| Bhurji Khan | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Shamsuddin Ghulam Ahmad Khan |
| Born | December 0, 1890 Bundi, North-Western Provinces, British India |
| Origin | Bundi, India |
| Died | December 0, 1950 (aged 62) Mumbai, Bombay Presidency, British India |
| Genres | Khayal, Bhajans, Thumris |
| Occupations | Hindustani classical vocalist of the Jaipur-Atrauli Gharana |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1900–1950 |
Ustad Shamsuddin "Bhurji" Khan (1890–1950) was a Hindustani Classical vocalist of the Jaipur-Atrauli Gharana founded by his father, Utd. Alladiya Khan.
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Utd. Bhurji Khan was the third and youngest son of Utd. Alladiya Khan. Despite this, Utd. Alladiya Khan felt that Utd. Bhurji Khan was the most capable of his children.
Bhurji's voice was excellent and had a good range. Among the three brothers his voice was the best. He was also intelligent. He used to listen to his brother's training and sing all the compositions.
In his late youth, Utd. Bhurji Khan fell seriously ill with motzira while visiting Uniara.
He used to suffer from nose-bleeds. Four or five bowls of blood would flow out from his nose in a day. His brain became weak. He could not get good treatment in the village. They would apply pandu mud and pour jars of water over his head constantly. Because of this he had a severe cold and he lost that quality of his voice for ever.—Utd. Alladiya Khan[2]
Utd. Bhurji Khan's illness affected his musical growth. Brain damage from the illness contributed to his forgetfulness and memory loss. As a result, his father abandoned training him, where he continued his musical training with his uncle, Utd. Haider Khan. Despite Utd. Haider Khan's persistence, it was only until Utd. Bhurji Khan took to teaching that his memory solidified and his musical growth resumed. After this, his training with his father resumed.
Since his illness Bhurji suffered from weakness in the brain. He could not grasp anything. He would forget the compositions taught to him. One day I got very angry and I snatched away the Tanpura from his hands... Singing in the temple and teaching that girl made a great difference to Bhurji Khan's singing. One day I head him in the temple. He was singing quite well. I was pleased. I thanked Allah. My disappointment disappeared. I put the tanpura back in his hands. His training resumed.—Utd. Alladiya Khan[3]
Utd. Bhurji Khan was instrumental in expanding the presence of the Jaipur-Atrauli gayaki in Hindustani Classical music. Among his many disciples are Pt. Mohanrao Palekar, Smt. Kishori Amonkar, Pt. Madhusudhan Kanetkar, Madhukar Sadolikar (brother of Pt. Wamanrao Sadolikar, Pt. Nivruttibuwa Sarnaik, and his own son, Baba Azizuddin Khan.
Utd. Bhurji Khan's foremost disciple was Pt. Mallikarjun Mansur. After the death of his elder brother, Utd. Manji Khan, Utd. Bhurji Khan agreed to teach Pt. Mallikarjun Mansur under his father's command.[4]
Utd. Bhurji Khan died in 1950 after a prolonged illness.
Like his famous father, Utd. Bhurji Khan did not leave behind any recordings.