The cruel assassination of famous Qawwal Amjad Sabri in Karachi has shocked the whole world. Sabri was a great human-being. Terrorism has no religion. Sabri was one of the Urdu language’s finest qawwals, known for his soul-stirring renditions of mystic poetry. Almost whatever the Sabri brothers sang became an instant hit. However, some of their most memorable and famous qawwalis were ‘Bhar Do Jholi Meri’, Tajdar-e-Haram and ‘Mera Koi Nahin Hai Teray Siwa’. He enthralled ‘sufi’ music aficionados with his brand of spirituality, mysticism and ecstasy for years. Known as one of the foremost qawwals of Pakistan, Sabri who initiated into classical music at a young age by his father was not only well-versed with the structure and aesthetics of qawwali but also knew how to make it adaptive to the contemporary music keeping its essence alive. People will remember as he regularly appeared on national television, and had been performing daily for Ramadan and one could see that Sabri enjoyed himself to his fullest during his musical performances. Music transcends borders. The man will be missed everywhere. Let us remember the fine singer through his work and what he enjoyed most — his music.
Vinod C Dixit
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
