A Dream I Lived Alone- Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan

Born in 1931, Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan is a Hindustani classical vocalist belonging to the illustrious Rampur-Sahaswan gharana. Performing since the age of eight, he has travelled to music festivals all over the globe in an illustrious career spanning seventy-five years, and has been a pioneer and legend of Hindustani classical music in the truest sense of the words. His stature can also be gauged from the fact that he is a guru to the likes of Asha Bhosle, Manna Dey, Geeta Dutt, A.R. Rahman, Hariharan, Waheeda Rehman, Shaan, Sonu Nigam, among many other legends in their own right.

In A Dream I Lived Alone, the Padma Vibhushan awardee narrates his story of growing up in a simple family, taking to music like a fish to water and chasing his dreams that has seen him perform at the biggest of stages the world over. From practising his music in a graveyard as a young boy to teaching stalwarts of the music industry, his has been a journey like no other. In prose that is as lyrical as his songs, Namrata Gupta Khan, his daughter-in-law, captures the melody of the life and times of a maestro in this heart-warming story of love, dedication to one's craft and the magic of music.

At seventeen, Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan was one of the youngest artists to perform at Rashtrapati Bhavan in a conference held (in 1948) by former president of India Rajendra Prasad. By 1969, he had been declared Junior Tansen' by Haridas Sangeet Sabha, Mangalore.

In 1957, while collaborating with musicologist Acharya K.C. Brihaspati on a project, he revived the ancient Indian tradition of singing compositions from Natyashastra, Brihat Deshi and Sangeet Ratnakar, the only artist in 700 years to have done so. He has also given his voice to more than seventy documentary films, and even acted in one called the Rain Maker. In recognition of his outstanding contribution to the field of Indian classical music, he was conferred honorary citizenship of Baltimore City and Maryland.

Ustadji, as he is fondly called by his disciples, has always given back to society, be it by identifying and nurturing some of the best musicians in India or by mesmerizing the nation through music.

Namrata Gupta Khan started working while she was still in college and over a period of twelve years built a career in customer service and sales with one of the largest telecom companies of India. She now runs her own event management outfit, NR Talent and Event Management Company, which organizes events in India and abroad. She is passionate about health and fitness and believes that one can always work to change one's physical and mental states for the better.

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