The 73rd birthday of late Qawwali maestro Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan was celebrated on Monday.
He was popularly dubbed as “Shahenshah-e-Qawwali” (The King of Qawwali) for his unmatchable class and contribution to music and qawwal.
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan was noted for his innovation in music and singing traditional Qawwali with soulful music.
The musical magician gave his first public performance when he was 16 years old at his father's chehlum.
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan belonged to the Patiala Gharana extending the 600-year-old Qawwali tradition of his family.
Born in Faisalabad in October 1948, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan was trained by Ustad Mubarak Ali, who first gained public attention in 1971 with the qawwali “Haq Ali Ali”.
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's album 'Mast Mast' with Peter Gabriel was heard all over the world in 1995. He has also collaborated with Eddie Vedder, Jeff Buckley and Michael Brook and lead singer of Pearl Jam
His popular songs include 'Akhiyan Udeek Diyan', 'Yar Na Vachhre', 'Meera Piya Ghar Aaya' and many more, including 'Meri Zindagi'.
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's Hamd "Wohi Khuda" was also well praised by the listeners, the rendition of which was performed by Atif Aslam in 2019.
The song sung by Nusrat for the people of Kashmir 'Jaane Kab Honge Kam Iss Duniya Ke Gham' is still alive in people’s hearts.
Every national festival is incomplete without the patriotic song 'Mera Paigham Pakistan', which was sung by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.
The rendition of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan 'Dam Mast Qalandar Mast Mast'.
In recognition of his artistic services, he was awarded the Pride of Performance by the Government of Pakistan. In 1995, he was awarded the UNESCO Music Award and in 1997 he was nominated for a Grammy Award.
Nusrat holds a milestone for releasing the most number of volumes with a total of over 125 albums.
Though Nusrat was a follower of Sufism himself, he united the music lovers through catchy melodies with a variety of genres.
Suffering from various ailments including liver and kidney disease, the legendary Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan passed away on August 16, 1997, at the age of just 48 years in London, United Kingdom.