Renowned classical singer Ustad Sharafat Ali Khan, who belonged to the Sham Churasi Gharana and won the prestigious Saraswati award, has died at the age of 54.
Khan was suffering from high blood pressure and diabetes.
He was rushed to hospital on Monday when his condition deteriorated, but died yesterday.
He was the eldest son of famous classical singer Ustad Salamat Ali Khan. Born in Multan in 1955, Sharafat began his musical career in his childhood. He graduated from the prestigious Government College in Lahore.
Khan inherited his father’s singing qualities and had enormous grip over thumri, kafi, khayal and ghazal. He got his first award – Tamgha-e-Hunar - from Afghanistan. Subsequently Khan was honoured with the Saraswati and other awards in India for his exceptional performances.
His ancestors Mian Chand Khan and Mian Suraj Khan were contemporaries of Tansen in the court of Mughal Emperor Akbar.
Successive generations of musicians in the gharana specialised in the dhrupad form of singing and evolved a tradition of jugalbandi or duet vocal performances.
Mian Karim Bukhsh Majzoob, Ustad Ahmed Ali Khan, Ustad Niaz Hussain Shami and Ustad Vilayat Ali Khan were some of the icons from this gharana.
Some of the most memorable classical music of modern times was sung by the brothers Ustad Nazakat Ali Khan (1920s-1984) and Salamat Ali Khan (1934-2001).
