PESHAWAR: It has been 24 years since the renowned musician and singer Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan – who ruled millions of hearts all over the world through his music – has left the world.
But his hundreds of devotional ghazals, qawwalis and songs are still a source of entertainment. The Khan legend was born on October 13, 1948 in Faisalabad and gained worldwide popularity in a very short period of time. He has earned a unique style not only by his memorable songs but also for his poetry and qawwalis. He breathed his last
His all-time hits, ‘Dama dam Mast Qalandar’, ‘Ali Maula Ali’, ‘Yeh Jo Halka Halka Saroor Hai’, ‘Meera Piya Ghar Aaya’, ‘Allah Ho Allah Ho’, ‘Kena Sohna rab ne banaya’ , ‘Akhiyan Udheek Diyan’, ‘kise da yaar na vichre’, ‘Aafreen Aafreen’ and ‘Meri Zindagi’ were not only sung by him has also penned its lyrics.
Khan has released 125 audio albums of Qawwali which is also a world record. Renowned English singers Eddie Vedder, Peter Gabriel and progressive guitarist and producer Michael Brook have collaborated with him. At the time of his death, he was at the height of his career and many international artists consider themselves lucky to have worked with Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.
The legend musician and singer is mentioned in the Guinness book of world record for releasing the highest number of Qawwali albums. For his contributions, the government of Pakistan has awarded him pride of performance.
He was the master of qawwali singing and drew thousands of fans to concerts, where many danced as though lost in ecstatic trances and threw money at his feet while he played. Khan passed away on August 16, 1997 at the age of 48 due to various ailments including liver and kidney ailments, leaving millions of fans in mourning.