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Vilayat Khan (1928—2004) was a renowned Indian sitar player, known for his extraordinary contributions to music. He was the son of a prominent musician and the elder brother of another notable artist. As the father of two musicians, he continued the legacy of his family. After losing his father at the age of eleven and having only 5 or 6 years of training, he faced challenges in receiving formal training from his father's disciples. At a young age of 8, he recorded his first 78 for the Megaphone label. He left Calcutta in his early teens in pursuit of training and a career, ultimately becoming largely self-taught. He also studied the Surbahar under his father's brother, Ustad Waheed Khan. Throughout his six-decade career, he is estimated to have released between 70 and 100 commercial recordings. In addition to his work as an instrumentalist, he composed and conducted music for three feature films, with the score for “Jalsaghar” winning a national award. Vilayat Khan received several prestigious honors, including the Padma Shri in 1964 and the Padma Bhushan in 1968, both of which he refused, citing the committee's lack of musical competence to judge his work. In 2000, he was awarded the Padma Vibhushan, which he also declined. The only titles he accepted were "Bharat Sitar Samrat" from the Artistes Association of India

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