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Nusrat continues to inspire
Pakistani maestro Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, who died on August 16, 1998, at a relatively young age, almost single-handedly put the name of his country on the music map of the world. In his death, Pakistan lost one of its most talented and prolific singers, whose replacement, history will require several centuries to produce.
It will be six years on August 16, 2004, since Nusrat, the titan of fusion music, died in a London hospital, when he was scheduled to visit the United States to fulfill his contractual obligations. The maestro, who introduced mystical qawwalis and captivating plebeian songs — a blend of Oriental melody and Occidental harmony — was held in high esteem equally by connoisseurs and music buffs all over the world, especially in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Australia and India. He had visited these countries many times over to demonstrate his melodic prowess. His eclectic songs and polyphonized qawwalis became a rage in these countries, where music buffs fell over each other in seeking admission to the concert halls where the late magician from Pakistan was to perform.
I remember his marathon performance at the Museum of Civilization in Ottawa, Canada, in 1992, where he enthralled a standing-room-only audience comprising white Canadians and immigrants from Pakistan, India and Bangladesh. In the same year, he taught qawwali music to students at Washington State University at Seattle, which had engaged him and his entire group for one academic year. The late Khan saheb availed the opportunity in touring different regions in the US to introduce his brand of modernized Pakistani songs among the American audiences.
As a medium of emotional catharsis and communication, music is more expressive than poetry. Poetry symbolizes words, ideas and sentiments, but there are certain feelings and moods which even words cannot convey. It is here that music steps in. The roots of music, therefore, lie deep in the subconscious of the humans, and spring from vast hinterlands of different continents. Songs of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan tickled the sensibilities of listeners from all over the world as it did not have to rely much on words of any language.
The Faisalabad-born Nusrat Khan was a highly gifted practitioner of the melodic arts, the likes of whom the world has not witnessed in recent times. He made original contributions, not only to the genre of qawwali, but also enriched other vocal varieties of music by blending sub-continental melodies with African swinging beats and western harmony, creating effervescent sonic charm for millions of music lovers across the continents. His cultured and malleable tenor voice helped him in expressing a wide range of moods and emotions.
Officially not accredited, but otherwise a supremely effective cultural ambassador, he introduced Pakistan to the people of such countries who had not even heard about it. The immortal melodies of Nusrat Khan hypnotized even those listeners who did not understand the meanings of the lyrics.
The late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan built bridges of understanding and trust among the peoples from different continents, regardless of the diversity in their political, social and cultural ethos. His melodies, which attempted at fusing traditional qawwali with western pop beats and the system of harmonization, created a lasting impact on audiences everywhere.
Since the decade of the 1980s, he went on an award-winning spree, collecting accolades one after the other, for himself and his country from international organizations and foreign governments. His concerts received rave reviews in international print and electronic media.
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan is no more, but his mellifluous songs continue to haunt and inspire millions in every corner of the world.
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