The senseless and tragic death of Amjad Sabri was a national loss that had left the music community and the country reeling in unspeakable grief.
Today marks the fourth death anniversary of famous qawwal Amjad Sabri who was known as a gentle and humble person.
Emerging as one of the most singular talents with a Sufi background, Amjad Sabri not only carved a special place for himself as an earnest Qawwal but one who was instantly accessible and delightful.
With every full-house show he performed in, or any morning show on local channels that he appeared on – his deeply held spiritual beliefs were always obvious and relevant.
Sabri spent the early years of his life being coached by his father, Ghulam Farid Sabri, gripping ‘Raag Bhairon’ before the break of dawn, eventually making his first public appearance at the age of 12.
The Sabri family's association with music dates back to the 17th century, but Amjad Sabri was the only one among his siblings to take on the mantle of the family tradition.
Some of his most distinguished pieces include Tajdar-e-Haram, Jis Ne Madine Jana, More Haji Piya, Bhar Do Jholi Meri, Tauba Qubool Ho Meri and many others.
Though Sabri has never made a Coke Studio appearance but ‘Tajdar-e-Haram’ was performed by Atif Aslam in Season 8 as a tribute to the original performers, Ghulam Farid Sabri and Maqbool Ahmed Sabri.
Amjad Sabri had also helped Coke Studio on this rendition. The rendition gained worldwide fame with over 33 million views on digital media and was endorsed by Sabri himself who stole the show when he performed at the Lux Style Awards in 2015.
Earlier, popular British band Coldplay also paid a tribute to Amjad Sabri in their music album.
The lead singer, Chris Martin, in an interview with Entercom, said that a song in their album pays homage to Sabri who was gunned down by extremists in 2016.
Martin spoke about his inspiration behind one of the tracks — Church — in which the band has incorporated samples from Sabri’s popular track Jaga Ji Laganay.
“There are two other cool singers on that one. There’s this guy who was a Pakistani singer called Amjad Sabri. He was sadly murdered by people who didn’t like what he stood for,” Martin said.
The critically acclaimed music album soared to the number one of the Official Album Charts. Pakistani qawwal Sabri was awarded the Pride of Performance as well as the Sitara-i-Imtiaz by Pakistan for his singing.
The singer had embraced martyrdom on June 22, 2016, in a target killing incident.
Music enthusiasts took to twitter to remember Amjad Sabri and shared some emotional messages for the late singer. Here are the reactions of the fans:
Actor Zhalay Sarhadi shared, “He was one of the sweetest people with the strongest most powerful voice. Amjad Sabri you shall remain forever in our hearts! Remembering you on your fourth death anniversary.”
“Amjad Sabri Bhai’s death anniversary today 22 June. Man is mortal but the love for them is immortal. Though you are not present here with all of us but your memory is stored on our mind. Rest peacefully in heaven!” penned a user.
“Taking a moment to remember the maestro we lost today, four years ago; seems like yesterday to be honest- Amjad Sabri. You say his name and Mein Qabar Andheri Mein starts haunting your heart, yet again,” wrote one more fan.