I first heard the name Raza Kazim when I was twenty-one, through my friend Ashraf “Toni” Sharif Khan Poonchwale, a brilliant sitar player and son of the legendary sitar maestro, the late Ustad Sharif Khan Poonchwale. Raza was almost forty years older than me, yet he kindly allowed me to call him by his first name.
Raza passed away on 16 April 2026. With his passing, classical music has lost a rare soul. Though he was one of the country’s most successful lawyers, I will always remember him as a musicologist of great depth and understanding.
Raza was born on 13 January 1930 in Sitapur, Uttar Pradesh, India. He went on to build a distinct identity through his contributions to law, philosophy, and intellectual life. He began his political journey in 1942 as a student, taking part in the Quit India Movement. In 1948, he joined the Communist Party of Pakistan but withdrew from politics in 1951 due to ideological differences.
He entered the legal profession in 1953 and soon established himself as a leading lawyer. Throughout his life, he remained a vocal opponent of authoritarian rule and was imprisoned during the regimes of Ayub Khan, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, and Zia-ul-Haq.
Beyond law, he was a deeply committed thinker and educationist. One of his most significant contributions was the establishment of Sanjan Nagar, an institution dedicated to providing high-quality education to underprivileged girls, offering facilities often associated with elite schools, including swimming and horse riding.
Raza shared a deep bond with the Poonchwale gharana. As a close friend of Ustad Sharif Khan Poonchwale, he carefully preserved many of the Ustad’s finest recordings. When I was just twenty-five, I asked him for these recordings. Without hesitation, he sent them to me. I have never forgotten that kindness.
Raza’s love for Sharif Khan was clear. The Ustad’s last performance took place at Raza’s home, just days before his death. He was unwell and coughing, yet he continued to play. Even when Madam Noor Jehan urged him to stop, he did not. He played until the sitar slipped from his hands. He was taken to the hospital and passed away soon after.
People like Raza are rare—generous, sincere, and deeply committed to music. If classical music is still alive in Pakistan, even in a fragile state, it is because of people like him
Years later, in 2006, Raza told us about that evening. He played the recording of Raga Kirwani for us. Ustad Shahid Parvez was there as well. He was amazed and said that nothing in the music suggested illness or weakness. It sounded like a performance from the height of Sharif Khan’s powers.
A different Kirwani by Sharif Khan.
After Sharif Khan’s death, Toni was still a child. Raza stepped in and supported the family with great generosity. Along with Dr Hassan Azad—a mathematician and a disciple of Ustad Sharif Khan Poonchwale—he ensured that the musical tradition of the gharana did not fade. Raza also employed Toni at Sanjan Nagar, where he worked for nearly a decade. Today, Toni lives in Germany and is a highly respected sitar player, especially in India, the land of music. He has been honoured with the Pride of Performance by the Government of Pakistan. Much of what he has achieved today would not have been possible without the support of Raza and Hassan Azad.
Raza’s love for music was not just in words—it was in action. He turned his entire property into a trust for Sanjan Nagar. Even his own home became part of it, and his children supported his decision. His house was always open to great musicians.
On one occasion, he invited Ustad Shahid Parvez and asked him to play. Shahid performed, and Raza recorded it. Even though Shahid was a guest, Raza insisted on paying him. He then showed him a sitar he had made himself. Shahid liked it, and Raza immediately gifted it to him. Shahid, however, could not take it back to India, perhaps due to luggage limits.
In sitar-making, setting the jawari is very difficult. For Raza, it seemed effortless. He even made sitars without sympathetic strings, which many musicians did not agree with. Their reasons were valid, as these strings add richness to the sound. But Raza followed his own thinking and did not worry about criticism. His most unique creation was the ‘Raza Been’, a type of vichitra veena that his daughter Noor Zehra plays with dexterity. Zehra learnt sitar and vichitra veena from Ustad Sharif Khan Poonchwale.
Raza was a chain-smoker and yet extremely active and energetic. I met him last in 2006. He was 70 then, and he would walk like an athlete. He said he smoked and ate desi ghee and remained active.
In 2018, I called Raza to seek his guidance on the tanpura. He told me that the finest tanpuras are made from pumpkin gourds and come from Miraj, India. Ever generous, he even offered to arrange one for me. I thanked him warmly, though I ultimately did not pursue it, as such instruments are quite delicate.
Aaliya Rashid, a dhrupad vocalist, is one of Raza’s rare gifts to music. He sent her to India for formal training under the Gundecha Brothers. Dhrupad itself is a fading tradition in Pakistan.
Raza was not a king, but he lived like a true patron of the arts. He spent generously on music and supported great artists. He hosted legends like Pandit Hari Prasad Chaurasia and Ustad Shujaat Khan. I still remember a performance by Shujaat Khan at his place in 1996. It was unforgettable, and its sweetness remains with me even today.
Raza’s grandson, Rake Jamil, is now learning from Shujaat Khan, carrying the tradition forward.
In 2007, I had the opportunity to interview Ustad Amjad Ali Khan in Delhi. During our conversation, he asked me about Raza Kazim. He had heard much about him and was keen to know more. I shared with him whatever I could.
People like Raza are rare—generous, sincere, and deeply committed to music. If classical music is still alive in Pakistan, even in a fragile state, it is because of people like him. With his passing, it feels as if music itself has been left alone.
Just as the world has not found replacements for Mozart, Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, Ustad Amir Khan, Ustad Sharif Khan Poonchwale, Mohammad Rafi, Lata Mangeshkar, Kishore Kumar, and Asha Bhosle, it will not find another Raza Kazim. He was a man unto himself.