Google marks Mehdi Hassan's 91st birthday with doodle

Mehdi sang many ghazals and playback songs for Pakistani movies

Legendary Pakistani Ghazal singer Mehdi Hassan was honoured with Google’s doodle feature on what would have been his 91st birthday on July 18.

Google honours many prominent personalities with specially designed logos called ‘doodles’. Many other well-known Pakistani personalities that have been honoured by Google include Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Abdul Sattar Edhi, Noor Jehan and Nazia Hassan.

Famously referred to as Sultan or the ‘Shahenshah of Ghazal,’ Mehdi was born on July 18, 1927, in a village called Luna in Rajasthan, India. Initially, his father and uncle were dhrupad singers, and the young Mehdi sang dhrupad and kheyal in his first concert. During the Indo-Pak partition of 1947, the family migrated to Pakistan.



The legendary singer landed his first musical performance on Radio Pakistan in 1957, primarily as a thumri singer. After this, he never looked back and eventually became one of the country’s best ghazal singers of all time.

Mehdi’s first song Jab Koi Pyaar Se Bulaye Ga and the popular ghazal Ik Husn Ki Devi Se Mujhe Pyar Hua Tha made him a legend.

In October 2010, HMV released Sarhadein in which Tera Milana, probably the first and last duet song featuring Mehdi Hassan and Lata Mangeshkar, was released. Ranjish Hi Sahi Dil Hi Dukhane K Liye Aa, Patta Patta Boota Boota, Dil-E-Nadan Tujhe Hua Kya Hai and Dil Ki Baat Labon Par Laakar are some of his other all-time hits. He is, however, most remembered for Faiz Ahmed Faiz’s Gullon Mein Rang Bhare.



Mehdi was also honoured with numerous awards including Nishan-e-Imtiaz, Tamgha-e-Imtiaz, Pride of Performance and Hilal-e-Imtiaz by the Government of Pakistan. He died in Karachi on June 13, 2012, after a protracted illness.

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