Life and times of the Ghazal emperor

Ghazal singer Mehdi Hassan. PHOTO| ALLAUDIN QURESHI

What you need to know:

  • In the new homeland Khan Sahib initially sang for the Radio Pakistan and after that success as a musician, singer and composer was meteoric.
  • His voice featured in numerous Pakistani movies and ghazal enthusiasts, literary and musical elite on both sides of the Indo-Pak border and the world over accepted and hailed him as the Emperor of Ghazal.
  • The Indian Nightingale Lata Mangeshkar is said to have compared his singing to the “Voice of God”.

The love and respect for the Indian sub continent’s greatest exponent of the art of ghazal singing lives on as millions of his admirers and fans the world over gathered in their own havens to eulogise Shahenshah e Ghazal – the Emperor of Ghazal – earlier this month on the sixth anniversary of his ascent to his heavenly abode.

Mehdi Hassan, the melody icon known for his haunting baritone voice, lived to mesmerise a generation of music lovers the world over. Khan Sahib, as he was respectfully referred, was also an abiding cultural bridge between India and Pakistan.

Born in 1927 into a family of traditional musicians in the Indian village of Luna, he inherited the ancient Indian musical style Dhrupad. As a teenager he was recognised as a “Rising Talent” and invited to perform for the Maharajas of Jaipur and Baroda. The creation of Pakistan in 1947 made his family move to the new Muslim homeland. Times were difficult and to make a living the young Mehdi had to struggle to take on jobs at a bicycle shop and later as a truck driver and a mechanic.

In the new homeland Khan Sahib initially sang for the Radio Pakistan and after that success as a musician, singer and composer was meteoric. His voice featured in numerous Pakistani movies and ghazal enthusiasts, literary and musical elite on both sides of the Indo-Pak border and the world over accepted and hailed him as the Emperor of Ghazal. The Indian Nightingale Lata Mangeshkar is said to have compared his singing to the “Voice of God”.

MONUMENTAL GIFT

Mehdi Hassan’s singing tour of Kenya in June 1980 was not only a monumental gift to Kenyan lovers of ghazal art but also an unforgettable traditional music experience for us. Yours truly at that time had the honour to emcee Khan Sahib’s Kenyan stage concerts; and the opportunity to travel to Mombasa and Kisumu in his company was not only nostalgic but an experience to cherish for a lifetime. The musical royalty was a down to earth humble and loving being. He was an ardent admirer of the Kenyan singers and stage performers and had accepted to be an Honorary Overseas Patron of the Natak theatre arts group during his visit.

The imperial and iconic maestro Mehdi Hassan suffered from a serious lung condition for a number of years before his devastating demise on June 13,2012.

A league of Indian and Pakistani singers and showmen still regard him as an inspiration and a guru. A recipient of numerous national, international and civilian awards and honours, Khan Sahib’s contribution to the world of ghazals is over 5,000 recordings. He is survived by nine sons and five daughters from two marriages. Most of his sons are actively involved in music, melody and ghazal. We salute you Khan Sahib – there will never be another like Mehdi Hassan.