Habib Wali Muhammad

He will be remembered as a man who battled professional elitism and made rivals of his masters in music.

Pakistan loses another classical singer. At a time when the genre as a whole seems to be gasping for breath, Habib Wali Mohammad’s contributions will sadly remain forgotten. When Pakistani classical and playback music were dominated by formidable maestros like Noor Jehan, Ustad Amanat Ali Khan and Mehdi Hasan, Habib Wali Muhammad — a businessman, a novice, whose venture into music was scoffed at by many — single-handedly pushed forth the stubborn boundaries of the classical tradition and developed his own niche. Despite breathing his last on September 4, he will be remembered as a man who battled professional elitism, blossomed while on the job and made rivals of his masters in music.

It is difficult for a mere ‘dabbler’ to rise to prominence at a time when classical music was a jealously guarded domain by the Delhi, Patiala, Qawwal Bacha gharanas all of whom claimed to be the ‘true’ custodians of South Asian music and all of whom competed for airspace on Radio Pakistan and PTV. Habib sahib, a young man, who did not boast of a meritorious background, was nevertheless able to garner an immense following and make historic contributions to music, cutting at the root of the pomp that many singers in the industry had over hailing from a ‘gharana’. His untrained voice, despite being regarded as slightly nasal, alternated between ghazals and geets with remarkable smoothness, being completely at home with verses of the legendary Ghalib and a contemporary like Fayyaz Hashmi. To careful ears, the maturation of Habib Wali Muhammad’s voice is discernable from comparing his old and new songs, bearing testimony to the exhaustive training it underwent.

He is not simply remembered as an untrained singer who eventually crooned out a few good songs after some practice — Habib Wali Muhammad’s voice became one of the hallmark voices of milli naghmas (patriotic songs). He will forever be etched in the memories for the most popular rendition of sohni dharti. Indeed, Habib Wali should be paid due homage by every generation.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 6^th, 2014.

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