Ghazal maestro Mehdi Hassan, passed away at a local hospital in Karachi on Wednesday.
Before illness ended his career he was already hailed as the king of ghazal, and a man who had revolutionized the art form forever. His life and work marked an era of traditional ghazal style that many say, has ended with his demise.
He was plagued by lung, chest and urinary tract disorder for over a decade, and the illnesses had taken away his voice and career, but not his passion for music.
He was born on July 18, 1927 in Rajistan, and rose to fame with his rendition of “Gulon mein rang bhare” by Faiz Ahmed Faiz.
Hassan has a huge fan following all over the world, which includes other greats like Lata Mangeshkar. He has also been the inspiration for many legendary singers, such as Tina Sani, and Jagjit Singh.
Here are some of his celebrated ghazals:
“Muhabbat karne wale kam na hon ge”, a ghazal by Hafeez Jalandhri in Ghazal
Maestro’s later style:
“Ku-baku Phail Gayi”, by Parveen Shakir:
“Mohabbat karne walay kam na hongay”
Mehdi Hassan meant a lot to many people, each of them have their own favourites, and personal associations with his work.
Share with us, your own memories and sentiments on the great ghazal king, and tell us which of his songs/ghazals means the most to you and why.
It’s a very sad day! Mehdi Hasan Khan sahib was a personal friend of mine and a legendary vocalist, I knew him since 1958. He was singer of singers and unique ghazal singer, versatile and innovative! May God rest his soul in peace. Ameen. summa Ameen!!!
” dhoonde hey us mughanney aatish nafas ko jee
jis ki sada ho jalwae barqe fana mujhe ” (Ghalib)
( by the way, ghazal muhabbat karne waale…is penned by Hafeez Hoshiarpuri and not by Jalandhari)
Ayub Aulia, London
A legend has passed away….Wish our poeple had cared for him when he was ill and needed help…..anyways, the maestro is gone…..May his soul rest in peace…..as for my favourite, to me Zindagi Ki Rah Mein is the one I have enjoyed listening to the most……
“Mujhe tum Nazar se gira to raheho…” While he was singing it at a function after Bangladesh was created in Dhaka where Mehdi Hassan Saheb was invited as part of some celebration (most likely some milestone year of Bangladesh TV). It touched my heart. Of course there are many of his songs that I simply love like Yun Zindegi Rah Me Takra gaya Koi. May Allah rest him in Peace and award him Jannat.