Folk singer Ustad Baray Ghulam Ali remembered on death anniversary

ISLAMABAD (92 News) – A folk singer Ustad Baray Ghulam Ali Khan is being remembered on his 52nd death anniversary on Thursday (today). The legend was born in Kasur in 1902. Baray Ghulam Ali Khan was at ease with almost all forms of sub-continental vocal music; Khayal, Tarana, Thumri, Dadra, and Kafi. His close associates remember that he also sang Punjabi, Kashmiri, Sindhi, Purabi, Bengali, and even Nepalese folk songs with equal aplomb. After independence he left Bombay and settled down in Karachi. Unfortunately, he was alienated by the “attitude” of the head of Karachi radio station at a social gathering in Lahore, Private news channel reported. He returned to India in 1954, where he was warmly welcomed and eventually honoured with the highest award given to an individual for artistic excellence. Baray Ghulam Ali Khan was master of Khayal singing as it was refined by the Patiala Gharana of Punjabi musicians, which came to dominate the entire sub-continental melodic scene. His recitals of classical formulations, and the variety of effects which his unique voice created, held audiences spellbound. During his 30-year career as a vocalist, his fame attained heights reached by few others. Music lovers still remember his masterly approach to the structure and unfolding of a raga. For a good 25 years before his death, he was widely acknowledged as the greatest classical singer of the sub-continent. He died in Hyderabad Deccan on 23 April 1968, after a prolonged illness which left him partially paralyzed in his last years. One of the most common epithets used to describe Ustad Ghulam Ali Khan is ‘Tansen of the 20th century’.

A thumri legend

In his book ‘Thumri in Historical and Stylistic Perspective, Peter Manuel once wrote of Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan as an artist whose “vocal range and technique were extraordinary in themselves, but his greatest virtue was his brilliant sense of melody and nuance; combining these assets, he was able to take thumri to expressive heights which, in the opinion of many, have not been equaled since”.

Two epic songs for ‘Mughal-e-Azam’

While he enthralled listeners and viewers at personal and social gatherings, Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan never ever accepted offers to sing in films, until he made one epic exception. Filmmaker K. Asif requested him to lend his voice for some songs for the cult classic ‘Mughal-e-Azam’ (1960), starring Dilip Kumar and Madhubala. The Ustad crooned two songs for the film after much cajoling — ‘Prem Jogan Ban Ke’ and ‘Shubh Din Aayo’. However, it came at a huge cost — an extreme price of Rs 25,000 per song. Just to compare, mainstream playback singers like Mohammad Rafi and Lata Mangeshkar used to be paid Rs 500 per song in those days. The Ustad’s grand daughter-in-law, Samina Ali, once revealed he charged the amount so that no one else could dare to approach him for future film projects.