Rais Khan

A descendant of the Etawah Gharana, Ustad Rais Khan was influenced his maternal uncle, the legendary Vilayet Khan’s style. The sitar he played was ‘Gandhar-Pancham’ Sitar, which was standardized and designed by Vilayat Khan himself. Ustad Rais Khan is the torchbearer of the Mewat or Mewati Gharana (lineage), which is connected to Indore and the “beenkar baj gayaki ang” (singing style combined with rudra vina approaches) carried out by Khan’s father Mohammed Khan, a rudra vina (been) player and a sitarist. Despite his extensive meend work and the gandhar pancham sitar style, Ustad Rais Khan’s alapi, gatkari and gamaki is different in approach, pacing, and even technique, from the Etawah style. Khan gave his first public concert at Sunderbai Hall in the presence of the then Governor of Bombay Sir Maharaja Singh. Like Vilayat Khan, he often sang and demonstrated compositions. He toured extensively throughout the world. Ustad Rais Khan later moved to Pakistan. He has four sons: Suhael Khan, Cezanne Khan, Farhan Khan and Huzoor Hasnain Khan. Ustad Rais Khan passed away in May 2017.