Bundu Khan

Bundu Khan was a veteran Musicologist of India and later Pakistan. He inherited the talent for vocals and cords from his father, Ali Jan Khan. He was a disciple of his uncle Mamman Khan who belonged to Patiala Gharana of Classical Music. Bundu Khan had two sons named Umrao Bundu Khan and Bulund Iqbal Khan, who had also inherited the same legacy. Bundu Khan had served as a court musician in Indore to Maharaja Tukaji Rao Holkar. Bundu Khan knew around 500 ragas, especially Malhar, Bhairav, etc. He had written a book on music in Urdu and Hindi versions named Mausiqi and Sangeet Vivek Darpan, respectively.

He also worked in the Delhi and Pakistan Radio Station. He was a quiet personality who didn't interact much and used to spend most of his time with his Sarangi, always strapped around his neck. People say that when he used to go to the market, the vegetable vendor used to recognize the type of vegetable he wished to buy via his music. He used to leave the crowded halls after performing and sit in the garden to play his music for the flowers. He owned a bamboo sarangi. He used to play with the broken strings because he preferred drier sounds. In the Pre Independence times, he would roam around in the streets of Old Delhi, playing his Sarangi whenever asked by anyone to do so. People say that he was left heartbroken by the news of partition, which made him leave India and migrate to Pakistan. He died on 13th January 1955.