Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khans singingSimultaneously he evinced keen interest in the history of Indian Classical music and studied the ancient styles JatiGayan with Acharya KC Brahaspati and conducted research with himUstad Ghulam Mustafa Khan sang compositions derived from Natyashastra and Brihat Deshi written by Matang Rishi and sharing Devs Sangeet Ratnakar based on JatiGayan which were rendered for the first time in 700 yearsHe brought to life this ancient Indian Classical Music from the hoary era with 7 of his records of 30 minutes each preserved at the Sangeet Natak Akademy New DelhiThe Oscar winner globallyacclaimed music maestro A R Rahman said the new square would be a rightful honour to Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan Sahib for his services to Indian Classical MusicGreat Gurus are the eternal force of knowledge and rich tradition which India possesses The musical knowledge which Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan Sahbi gifted to so many of his students is priceless he saidRenowned singer Hariharan is also thrilled and felt at a loss for words to describe his happy feelings for the iconic figure whose works were sung by students of other GharanasA square for my Ustadji is the best thing to happen He was one of the greatest masters of Indian Classical Music and Khayal GayakiGharana The amount of work he has done and the brilliant compositions he has rendered are simply amazing said HariharanShaan is also elated by the tribute to Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan and said all people in the music industry are very proud of itHe will always remain a loving personification of music dedication and devotion through his voice and persona I am thrilled by this square in his name which will inspire many more generations towards pure music he saidAce composer Merchant said Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan is always in our hearts and thoughtsa and now a square only glorifies that furthermoreIts a moment of pride for his family his students and all music lovers I hope that his name always remains on top and his memories keep us smiling said MerchantThe Khan family said this is a moment of glory and something special for them and expressed gratitude to the Centre and ICCR which recently launched the Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan Fellowship for Music for foreign musicians and singersWe feel truly honoured and are thankful to the Government of Maharashtra BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation and Municipal Corporator Asif Zakaria for the square in his name said the Ustadjis wife Amina GM KhanEmerging among the finest over the years the Ustad mentored many top singers like Lata Mangeshkar Asha Bhosle Sonu Nigam besides his own sons Murtuza Mustafa Khan Qadir Mustafa Khan Rabbani Mustafa Khan Hasan Mustafa Khan and grandson Faiz Mustafa Khan besides Rahman Hariharan Shaan and MerchantHe was bestowed with honours and accolades including the Padma Shri 1991 Padma Bhushan 2006 and Padma Vibhushan 2018 and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award 2003Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khans vast repertoire includes significant contributions to Hindi and regional films for which he composed and sang starting with Mrinal Sens Bhuvan Shome and also documentariesHe essayed the role of Baiju Bawra in a German documentary Rainmaker and performed on Coke Studio when AR Rahman wanted to present his Guru with his three generations consisting of his sons Murtuza Qadir Rabbani Hasan and grandson FaizAfter leaving his indelible mark in the field of music Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan fell silent at 89 in January 2021 at his Bandra home and now a square in the neighbourhood will celebrate the musical legend and his legacyThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever