LAHORE: The 27th death anniversary of the legendary Qawwali icon, known as ‘Shahenshah-e-Qawwali’, Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan is being observed today across the world including Pakistan (Friday).
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, the legendary singer, and musician was renowned for his melodious tunes, introduction of traditional Qawwali, and heart-touching music. He was honored with several awards, including Pride of Performance for his contribution to the music industry.
Legendary Qawwal Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan was born on October 13‚ 1948 in Faisalabad, as the fifth child and first son of Ustad Fateh Ali Khan, a vocalist, musician, instrumentalist, and Qawwal.
Extending the 600-year-old Qawwali tradition of his family‚ Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan was broadly acclaimed for introducing Sufi music to international audiences.
Moreover, he did music projects with Indian music with film lyricist Javed Akhtar and composer A R Rahman. He reached out to Western people by collaborating with Peter Gabriel on the soundtrack to ”The Last Temptation of Christ in 1985”.
According to the Guinness Book of World Records‚ Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan set a world record for the highest number of recorded albums by a Qawwali artist, with an impressive total of 125 albums by 2001.
Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan was the first who blend Western and Eastern musical styles together.
His popular numbers included Mera Piya Ghar Aaya, and Dum Mast Qalandar Mast. His Hamd “Wohi Khuda Hai” and national song “Mera Paigham Pakistan” are still popular among the people of all ages.
Time Magazine honored Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan by including him in the list of Asian Heroes, where he was called in Japan as “The Singing Buddha”. He achieved numerous international awards for his contribution to the world of music.
It is universally acknowledged that Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan is a maestro and a legend in the history of the Pakistani music industry. He sung numerous songs for Pakistani films and his music was copied in India as well, and the world’s famous musicians considered it a privilege to work with him. He passed away on August 16‚ 1997 at the age of 48.
