Allah Rakha (1932 – 2015), also referred to by the title

Ustad Ustad, ustadh, ustaz or ustadz (abbreviated as Ust., Ut. or Ud.; from Persian language, Persian ''ustād'') is an honorific title used in West Asia, North Africa, Central Asia, South Asia and Southeast Asia. It is used in various languages, incl ...

, was a Pakistani ''

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 and often performed with music groups on

Pakistan Television Pakistan Television Corporation (; reporting name: PTV); also known as ''Pakistan Television'', is the Pakistani state-owned broadcasting, broadcaster founded by the Government of Pakistan, operating under the Ministry of Information & Broadc ...

. Among the music instruments of the Indian sub-continent, sarangi is a complex and difficult to play stringed instrument. According to Allah Rakha's obituary in ''

The News International ''The News International'', published in broadsheet size, is one of the largest English language newspapers in Pakistan. It is published daily from Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi/ Islamabad. An overseas edition is published from London th ...

'' newspaper, "It should not be forgotten that to play the sarangi well is a feat in itself; it requires decades of dedicated application."

Early life and education

Allah Rakha was born in Muzaffar, a village in

Sialkot District Sialkot District ( Punjabi and ), is one of the districts of the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is located in the northeast of the province. The city of Sialkot is the capital of the district. The Sialkot Cantonment was established in 1852 ...

Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

, in 1932. During early childhood, his family moved to

Amritsar Amritsar, also known as Ambarsar, is the second-List of cities in Punjab, India by population, largest city in the India, Indian state of Punjab, India, Punjab, after Ludhiana. Located in the Majha region, it is a major cultural, transportatio ...

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...

where he was raised. He acquired his initial education in classical music and

playing from his father, Ustad Lal Din. Later, he became the student of three renowned sarangi players, Ustad Ahmadi Khan (died in Delhi in 1945), Ustad

Alladiya Khan Alladiya Khan (10 August 1855 – 16 March 1946) was an Indian Hindustani classical singer who founded the Jaipur-Atrauli gharana, also referred as just Jaipur Gharana. He is recognized for his revival, reinterpretation, and creations of many ra ...

(1855 – 1946), and Ustad

Nathu Khan Nathu Khan (1920 1971; sometimes spelled as Nathoo), was a Pakistani sarangi player known for introducing solo sarangi playing tradition with difficult phrases. He was associated with Radio Pakistan and Pakistan Television Corporation. He was ...

(1920 – 1971) of

, Karachi Center.

Career

His talent was first appreciated in his early teenage years, when he performed in a contest at a local wedding, and was lauded for his performance of ''Raga Desi''. After 1947 partition, Allah Rakha migrated to Pakistan, and settled temporarily in Karachi, where he also remembers to have had the honor of playing live for

Mohammad Ali Jinnah Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the monotheistic teachings of Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, ...

. It was also here that he met Ustad

Bade Ghulam Ali Khan Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan (2 April 1902 – 23 April 1968) was a Pakistani vocalist, from the Kasur Patiala Gharana.

and honed his skills as a sarangi accompanist to performing vocalist musicians on Radio and TV. He moved to Lahore in 1948, and for almost two decades, he worked at the

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 Station, and also in the

Pakistani film industry The film industry of Pakistan, consisting of motion pictures, has had a large effect on Pakistani society and culture since the nation's independence. Pakistani cinema is made up of various sub-industries, including Lollywood, which mak ...

as a recording artist. In Lahore, his knowledge of music was further broadened during his association with ''Ustad Sardar Khan'' (vocalist), son of Umrao Khan, and grandson of

Tanras Khan Qutub Bakhsh, more commonly known as Tanras Khan (c. 1801 – c. 1890), was an Indian musician of the Hindustani Classical tradition known for being a luminary of the Delhi Gharana.(House of Delhi classical musicians).

. Then in 1968 he moved to

Rawalpindi Rawalpindi is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, third-largest city in the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is a commercial and industrial hub, being the list of cities in P ...

and became a regular employee of

, where he served till his retirement in 1992. It should be added here that sarangi is made with horse hair and goatskin, brass and wood. It also takes long periods of one's life to learn how to play it well. Allah Rakha died in 2015. He had also traveled abroad several times and performed in Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, India, China, Dubai, France, Hungary, Italy, the United Kingdom, and Germany. In 1997, he performed as a soloist with the Belgian Rajhans Orchestra in a concert tour starting in Islamabad and later performing in Lahore and Karachi, directed by composer-conductor Hans Vermeersch.

Awards and recognition

Pride of Performance The Pride of Performance (), officially known as the Presidential Pride of Performance, is an award bestowed by the Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Pakistan to recognize people with "notable achievements in the field of art, science, literature, sp ...

Award by the

President of Pakistan The president of Pakistan () is the head of state of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The president is the nominal head of the executive and the supreme commander of the Pakistan Armed Forces.

for his lifelong devotion to classical music in 1995.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rakha, Allah 1932 births 2015 deaths Hindustani instrumentalists Pakistani musicians People from Sialkot Sarangi players Recipients of the Pride of Performance