KOLKATA: Renowned Hindustani classical vocalist Ustad Rashid Khan, who has been undergoing treatment for prostate cancer at a private Kolkata hospital for nearly a month, is said to be in a critical condition.
Sources close to the hospital informed that the 55-year-old Padma Shri awardee suffered a brain stroke, which further deteriorated his condition. Presently, Khan has been put on ventilation.
The maestro has been fighting prostate cancer for a while and was responding well to the treatment. However, things took a bad turn when he had a brain stroke.
Sources close to the acclaimed musician informed he is being treated by neurologists, medicine, and oncology specialists.
Born in Baduan, Uttar Pradesh, Khan is known for his Rampur-Sahaswan style singing gharana and is the great-grandson of gharana founder Inayat Hussain Khan. He learned music in his initial years from his maternal grand-uncle, Ustad Nissar Hussain Khan and is also the nephew of Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan.
A winner of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, he is also the recipient of Padma Bhushan. He has sung numerous popular songs in Bengali and Hindi films, such as ‘My Name is Khan,’ ‘Kadambari,’ ‘Manto,’ and ‘Mitin Mashi’ but he's best known for the heart-touching 'Aaoge Jab Tum Saajna' from the movie 'Jab We Met.' Phone calls to the singer’s family members have remained unanswered.