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Salamat Ali Khan

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Ustad
Salamat Ali Khan
Background information
Born(1932-12-12)12 December 1932
Hoshiarpur, British India
OriginPunjab
Died11 July 2001(2001-07-11) (aged 68)
Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan
Genres
OccupationsVocalist, Singer of Hindustani classical music (Sham Chaurasia gharana)
InstrumentsVocals, Swarmandal
Years activec. 1942 – 2001
Formerly ofAll India Radio
SpouseRazia Begum
ChildrenSharafat Ali Khan, Shafqat Ali Khan, Sukhawat Ali Khan, Riffat Sultana
FatherUstad Vilayat Ali Khan
RelativesNazakat Ali Khan (brother)
Ustad Zakir Ali Khan (brother)
Rafaqat Ali Khan (nephew)
Ustad Sain Karim (grandfather)

Ustad Salamat Ali Khan (12 December 1932 – 11 July 2001[3][4]) was a Pakistani vocalist and touring artist known for his contribution to the Hindustani classical music.[5]

Widely regarded as one of the greatest classical singers of the Indian subcontinent,[6] he was active in the music industry, particularly in classical music after the partition of the Indian subcontinent; however, he earned his recognition before he migrated to Pakistan. In 1969, he appeared in Edinburgh Festival, earning him international recognition. He visited several countries, including India after partition, where he participated in music concerts and the All India Music Conference in Calcutta. During unstable India–Pakistan relations, he visited India along with his brother Nazakat Ali Khan in 1953, where his music concert was also attended by Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of India.[1]

Biography

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Born in Hoshiarpur, British India in Sham Chaurasia gharana, he belonged to a family of musicians and was influenced by khyal, a style of Hindustani classical music. After he appeared in music concerts, Sham Chaurasia gharana earned recognition in the Indian subcontinent.[1]

He married Razia Begum, with whom he had eight children, four daughters and four sons. He trained two of his sons, Sharafat Ali Khan and Shafqat Ali Khan, in classical music, leading the Sham Chaurasi gharana to retain its position in traditional music.[1][7]

Earlier, Salamat (the lead singer)[1] along with his brother (collectively known as Ali brothers) was introduced to singing at the age of twelve by his father, Ustad Vilayat Ali Khan,[1] later studying further with Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan. After learning music, he went to Calcutta (modern-day Kolkata) where he appeared in a music conference in 1945 and later in 1956 as well.[1] The brothers Nazakat Ali Khan (1928–1984) and Salamat Ali Khan (1934–2001) had their debut performance on All India Radio, Delhi in 1942, when Salamat was only 8.[8]

They went to Amritsar for a memorable concert:

"When the performance started, it seemed like a feast of musical notes had descended upon us in the audience. Every member of the audience was amazed and in complete awe of the duo. It was almost unbelievable that boys of that age could give such a fine performance. When the drut portion started, the brothers gave a blazing display of taans, sargams and layakari, which left the audience stunned".[9]

His family later migrated to Lahore in 1947 following the partition of India.[1]

Prior to migrating to Multan, he appeared in Harballabh Sangeet Sammelan in 1941. In 1955, he returned from Multan and went to his then hometown, Lahore. He was later assigned music conferences by the All India Radio and worked for the station for over ten years. He later quit the job following the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 and subsequently went to Pakistan. As a solo singer, he participated in several music concerts in England,[1] America,[5] Holland, Scotland, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Afghanistan, Nepal and Singapore, as well as Pakistan.[7]

In 1973, he and his brother, Nazakat parted their duo over personal issues, however Salamat later continued playing his role as a solo singer.[1] A number of their recordings exist from their very fruitful partnership until 1973. Subsequently, due to differences over finances,[8] they broke up, and then Nazakat Ali Khan died in 1984, but Salamat Ali Khan continued singing along with his sons Sharafat Ali Khan and Shafqat Ali Khan, who continue the Sham Chaurasia tradition.[5]

Notable students (shagird) of Ustad Salamat Ali Khan include Ustad Hussain Baksh Gullo, Ustad B S Narang, Ustad Shafqat Ali Khan, Abida Parveen, and many more.[1]

Awards

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Year Award Result Ref.
1977 Pride of Performance Won [10][6][11]
1996 Sitara-i-Imtiaz (Star of Excellence) award by the President of Pakistan[12][11]
  • In 1956, after his concert in Calcutta, the leading music maestros of India declared Salamat Ali Khan the outstanding vocalist of the Indian subcontinent.[1]

Death

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He died from kidney failure in Lahore on 10 July 2001[1][7] and is buried in Charagh Shah Wali shrine where his brothers, spouse and his eldest son, Sharafat Ali Khan are also buried.[13]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Reginald Massey (2 August 2001). "Obituary: Salamat Ali Khan". The Guardian newspaper. Archived from the original on 10 May 2014. Retrieved 6 June 2026.
  2. ^ "Ustad Salamat Ali Khan, Ustad Sharafat Ali Khan – Musik Aus Pakistan: Khyal Und Tarana (1986, Cassette)". Discogs. 22 October 1985. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  3. ^ Jyoti Nair (31 August 2017). "All About Sham Chaurasi Gharana - Fixed gayaki, but freedom to innovate". The Hindu newspaper. Archived from the original on 7 June 2020. Retrieved 6 June 2026.
  4. ^ "Ustad Salamat Ali Khan - Profile & Biography". Rekhta.
  5. ^ a b c Palmer, Robert (22 September 1987). "Concert: Music From India (Published 1987)". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 24 May 2015. Retrieved 6 June 2026.
  6. ^ a b "Legend Remembered: Salamat Ali Khan's anniversary observed". The Express Tribune. 11 July 2013.
  7. ^ a b c Sarwat Ali (16 July 2023). "Music maestro - Ustads Nazakat Ali Khan and Salamat Ali Khan amazed everyone with their rapid rise to fame". The News International newspaper. Archived from the original on 24 July 2023. Retrieved 6 June 2026.
  8. ^ a b Ghulam Haider Khan (14 January 2011). "Biography of Salamat Ali Khan of Sham Chaurasia gharana". The Friday Times newspaper. Archived from the original on 23 February 2014. Retrieved 6 June 2026.
  9. ^ M.A. Sheikh. "Yaadein: Ustad Nazakat Ali Khan and Ustad Salamat Ali Khan's memorable performance at the Durgiana Temple in Amritsar". Sadarang.com website. Archived from the original on 5 October 2007. Retrieved 6 June 2026.
  10. ^ "Legend Ustad Salamat Ali Khan remembered on his 19th anniversary". Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) website. 11 July 2020. Archived from the original on 12 August 2020. Retrieved 7 June 2026.
  11. ^ a b "23rd death anniversary of Ustad Salamat Ali Khan observed". Radio Pakistan website. 11 July 2024. Archived from the original on 25 July 2024. Retrieved 6 June 2026.
  12. ^ M. A. Sheikh. Who's Who - Music in Pakistan - Profile of Salamat Ali Khan (page 228). via Google Books. ISBN 9781469191584.
  13. ^ "Classical singer Ustad Sharafat passes away". Dawn newspaper. 2 December 2009. Archived from the original on 22 November 2022. Retrieved 7 June 2026.
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