Ustad Chhote Ghulam Ali Khan Remembered

Ustad Chhote Ghulam Ali Khan remembered

LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 29th Dec, 2024) The thirty-eighth death anniversary of renowned classical singer Ustad Chhote Ghulam Ali Khan was observed here and across the country on Sunday. He was born in a family of musicians in Kasur in 1910.

He received his early training on music from his father, Mian Imam Bakhsh, who is known for his unique style of singing. At a young age, Ustad Chhoty Ghulam Ali Khan mastered the art of classical singing, excelling in genres such as Khayal, Tarana, Thumri, Dadra, and Ghazal.

He remained associated with the Lahore Arts Council for a considerable time period. His notable pupils were Shahida Parveen, Badr-uz-Zaman, Qamar-uz-Zaman and others.

In recognition of his significant contributions to the field of music, the Government of Pakistan honored him with the ‘Presidential Pride for Performance’ award in 1985.

Former ptv producer Agha Qaiser told APP that Ustad Chhote Ghulam Ali Khan was an exponent and maestro of North Indian Classical music.

He studied music with Ustad Chhajju Khan and Ustad Mian Buddhay Khan Beenkar (a disciple of the Delhi-based Qawwal Bacha clan). Chhote Ghulam Ali started singing on radio soon after its advent in the Subcontinent, he added. No music conference was complete without him in those years, Agha Qaiser said adding that he proved to be a sensation, roaming the whole of undivided India, conquering it wherever he went: Amritsar, Lahore, Delhi, Banares, Calcutta, Bombay, he added.

He was the cousin of the legendary Ustad Baray Ghulam Ali Khan, who stayed on in India after the Partition and thrived there. Ustad Chhote Ghulam Ali Khan passed away on this day in 1986, leaving behind a legacy of excellence in music industry. He rests in peace at the Miani Sahib graveyard in Lahore.