Akhtar Hussain, (born 1959) is a

sarangi The sārangī is a bowed, short-necked three-stringed instrument played in traditional music from South Asia – Punjabi folk music, Rajasthani folk music, Sindhi folk music, Haryanvi folk music, Braj folk music, and Boro folk music (the ...

player from

Karachi Karachi is the capital city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, largest city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, largest in the world, with a popul ...

, Pakistan. His grandfather, Ghulam Mohammed Khan (1910 – 1974), was associated with the court of the Nawab of Hyderabad Deccan and was highly regarded for his sarangi performances at private gatherings of the Nawab.

Early life and family

Akhtar Hussain was born in 1959 in Hyderabad Deccan, India. His grandfather, Ghulam Mohammed Khan, had migrated to

Faisalabad District Faisalabad District (Lyallpur District until 1979) ( Punjabi and ) is one of the districts of Punjab, Pakistan. According to the 2023 census of Pakistan it had a population of 9,075,819, of which 3,691,999 were in Faisalabad City. It is the t ...

in 1964 from Hyderabad Deccan and later moved to Lahore to work as a sarangi player at

Radio Pakistan The Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation (); also known as ''Radio Pakistan'', serves as the national public broadcaster for radio in Pakistan. Although some local stations predate its founding, it is the oldest existing broadcasting network in P ...

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

, where he died in 1974. His grandson, Akhtar Hussain, later worked in

Sindh Sindh ( ; ; , ; abbr. SD, historically romanized as Sind (caliphal province), Sind or Scinde) is a Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. Located in the Geography of Pakistan, southeastern region of the country, Sindh is t ...

province at Khairpur for

as a contract musician for over 22 years playing background sarangi for many folk dramas on radio. He later decided to move to Karachi in 2006 to settle there. He was hired by

National Academy of Performing Arts The National Academy of Performing Arts (; abbreviated as NAPA) is a performing arts school located at Hindu Gymkhana in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. NAPA was established in 2005 as an institution to conserve and teach performing arts and music. ...

(NAPA) in Karachi, where he started earning a reasonable income by playing sarangi there. Music critics often argue that sarangi, out of all bowed string instruments, is the closest to the human voice. They say that when played by a true maestro, sarangi can express the sadness one experiences in love. In 2009, 50-year-old Akhtar Hussain was struggling through hard times and had taken shelter with his teenaged son in a small home at an

imambargah A Husayniyya () is a building designed specifically for gatherings of Shia Muslims for spiritual practice, religious education and commemoration ceremonies, especially the Mourning of Muharram. The Husayniyya is a multipurpose hall for the com ...

in Karachi. He was not happy with the lack of support for classical musicians by the

Government of Pakistan The Government of Pakistan () (abbreviated as GoP), constitutionally known as the Federal Government, commonly known as the Centre, is the national authority of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, a federal republic located in South Asia, con ...

. Akhtar Hussain's son, Gul Muhammad Hussain, also following the family tradition, became a sarangi player in Karachi, Pakistan and earns a month. In 2009, Akhtar Hussain revealed that he had been suffering from

asthma Asthma is a common long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wh ...

for some time. In 2023, Akhtar Hussain was rated as a 'stalwart' of the sarngi instrument in Pakistan.

References

External links

Description of Sarangi (musical instrument) on Encyclopedia Britannica websiteAkhtar Hussain (sarangi player) interview on YouTubeMusic instruments of Pakistan on travel-culture.com website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hussain, Akhtar Sarangi players 1959 births Living people Pakistani classical musicians Instrumental gharanas Pakistani radio personalities People from Hyderabad State