KARACHI: Seven years ago, on June 22, 2016, renowned qawwal Amjad Sabri, who had earned great respect and admiration as a vocalist in no time, was shot dead in Karachi. He belonged to the illustrious Sabri family of qawwals.

Recently, a chance meeting with his younger brother Talha Sabri at the Karachi Press Club (KPC) generated an interesting conversation.

He said, “You must have seen me, I always used to sit to the left of Amjad bhai [at concerts]. No one has suffered more in our family after his martyrdom than me. He loved me. He was like a father to me. He used to look after me [in terms of work].

“After his death, a good number of people representing the government came to us, some of them promised that I’d get a job. A lot of the promises were kept, but it’s basically Amjad bhai’s family that has benefited from it; his son is doing well. I also try and do my bit. I perform [at concerts]. But the fact is that after Amjad bhai’s demise, I feel lonely.”

These days Talha Sabri does show as and when they come his way. Apart from that, he also has a ‘small’ estate agency. With regard to riyaz, he claimed that every day after Fajr prayers he practises for one hour, something that he learned from his father, the legendary Ghulam Farid Sabri.

Talha Sabri has an older brother, who lives in the UK. They were five brothers, three of whom have passed away. He lives with two sisters in Karachi, while Amjad Sabri’s family, according to him, has shifted to Lahore. He has a team of musicians who perform with him at gigs.

Returning to his request, he said, “I’ve heard that Governor [Kamran Tessori] sahib is doing a lot of work these days. I want to make a point here. We have a gaddi [succession] system in our family. After my father’s death, the gaddi went to Amjad bhai, and after his demise to his son. But if you look at it with reference to my father, I deserve it now. I’m not saying that I want Amjad bhai’s gaddi. But the gaddi that my father left vacant, I’m talking about that.”

Published in Dawn, June 24th, 2023