Leading musicians of a gharana are occasionally awarded or assume honorific titles such as ustâd or pandit (i.e Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, Pandit Ravi Shankar). Both appelations mean "teacher" or "authority" and as such their usage is not restricted to the realm of classical music. Interestingly, even though these terms have religious connotations, ustad for Muslims and pandit for Hindus, in certain instances the former word is also used in casual reference to non-Muslim musicians.
Ustad or Pandit?
Some students of Radhika Mohan Maitra (a leading Bengal musician and musicologist) referred to him as their ustad. In a like manner the word guru, which has religious connotations for Hindus, is also used in reference to non- Hindus. For example, Amjad Ali Khan has written an article about his father Ustad Hafiz Ali Khan titled My Guru, My Father.
Outside the realm of classical music, in rural areas of Bihar and West Bengal, the local tabla and harmonium instructor, who often provides musical accompaniment to nâch (dance) and jâtrâ (drama) is referred to as ustad irrespective of his religious persuasion.
Shri and Shrimati
Mr. Maitra was sometimes referred to as Pandit Radhika Mohan Maitra, but he personally disliked this title. On the other hand he was very particular about the more common appelations of shrî and shîrmatî. He was know to have ordered the reprinting of programme guest cards which did not have these titles prefixed to the names of male and female artists. The literal meaning of these words is "beauty" and their use in formal situations is a requisite part of Bengali bhadralok culture. Their application resembles the use of Mr., Miss, Mrs., and Ms. in the west.
Sangit Visharad, Sangit Pravin and Sangit Acharya
In addition to shri and shrimati, there are titles which refer to specific accomplishments, such as, examinations passed or awards given by government bodies. Examples of the former are: Sangit Vishrad (learned in music). Sangit Pravin (skilful at music) and Sangit Acharya (Master Musician). These titles correspond roughly to the degrees of B.A., M.A., and Ph D. respectively.
Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri
The governmental awards of Padma Bushan and Padma Shri (similar to Knighthood and O.B.E.) are also awarded to musicians.
In addition to the more indigenous titles, qualified musicians often use the appelations of Professor or Doctor. The former are senior artists who are presently, or have in the past, been associated with a university; whereas the latter usually hold an honorary Doctorate degree.
With the modern socio-political order new appelations have come into vogue though the traditional ones are still very prevalent.
