Karim Khan Zand
Vakil e-Ra'aayaa وكيل الرّعايا (Representative of the People)
Reign	1750-1 May 1779[1] (49 years)
Born	c. 1705
Died	1779
Place of death	Zand Palace, Shiraz
Buried	Pars Museum, Shiraz 29°36′57.63″N 52°32′42″E / 29.6160083°N 52.545°E / 29.6160083; 52.545Coordinates: 29°36′57.63″N 52°32′42″E / 29.6160083°N 52.545°E / 29.6160083; 52.545
Successor	Mohammad Ali Khan
Dynasty	Zand dynasty
Religious beliefs	Shia Islam[2]

Karim Khan Zand, (Persian: کریم خان زند‎), (c. 1705- 1779), was a ruler of Iran, and the founder of the Zand Dynasty.

He was born in Village of Pari near Malayer to a family of the Zand tribe of Lak^[3][4][5][6] or Lur^[7] deportees. Kurdish nationalists such as Abdul Rahman Ghassemlou^[8][9] considered him as a Kurdish hero^[10] Modern scholarships such as Wadie Jwaideh suggested his proud Kurdishness.^{[11][12][13][14]}

He never styled himself as "shah" or king, and instead used the title Vakil e-Ra'aayaa (Representative of the People).^{[citation needed]}

Karim Khan Zand was one of the generals of Nader Shah Afshar. After Nader Shah's death in 1747, Persia fell into a state of civil war. At that time, Karim Khan, Abolfath Khan and Ali Mardan Khan reached an agreement to divide the country among themselves and give the throne to Ismail III. However, the cooperation ended after Ali Mardan Khan invaded Isfahan and killed Abdolfath Khan. Subsequently, Karim Khan killed Ali Mardan Khan and gained control over all of Iran except Khorasan, ruled by Shahrokh, grandson of Nader Shah. Nevertheless, he did not adopt the title of Shah for himself, preferring the title, Vakil e-Ra'aayaa (Advocate of the People = People's President)

While Karim was ruler, Persia recovered from the devastation of 40 years of war, providing the war ravaged country with a renewed sense of tranquility, security, peace, and prosperity. During his reign,relations with Britain were restored, and he allowed the East India Company to have a trading post in southern Iran. He made Shiraz his capital^[15] and ordered the construction of several architectural projects there. Following Karim Khan's death, civil war broke out once more, and none of his descendants were able to rule the country as effectively as he had. The last of these descendants, Lotf Ali Khan, was killed by Agha Mohammad Khan, and the Qajar dynasty came to power.

Karim Khan on an Iranian stamp

Monument of Karim Khan in Shiraz

To this day, he has a reputation as one of the most just and able rulers in Iranian history. A wealth of tales and anecdotes portray Karim Khan as a compassionate ruler, genuinely concerned with the welfare of his subjects. In the words of John Malcolm, "The happy reign of this excellent prince, as contrasted with those who preceded and followed him, affords the historian of Persia that kind of mixed pleasure and repose, which a traveler enjoys on arriving in a beautiful and fertile valley during an arduous journey over barren and rugged wastes. It is pleasing to recount the actions of a chief who, though born of an inferior rank, obtained power without crime, and who exercised it with a moderation that, for the times in which he lived, was as singular as his humanity and justice." (John Malcolm, The History of Persia, 1829)

Portrait of Karim Khan, watercolor painting, National Museum of Iran.

He is buried at Pars Museum of Shiraz.

See also[link]

• History of Iran
• History of Kurdistan
• List of kings of Persia
• list of Kurdish people
• Zand dynasty
• Hyder Ali

References[link]

Perry, John R., Karīm Khān Zand: a history of Iran, 1747-1779 University of Chicago Press, 1979, ISBN 978-0-226-66098-1 and One World Publications, 2006 ISBN 978-1-85168-435-9.

Malcolm, John, Sir, The history of Persia, from the most early period to the present time containing an account of the religion, government, usages, and character of the inhabitants of that kingdom in 2 volumes; London : Murray, 1815.; re-published by Adamant Media Corporation 2004 vol 1. ISBN 978-1-4021-5134-7; vol. 2 ISBN 978-1-4021-5205-4.

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Karim Khan

• History of Iran: Zand Dynasty
• Karim Khan's portrait

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Abdul Karim Khan
Background information
Born	November 11, 1872
Origin	Kairana, Uttar Pradesh
Died	October 27, 1937
Genres	Indian classical music
Occupations	singer
Years active	??

Ustad Abdul Karim Khan (Devanagari: अब्दुल करीम ख़ान, Urdu: استاد عبدالکریم خان) (November 11, 1872–1937),^[1] was an Indian classical singer of the Kairana gharana (Kirana Gharana).^[2]

Early life and background[link]

Abdul Karim Khan was born in Kairana village in muzaffarnagar (Uttar Pradesh, North India) in to the Kairana musical family which traced its roots to musician brothers Ghulam Ali and Ghulam Maula. His father, Kale Khan was the grandson of Ghulam Ali. Karim Khan received training under uncle Abdulla Khan and father Kale Khan. He also received guidance from another uncle Nanhe Khan. Apart from vocals and sarangi, he also learnt Veena (Been), Sitar and Tabla.

According to a story, he was initially a sarangi player, but decided to switch to vocals because of low status of sarangi players. In early years he used to sing with his brother Abdul Haq. The Baroda ruler was impressed by this singing duo and made them the court musicians. This is where he met Tarabai Mane, who was the daughter of Sardar Maruti Rao Mane, a member of the royal family. When they decided to get married, they were ousted from Baroda. The couple settled down in Bombay. In 1922 Tarabai Mane left Abdul Karim Khan, which apparently had a major impact on his music - making it pensive and meditative. Karim Khan's first wife, Gafooran was the sister of another Kirana master Abdul Wahid Khan, who was also his cousin.

Career[link]

Ustad and disciple Pt. Sawai Gandharva

Ustad Abdul Karim Khan was invited to the Mysore court where he met famous Carnatic music Carnatic masters which also influenced his music. In particular the singing of his Sargam was a direct influence of Carnatic practice. He became a frequent visitor to Mysore Darbar which conferred on him the title Sangeet Ratna. On the way to Mysore he used to stay with his brother in Dharwad where he taught his most famous disciple Sawai Gandharva. In 1900 for eight months he taught Surashri Kesarbai Kerkar. Kesarbai Kerkar would go on to be one of the 20th century’s most renowned vocalists. In 1913 he founded the Arya Sangeet Vidyalaya in Poona to teach students. He would wholeheartedly teach all his students unlike other family ustads of the era. He finally settled down in Miraj till his death in 1937 when returning from a concert tour of the south. Every year in August commemorative music concerts are held in Miraj. The innovations he brought to his vocal style distinguishes Kirana style from others. The slow melodic development of the raga in Vilambit laya slow tempo was the most characteristic aspect of his music. He sings in perfect pitch and emotions. He worked hard to maintain his voice to be sweet and melodious which shaped his music. The thumri style he developed as also quite different from the poorab ang or Punjabi ang. His thumri progresses in a leisurely languor with ample abandonment. He was also the first Hindustani musician to seriously study Carnatic system and probably the first to be invited to sing all over the south. He has even recorded a Thyagaraja Krithi. He was also influenced by Rehmet Khan of the Gwalior gharana and adopted the direct style of presentation Bhairavi of Rehmat Khan used to be bright and cheerful Karim Khan perfected it and was able to present an equally bright and cheerful rendering. He was extremely popular singer of his time. His recordings are still popular in music world. ^[3]

Disciples[link]

His some popular disciples were Rambhau Kundagolkar (Sawai Gandharva), Balkrishna Kapileshwari, Roshanara Begum, Sureshbabu Mane, Dashrath Mule etc.

Further reading[link]

• Great Masters of Hindustani Music, by Susheela Misra, Hem Publishers, 1981. page 78.
• http://music.calarts.edu/~bansuri/pages/abdulkarim.html

References[link]

External links[link]

• 78 rpm recordings of Ustad's music
• Abdul Karim Khan recordings available on www.sarangi.info

Kareem Rashad Sultan Khan
File:KareemRashadSultanKhan.jpg U.S Army photo
Born	(1987-02-12)February 12, 1987 Neptune, New Jersey
Died	August 6, 2007(2007-08-06) (aged 20) Baqouba, Iraq
Buried at	Arlington National Cemetery, with full Military Honors
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Army
Rank	Corporal
Battles/wars	Iraq War
Awards	Bronze Star Purple Heart

Kareem Rashad Sultan Khan (born 12 February 1987 in Neptune, New Jersey, died 6 August 2007 in Baqouba, Iraq) was a Muslim-American U.S. Army Specialist who died in Operation Iraqi Freedom.^[1] He received a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart for his service.^[1] He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.^[1][2]

The son of Feroze Khan of New Jersey and Elsheba Khan of Maryland, Khan was a 2005 graduate from Southern Regional High School in Manahawkin, New Jersey. Khan was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team), based in Fort Lewis, Washington. According to the Gannett News Service, he was "spurred by the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center [and] wanted to show that not all Muslims were fanatics and that many, like him, were willing to lay their lives down for their country, America. He enlisted immediately after graduation and was sent to Iraq in July 2006."^[2] He was promoted posthumously to the rank of Corporal.

His service was cited during a 19 October 2008 interview on Meet the Press with general Colin Powell.^[3][4] In particular, Powell referred to a photograph in The New Yorker which showed Khan's mother by his gravestone in Arlington National Cemetery.^[1] Powell said Khan's example refutes the anti-Muslim sentiment present in the Republican campaign during the 2008 U.S. Presidential election, namely that being Muslim disqualifies a person from being a genuine, patriotic American, or that a Muslim could not become President.^[5][6]

References[link]

External links[link]

• "Service". The New Yorker. 2008-09-29. http://www.newyorker.com/online/2008/09/29/slideshow_080929_platon?slide=16. 
• "More on the Soldier Kareem R. Khan." New York Times (19 October 2008)
• "Death of Fort Lewis soldier resonates with Powell." The News Tribune (20 October 2008)
• New Jersey War Dead: Army Spc. Kareem R. Khan, August 6, 2007 (Obituary)

Karim Mayfield
Statistics
Real name	Karim Rasheed Mayfield
Nickname(s)	Hard Hitta
Rated at	Light Middleweight Welterweight
Nationality	American
Born	(1980-12-14) December 14, 1980 (age 31) San Francisco, California
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	16
Wins	15
Wins by KO	9
Losses	0
Draws	1
No contests	0

Karim Rasheed Mayfield (born December 14, 1980 in San Francisco, California) is an undefeated boxer in the Welterweight division.^[1]

Pro career[link]

On June 23, 2006 Mayfield beat the veteran Chris Mickle to win his pro debut. This card also had future world champions Robert Guerrero and Andre Dirrell.^[2]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Professional boxing record for Karim Mayfield from BoxRec

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (August 2010)

Saraswati Abdul Rane (October 4, 1913 - October 10, 2006) was an Indian classical singer in the Hindustani Classical genre. Daughter of Ustad Abdul Karim Khan (1872–1937), the founder of Kirana Gharana, her family had a long and great music tradition. She got her initial training of vocal music of the Kirana Gharana style from her elder brother Sureshbabu Mane and elder sister Hirabai Barodekar, who themselves were the doyen of Indian classical music of their times.^[1] Later she also sang along with elder sister, Hirabai Bododekar, the doyenne of Kirana gharana, especially in jugalbandi style.^[2]

Early life and training[link]

Born on October 4, 1913 to Ustad Abdul Karim Khan (1872–1937), the founder of Kirana Gharana, and Tarabai Mane, as Sakina, she grew up in a musical household. But after separating from her husband, Tarabai, her mother, renamed all her five children; hence Sakina became Kumari Saraswati Mane. She was initiated into music by her brother Sureshbabu Mane, later after 1930, she also started learning from her sister Hirabai Barodekar.

To enhance her musical knowledge she also got taleem (training) from ustads of different gharanas like the nephew of Alladiya Khan, Ustad Natthan Khan of Jaipur gharana, Prof. B. R. Deodhar and Pandit Master Krishnarao of Gwalior gharana.^[3]

Career[link]

Smt. Saraswatibai started her musical career at a very early age of seven years with stage acting in musical dramas like Sangeet Saubhadra, Sangeet Sanshaykallol, Sangeet Ekach Pyala etc. Right from a young age, i.e., since 1929, she started acting in major roles with great noted artists like Balgandharva and many such noted artists in thousands of shows all over the country.

Since 1933, she started giving performances in Radio, when Akashwani was the then government institution. She gave her performances in All India Radio as a top grade artist till 1990, when she declared her retirement from public performances. She is amongst the few classical vocalists to have participated in many Radio Sangeet Sabhas from Kanyakumari to Peshawar (now in Pakistan) from the early 40's to mid 80's.

She was amongst the first ladies to give playback for Hindi and Marathi films. Her first playback was in Marathi film Payachi Dasi, directed by Acharya Atre. She remained in the field till 1954. Her song from the Hindi film Ramrajya..`Bina Madhur Madhur Kachu Bol’ reached the peak of popularity all over India, and she was awarded by HMV for the highest sale of gramophone records in those times.

She also gave playback for Hindi film, Sargam (1950), and Bhumika (1977), directed by noted director Shyam Benegal.

She had an opportunity to sing under the music direction of great music directors like C. Ramchandra, Shankarrao Vyas, K. C. Day, and Sudhir Phadke.

Smt. Saraswatibai was invited to participate on the eve of first independence Day at Delhi. She was also invited to participate in a grand celebration at Shivneri on the first Maharashtra Din by the then chief minister Late Yashwantrao Chavan.

In the same period she became a very popular singer of Marathi light classical songs, popularly known as Bhav-geet, and her records got overwhelming response from all over Maharashtra.

She was among the few top artists of India who was invited in prestigious music conferences held at places like Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi, Chennai, Baroda, Bhopal, Gwalior etc. She often performed at the Pune's Sawai Gandharva Music Festival.^[4]

Saraswatibai and her elder sister Smt. Hirabai Barodekar were the first lady pair to start the concept of jugalbandi vocal recital by ladies. Their jugalbandi recital was appreciated all over the world and got an overwhelming response from 1965 to 1980.

Their jugalbandi (long playing) records and now cassettes are still in demand.

Though Saraswatibai was busy in her own professional career, whenever she found free time, she carried on the work of teaching classical music to talented students some of whom are well-known artists in this field. Her grand daughter Meena Faterpekar is one of the very few female classical vocalists from Kirana Gharana pursuing the same tradition.

Personal life[link]

She was married to Sunderrao Rane. Smt. Saraswatibai Rane died 10 October 2006.

Awards & recognition[link]

Sarswatibai was awarded: 1. Balgandharva Purskar (Government of Maharashtra, 1966) 2. Balgandharva Gold Medal 3. ITC Sangeet Research Academy Award 4. Yeshwantrao Chavan Puraskar 5. Guru Mahatmya Puraskar (Maharashtra) 6. Ustad Faiyaz Ahmed Khan Memorial Trust (Kirana Gharana Award 1999)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Saraswati Rane, Discography and Biography at National University of Singapore
• Saraswati Rane at the Internet Movie Database
• also see

Prabha Atre