Hindustani classical singer Ustad Rashid Khan dies at 55

KOLKATA: Hindustani classical musician Ustad Rashid Khan, who was battling cancer, died in a private Kolkata hospital on Tuesday afternoon, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee said on Tuesday. He was 55.

“It is very unfortunate. He died at just 55. It is a great loss for the nation and for all of us. He was like my brother. He used to call me mother,” Banerjee told reporters at the hospital.

Khan was admitted to a private hospital in east Kolkata on November 22 last year and had suffered an intracerebral haemorrhage.

A team of neurosurgeons decided to keep him under conservative treatment. He was recovering well but as he was at the hospital for all these days he developed a hospital-acquired infection which spread rapidly. “He was put on a ventilator early this morning. We tried our best but couldn’t revive him,” a senior hospital doctor said.

He died at 3:45pm.

Ustad Khan is survived by his wife and two children.

“Ustad Rashid Khan got our highest civilian award Banga Bibhushan and our Sangeet Mahasamman too. He was attached to several of our state cultural bodies in an advisory capacity,” Banerjee said in a post on X. The classical vocalist was also awarded the Padma Shri in 2006 and the Padma Bhushan in 2022.

“He was born in Uttar Pradesh but he used to love West Bengal and settled here. He used to call me mother. His body would be kept in a mortuary. There would be a gun salute on Wednesday afternoon. The last rites would be performed thereafter,” Banerjee said.