74th birthday of Shahshah Qawwali Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan

By Muhammad JuniadPublished On 05 Jan 2023

Lahore: 74th birthday of Shahshah Qawwali Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, the uncrowned king of music known as Sufi singer in Urdu language and the greatest Qawwali singer of South Asia.

Spending his entire life learning the art of Qawwali and popularizing it in the East and the West, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan carried the message of the Sufis to every corner of the world.

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, the uncrowned king of music, opened his eyes on October 13, 1948 in Faisalabad’s Qawwal family. Father Fateh Ali Khan and aunt Mubarak Ali Khan were famous Qawwals of their time. At the age of 16, he learned the art of Qawwali. He also sang ghazals, classical and Sufi songs.

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, a famous musician equally popular in Pakistan and India, has captivated the world with his arfana kalam, songs, ghazals and qawwalis during his long career.

The Emperor of Heads brought innovation as well as a new dimension to qawwali by using western instruments. Many Qawwals including Gorakh Dhanda Ho, Yeh Jo Halka Halka Sarwar Hai are keeping the great singer alive even today.

More than 125 audio albums of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s Qawwali have been released, his name is included in the Guinness Book of World Records, he has been awarded numerous national and international awards including the Presidential Award for Best Performance.