ISLAMABAD — Famed singer Habib Wali Muhammad passed away on Thursday at the age of 90, after being treated for his illness in Los Angeles for the past few days, according to Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation.
Born in 1921 in Rangoon present day Myanmar, Habib’s family later moved to Mumbai. Though he belonged to an industrialist family, he always showed keen interest in music. He also won a singing competition in Mumbai which had more than 1,200 participants. His family later moved to Pakistan in 1947.
Habib was trained by Ustad Latafat Ali Khan in formal singing and rose to fame after the release of his song “Lagta nahi hai dil mera” which was a poem of Bahadur Shah Zafar. Other famous songs of Habib include “Kab mera nasheman ahl-e-chaman” and “Gulshan mein gawara karte hain”.
He also sang numerous patriotic songs as well as a few tunes for the film industry.
Early life
Habib Wali Mohammad was born in Rangoon to a conservative Memon family, which later moved to Bombay. His family, Tabani, an industrial house has large business holdings in Pakistan.
During his childhood Habib Wali Mohammad often listened to Qawwali music. But due to economic reasons, he gave priority to academics.
He received his MBA from Syracuse University, New York in 1947, and then lived in Bombay for about 10 years before moving to Pakistan. His brother Ashraf W. Tabani was governor of the province of Sindh around 1988.
Discography
Some of the ghazals, recorded in the voice of Habib Wali Mohammad are listed here below:
‘Ye na thi hamari Qismath’: poet: Ghalib
‘Ja kahio unsay naseem-e-sahar’: poet: Bahadur Shah Zafar.
‘Gajra bana kay lay Aa malaniya’: poet: Afshan Rana.
Following are the ghazals, which are considered as a treasure for the Pakistani films:
‘Aaj janay ki zid na karo’: poet: Fayyaz Hashmi, picturised on Nadeem
‘Aashiyan jal gaya’: poet: Raaz Illahabadi, film: ‘Baazi’
'Raatain theen chandni': Film: ‘Baazi’ 'Marnen ki Duawain Kyun Mangon-Jeene ki Tamana kon Kare'
National songs like: ‘Roshan-o- rakhshan, nayyar-o-taban’
