The Ghazal maestro Ustad Mehdi Hassan Khan passed away today in Karachi.
Karachi: Legendary Pakistani Ghazal singer Ustad Mehdi Hassan Khan passed away today in Karachi. Mehdi Hassan was unwell from last 12 years but his condition deteriorated more. His family informed that maestro was suffering from lung, chest and urinary tract ailments.
Mehdi Hassan comes from the 16th generation of a musical family. He was born on July 18, 1927 in a small village in Rajasthan. The ghazal legend was trained at home under his father Ustad Azeem Khan and uncle Ustad Ismail Khan who were traditional Dhrupad singers. The family after the Indo-Pak partition migrated to Pakistan.
Hassan got his first break in 1957 with Radio Pakistan to sing a Thumri number and received instant recognition in the musical fraternity. The veteran singer not only sang beautiful Ghazals but also rendered his voice to several film numbers in Pakistan. He dominated the 60s and 70s with his style of Ghazals. His most popular Ghazal is ‘rafta rafta who meri hasti ka saamaan ho gaye’.
The maestro received several national and international awards and honours such as Tamgha-e-Imtiaz, Pride of Performance and Hilal-e-Imtiaz, Gorkha Dakshina Bahu by the Government of Nepal etc.
May the maestro’s soul rest in peace, “Ab Ke Hum Bichde To Shaayad Kabhi Khwaabon Mein Milein”.