Biography

Qawwal Bandanawazi is a LIVE band based out of Hyderabad, Telangana. When it comes to this truly raw form of Sufi musical knowledge, one need not look further than the Bandanawazi Qawwal family. They reside in the old city of Hyderabad and were once famous musicians in the court of the Nizams of the Deccan region. Band Members: Ateeq Hussein Khan Bandanawazi Born in 1980 to a family of classical Sufiana qawwali, Ateeq Hussein Khan Bandanawazi is one of the living descendants of this famous band. He belongs to the Rampur Sahaswan Gharana of musicians. Besides learning Qawwali from Ustad Iqbal Hussein Khan Bandanawazi, his father, from a very early age, he also picked up various forms of classical music like Khayal, Dhrupad, Thumri, Tarana, Dadra, and Bhajan. He participated along with his father in various artistic programs and had a very striking resemblance to his voice and style. He has received high accolades from different newspapers for his outstanding performances and contribution towards the promotion of classical Qawwali Sufi music in the country and the world. His Qawwali group, known as Bandanawazi Qawwal, has toured and performed with him all over the world and at some noteworthy attractions such as the Delhi Commonwealth Games and Urdu Heritage Festival. Some of his notable shows were at the Sacred Musical Festival and International Sufi Festival in Turkey organised by the Dalai Lama Organization. His group received the Central Zone Award from the Maharashtra Art and Cultural Department in 1998. Ateeq Hussein Khan is a regular performer on AIR Hyderabad programmes. He has been entrusted with the task of carrying forward the legacy of the Sahaswan Gharana of Sufi music. Inayat Hussein Inayat Hussein was seen to be an extremely skilled singer in his early age and was sent to a professional court musician for further training after only some basic introductions by his father at home. Being the originator of the Gharana who hailed from Sahaswan and learned and trained in Rampur, the Gharana subsequently came to be known as the Rampur Sahaswan Gharana.