New Delhi: On this day in 1948, legendary Pakistani musician Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan was born in Lyallpur (now Faisalbad) in the Punjab province of Pakistan.
One of the greatest singers of his generation in the genre of qawwali, Khan brought the modest form of devotional singing to international attention. He collaborated with and influenced countless musicians.
In Pakistan and across the Islamic world, Khan’s stardom was beyond words. He was a superstar whose fans danced, shouted, threw money and sometimes hurled one another into the air as he sang, and his endurance was such that some performances could last as long as ten hours.
Bringing the hypnotic sounds of the traditional Sufi music to the world, Khan came from a family where his father had been singing qawwali for six centuries. While his father wanted him to become a doctor, Khan found himself inclined towards music from an early age and practiced with his father.
His first performance was at his father’s funeral in 1964. Later he trained with his brothers and started performing with them in 1966. Khan’s fame in homeland Pakistan where he released over 100 albums also trickled to the Indian film industry to which he composed many songs. In the 1980s, Khan moved westward and performed in England in 1985.
Khan passed away in 1997 at the age of 48. He suffered from liver problems owing to his weight. Despite his growing weight issues, he sang with with astounding finesse, tracing intricate arcs with his hands as his voice gathered power.
Commemorating his 67th birthday, Google has doodled a qawwali on its homepages in 6 countries- including India, Pakistan, Japan, Sweden, Ghana, and Kenya. He truly brought ‘world music’ to the world.
You can listen to some of Khan’s iconic songs here:
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