Shaukat Ali, also known as Shaukat Ali Khan, (3 May 1944 – 2 April 2021) was a Pakistani
folk singer
Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...
.
Early life and career
Born on 3 May 1944, into a family of artists in Malakwal, a town in District Gujrat (now falls in new District Mandi Bahauddin
Punjab
Punjab (; Punjabi Language, Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also Romanization, romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the I ...
, Pakistan), Shaukat Ali began singing, while at college in the 1960s, receiving help from his elder brother Inayat Ali Khan. He was introduced into the Pakistani film world as a playback singer by the renowned film music director
M Ashraf
M. Ashraf or Muhammad Ashraf (1 February 1942 – 4 February 2007) was a Pakistani film composer. In the early 1960s, he first started as one member of the ''music directors duo'' of ''Manzoor - Ashraf'' in the Pakistan film industry.
By th ...
in the Punjabi film ''Tees Maar Khan'' (1963).
From the late 1960s, he performed
ghazal
The ''ghazal'' ( ar, غَزَل, bn, গজল, Hindi-Urdu: /, fa, غزل, az, qəzəl, tr, gazel, tm, gazal, uz, gʻazal, gu, ગઝલ) is a form of amatory poem or ode, originating in Arabic poetry. A ghazal may be understood as a ...
s and
Punjabi
Punjabi, or Panjabi, most often refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to Punjab, a region in India and Pakistan
* Punjabi language
* Punjabi people
* Punjabi dialects and languages
Punjabi may also refer to:
* Punjabi (horse), a British Th ...
folk songs. As a folk singer, he was not only popular in
Punjab, Pakistan
Punjab (; , ) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in central-eastern region of the country, Punjab is the second-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the largest province by population. It shares land borders with the ...
but also in
Punjab, India
Punjab (; ) is a States and union territories of India, state in northern India. Forming part of the larger Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, the state is bordered by the States and union territories of India, Indian states of Himachal ...
. Shaukat Ali also toured and performed overseas wherever there were significant population centers of Punjabi immigrants like in the UK,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...
and the US.
Shaukat Ali was known for singing Sufi poetry with great vigor and a wide vocal range, for example Heer Waris Shah and
Saif ul Maluk
Saiful Muluk ( ur, ) is a mountainous lake located at the northern end of the Kaghan Valley, near the town of Naran in the Saiful Muluk National Park. At an elevation of 3,224 m (10,578 feet) above sea level, the lake is located above the tree ...
.
Shaukat Ali received the 'Voice of Punjab' award in 1976. In July 2013, he was honored with the 'Pride of Punjab' award by the Pakistan Institute of Language, Art and Culture (PILAC). He gave a live performance at the 1982 Asian Games in New Delhi, and was awarded the highest Pakistani civilian Presidential award
Pride of Performance
The Pride of Performance ( ur, ), officially known as Presidential Pride of Performance, is an award bestowed by the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to recognize people with "notable achievements in the field of art, science, literature, sports, an ...
in 1990. His song "Kadi Te Hass Bol Vey" was used in the 2009 Indian movie '' Love Aaj Kal''. He also released a track titled "Jagga". Shaukat Ali has also given performances at the
All Pakistan Music Conference
The All Pakistan Music Conference (APMC) is a volunteer organization founded in 1959 for the promotion of classical arts in Pakistan and continues to preserve and promote Pakistani classical and folk music and dance. It hosts a concert of musi ...
events and also appeared frequently on
Pakistani television
Television in Pakistan started in 1964 and the first live transmission of Pakistan Television began on 26 November 1964, in Lahore.Pakistani singers Imran Shaukat Ali, Ameer Shaukat Ali and Mohsin Shaukat Ali.
Documentary on his life
In 2017, a Canadian company with the help of his son Mohsin Shaukat Ali, produced a one-hour-long documentary to commemorate his contributions to the
Pakistani music industry
The Music of Pakistan ( ur, , lit=pákistáni mosíqi) includes diverse elements ranging from music from various parts of South Asia as well as Central Asian, Middle Eastern, and modern-day Western popular music influences. With these multiple ...
. This documentary shows the struggles Shaukat Ali faced throughout his career and also includes some of his past performances as well as interviews with many singers, including
Lata Mangeshkar
Lata Mangeshkar () (born as Hema Mangeshkar; 28 September 1929 – 06 February 2022) was an Indian playback singer and occasional music composer. She is widely considered to have been the greatest and most influential singers in India. Her con ...
. It documents his journey from a young aspiring singer who later becomes a popular folk singer of Pakistan.
Songs
*"Saif-ul-Malook--Awwal Hamd Sana-e-Elahi", sung by Shaukat Ali, lyrics by Sufi poet
Mian Muhammad Bakhsh
Mīān Muhammad Bakhsh (میاں محمد بخش) was a Punjabi Muslim Sufi and poet. Born in the city of Mirpur to a Gujjar family of Paswal tribe, he is renowned as a great poet and Sufi scholar by the people of Punjab and Azad Kashmir. Wri ...
, music by
Wajahat Attre
Wajahat Attre (1945 – 26 May 2017) was a Pakistani music director who composed around 3000 songs for over 200 films.
Early life
Wajahat Attre was born in Puna, Gujarat, British India in 1945. After the independence of Pakistan in 1947, ...
, film '' Chan Varyam'' (1981)
*"Sathio Mujahido, Jaag Uthha Hai Sara Watan", a 'Qaumi Naghma' song, sung by Shaukat Ali,
Masood Rana
Masood Rana
( ur, , 6 August 1941 – 4 October 1995) was a Pakistani film playback singer. He began his singing career in 1962 with the film ''Inqalab'', became one of the top male singers in both Urdu and Punjabi films for more than thr ...
, lyrics by
Himayat Ali Shair
Himayat Ali Shair ( ur, ; July 14, 1926 – July 15, 2019) was an Urdu poet, writer, film songwriter, actor and radio drama artist from Pakistan. He received the 2002 Pride of Performance Award for his literary services in Urdu literature from ...
, music by
Khalil Ahmed
Khalil Ahmed (3 March 1936 – 22 July 1997) was a Pakistani composer for radio, television, and films. He started his career with film ''Aanchal (1962)'' and remained one of the leading music directors in Pakistan in the 1960s. He composed ...
Athra Puttar
''Athra Puttar'' is a 1981 Pakistani Punjabi language action comedy musical film, directed by Altaf Hussain and produced by Chaudhry Mohammad Arif. The film stars Sultan Rahi, Mustafa Qureshi, Aasia, Ali Ejaz, Nanha and Bazigha.
Cast
*Sultan R ...
'' (1981)
*"Nabi Dey Ghulam Asseen", sung by Shaukat Ali, lyrics by Sahil Siddiqi, music by Salim Iqbal, film ''
Behram Daku
''Behram Daku'' (Punjabi: ) is a 1980 Pakistani Punjabi language action film, directed by Rauf Abbasi and produced by Khawaja Feroz Din. Film starring actor Sultan Rahi in the lead role, with Aasia and Allauddin, Talish.
Cast
* Sultan Rahi ...
'' (1980)
*"Ae Tay Wailea Aap Dessay Ga, Kaun Maarda Ae Maidan Pei Nay Hullay", sung by
Alam Lohar
Alam Lohar ( pa, ) was a prominent Pakistani Punjabi folk music singer. He is credited with creating and popularising the musical term Jugni.
Early life and career
Alam Lohar was born in 1928 in Achh, near Kotla Arab Ali Khan, Gujrat Tehsil ...
, Shaukat Ali, lyrics by Nasim Fazal and music by Master Inayat Hussain, film '' Maula Jat'' (1979)
*"Mein Walait Kahnu Aa Gaya", sung by Shaukat Ali, lyrics by Taslim Fazli, music by
M Ashraf
M. Ashraf or Muhammad Ashraf (1 February 1942 – 4 February 2007) was a Pakistani film composer. In the early 1960s, he first started as one member of the ''music directors duo'' of ''Manzoor - Ashraf'' in the Pakistan film industry.
By th ...
, film ''Playboy'' (1978)
*"Lal Meri Patt Rakhio Bala, Jhoolay Lalan Dey", a traditional folk song, sung by
Noor Jehan
Noor Jehan (Punjabi: ) (born () Allah Rakhi Wasai ; 23 September 1926 – 23 December 2000; sometimes spelled Noorjehan),Ashish Rajadhyaksha and Paul Willemen, ''Encyclopaedia of Indian Cinema,'' British Film Institute, Oxford University Press ...
, Shaukat Ali,
Masood Rana
Masood Rana
( ur, , 6 August 1941 – 4 October 1995) was a Pakistani film playback singer. He began his singing career in 1962 with the film ''Inqalab'', became one of the top male singers in both Urdu and Punjabi films for more than thr ...
, Ghulam Ali, Pervez Mehdi, music by Nashad, film ''Parchhaen'' (1974)
*"Har Dam Yahi Mere Lab Pe Sada Hai, Murshid Mera Nadir Ali Shah Hai", a devotional Sufi song or
Qawwali
Qawwali (Punjabi language, Punjabi: (Shahmukhi), (Gurmukhi); Urdu: (Nastaʿlīq, Nasta'liq); Hindi: क़व्वाली (Devanagari); Bengali language, Bengali: কাওয়ালি (Bengali alphabet, Bengali)) is a form of Sufi Isl ...
sung by Shaukat Ali (1975)
*"Tu Wi Haq Da Wali", a devotional Sufi song or
Qawwali
Qawwali (Punjabi language, Punjabi: (Shahmukhi), (Gurmukhi); Urdu: (Nastaʿlīq, Nasta'liq); Hindi: क़व्वाली (Devanagari); Bengali language, Bengali: কাওয়ালি (Bengali alphabet, Bengali)) is a form of Sufi Isl ...
sung by Shaukat Ali (1975)
*"Saaday Yaar Nay Banh Laiy Sehray", sung by Shaukat Ali, Inayat Hussain Bhatti, lyrics by
Khawaja Pervez
Khawaja Pervez ( ur, ),
(28 December 1930 – 20 June 2011) was a prominent Pakistani film composer- lyricist and film songwriter for both Urdu and Punjabi language films. His real name was Khawaja Ghulam Mohiuddin. His professional c ...
, music by
Ustad Tafu
Altaf Hussain Tafu Khan (born 1945), better known as Ustad Tafu or simply Tafoo, is a Pakistani musician from Lahore, Pakistan known as a 'master tabla player'. Ustad Tafu is especially adept at playing the musical instrument ''Tabla'' . Ustad ...
, film ''Charhda Suraj'' (1982)
*"Teri Meri Aey Azlaan Di Yaari", a bhangra song sung by Shaukat Ali and
Mehnaz Begum
Mehnaz Begum (1958 – 19 January 2013) was a Pakistani TV, radio, and film singer. She was well known as a film playback singer in the 1970s and 1980s. She was the recipient of Nigar Awards.Angara
The Angara ( Buryat and mn, Ангар, ''Angar'', "Cleft"; russian: Ангара́, ''Angará'') is a major river in Siberia, which traces a course through Russia's Irkutsk Oblast and Krasnoyarsk Krai. It drains out of Lake Baikal and is ...
'' (1985)
Shaukat Ali's folk song hits include "Kyun Door Door Reindey Au", "Kaddi Te Hass Bol Vey", "Jab Bahaar Aaii Tau Sehra Ki Taraf Chal Para", and many Punjabi folk songs including "Chhalla", "Jagga", "Kanwan, Maan Jannat Da Parchaavan".
Awards and recognition
*
Pride of Performance
The Pride of Performance ( ur, ), officially known as Presidential Pride of Performance, is an award bestowed by the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to recognize people with "notable achievements in the field of art, science, literature, sports, an ...
Award in 1990 by the
President of Pakistan
The president of Pakistan ( ur, , translit=s̤adr-i Pākiṣṭān), officially the President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is the ceremonial head of state of Pakistan and the commander-in-chief of the Pakistan Armed Forces.CMH Lahore where he was getting treatment for liver failure. His funeral prayers were offered (2 April 2021) between Maghrib and Isha at Samsani Johar Town in
Lahore
Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second List of cities in Pakistan by population, most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th List of largest cities, most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is th ...