Zunain Khan

Living Legacy in Music Innovation

“True representative of Jafferkhani Baaj. …Zunain’s performances demonstrate a profound knowledge of variegated taan patterns and other technical nuances of Hindustani classical music.”

— Padmashri Pt. Bhajan Sopori

  • Performer

    Zunain Khan has emerged as one of the foremost sitarists of his generation and is the principal exponent of the Jafferkhani Baaj, an innovation of his eminent father and guru Padmabhushan Ustad Abdul Halim Jaffer Khan. Zunain represents the 5th generation of the Indore Beenkar Gharana of music in the lineage of Ustad Ghairat Khan, Ustad Murawat Khan, Ustad Jaffer Khan, and his internationally acclaimed father. Recognized for a unique subtlety in his approach and rendition of ragas, Zunain has developed national and international recognition leaving his audiences enthralled by truly delivering the legacy of the Jafferkhani Baaj, and conveying the essence and the very beauty of sitar music. 

  • Composer

    Zunain was the official cultural ambassador at the Indian Republic Day Celebration in Beijing, officiated by then Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao. Other select national and international performances include Joenju Sori Festival in Korea, Festival D’ETE Nantes in France, Cal Arts in the U.S., and Tansen Samaroh, Gwalior and the International Rondalla Plucked String Festival, Philippines. He has collaborated with Indian classical musicians such as Abhay Rustom Sopori in performing sitar-santoor duets, and with Guggenheim Fellows, Flamenco artists Pedro Cortes and La Conja, and Bharatanatyam danseuse Rajika Puri on a unique Flamenco-Bharatanatyam project “Paani,” which premiered at the National Center for Performing Arts in Mumbai. 

  • Educator

    Zunain was a Ministry of Human Resources and Development research fellow on various styles of Sitar baaj . A graded artist with All India Radio (AIR), he is Director of the Halim Academy of Sitar where he currently teaches and oversees the legacy of his esteemed father and guru through festivals and performances in Mumbai and all over India.

    Zunain is frequently invited to conduct music workshops and lecture demonstrations as a teaching artist the world over. He was a resident teaching artist and performer at the University at Madison-Wisconsin as a Khorana Scholar.

    For music instruction and enrollment in the Halim Academy of Sitar, please scroll below.

“A brilliant musician who has learned from his father, the distinct style of Jafferkhani Baaj maintaining the guru-shishya parampara.”

— Padma Vibhushan Pt. Shiv Kumar Sharma

Sufiana Rang

Shri Zunain Khan performs Sufiana Rang in raga Khamaj.

Halim Academy of Sitar

Jafferkhani Samman awardee Ustad Zakir Hussain with Ustad Gulam Mustafa Khan at the 2019 Khiraj Festival

Jafferkhani Samman awardee Ustad Amjad Ali Khan’s concert at the 2023 Khiraj Festival

Halim Academy of Sitar music students perform raga Yaman Kalyan in the distinctive Jafferkhani Baaj style.

Students of Halim Academy of Sitar perform in the distinct Jafferkhani Baaj style.

Since its inception in 1976 by Ustad Abdul Halim Jaffer Khan, the Halim Academy of Sitar has taught students the musical discipline and art of sitar in the distinct style of Jafferkhani Baaj. The academy hosts annual concerts to showcase emerging talent. The academy’s training program and events are overseen by its Director, Shri Zunain Khan.

Halim Academy of Sitar invites luminaries from the Carnatic and Hindustani Indian classical music and dance world to perform at its main stage events. In 2019, it launched Khiraj, a festival of live music dedicated to the memory of its founder and beloved Guru, Ustad Abdul Halim Jaffer Khan. Titans of Indian classical music and dance are commemorated with the "Jafferkhani Samman" on the opening day of the festival, followed by live concerts and a concert by the students of Halim Academy of Sitar. Khiraj festival’s first Jafferkhani Samman was conferred upon the late tabla maestro, Ustad Zakir Hussain.


Select list of artists featured at Halim Academy of Sitar concerts since 1976

Pandit Kumar Gandharva
Pandit Jasraj

Ustad Alla Rakha

Sangeetha Kalanidhi Aruna Sairam
Ustad Gulam Mustafa Khan
Dr. Prabha Atre
Ustad Fayyaz Khan
Pandit Ajay Pohankar
Gazal Samrat Anup Jalota
Vidushi Padma Talwalkar

Pandit Vasantrao Deshpande

Pandit Firoz Dastur

Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma

Ustad Amjad Ali Khan

Smt. Zarine Sharma

Ustad Rashid Khan

Pandit Bhajan Sopori & Abhay Sopori

Dr. L. Subramaniam

Dr. Ashwini Bhide

Abhay Rustom Sopori

Jayateerth Mevundi

To make a tax deductible donation to the academy please email us at info@jafferkhanibaaj.com.

To enroll in a sitar class or for private sitar lessons, please fill out the Contact form.