one of the greatest voices in the Subcontinent was silenced
COVER STORY
When ‘ unidentifi ed gunmen ’ riddled Amjad Sabri ’ s car with bullets , the brutal killers probably didn ’ t even stop for a second to think that they are about to silence one of the greatest voices in the subcontinent . To lose him , and that too at the young age of 39 , is diffi cult to digest ; especially if you are one of the fortunate souls who had been a part of the mesmerised audience that hung onto every note during one of his powerhouse performances . He may have come from a legacy of great Qawwals , but Amjad was the Sabri that my generation most identifi ed with . Sure , there were others while we were growing up and , our parents may have even taken us to see a performance or two , but sadly most of our ears were not cultured enough at the time . He continued a family legacy and made qawwali relevant for those whose ears gravitated towards pop music from the west . Hearing his troop , whether on television or live , tuned the musical sense of those born in the 80s , 90s and even 00s . With time one learnt to appreciate the magic of a Sabri Qawwali , its uniqueness and the ability of a man to send individuals and all those surrounding them into a state of ecstasy . I remember a lump in my throat halfway through the fi rst time I heard Bhar De Jholi . As the composition went on , tears started welling up and the waterworks fl ew unabashedly by the time it came to an end . When people hear of the death of a great man , the initial reaction is always of shock – and it lasts a while . However , as soon as news of this tragic incident spread around my workplace , the initial jolt felt
11 | BOOM
was almost instantly followed by a kind of sorrow that is diffi cult to explain . Here was a man whose mission in life was to bring people closer to God through his words . To this day , the signature Sabri words of Bhar de jholi meri ya Shah-e-Madina , laut kar mien na jaoon ga khaali , fi lls me with hope on a deeply personal level . But what good is hope in front of ‘ unidentifi ed gunmen ’ who never take into consideration the consequences their action have on victims ’ families , and in this case , society as a whole . One can only speculate whether this was a militant attack or personal one . Regardless , the brutal slaying has left a void that is impossible to fi ll for thousands , if not millions , of Qawwaali fans across the Subcontinent . A tragedy of this magnitude only further instills a sense of hopelessness that many feel when living in a country where the value of human life is just a little more than the cost of a bullet . It would perhaps be safe to say that Pakistan is one of those countries . As little snippets from his most famous works continue to play on handheld devices in my offi ce , one can only hope that Sabri ’ s proverbial jholi is never empty . I know ours is a lot lighter after this . To honour his life ’ s work , let ’ s revel in his most treasured songs and respect the legacy that he has left behind .
1 . Bhar do jholi 2 . Tajdar-e-Haram 3 . Man Kunto Maula 4 . Sare La Makan 5 . Ali ke saath hai Zehra ki shaadi 6 . Khwaja ki deewani 7 . Ali mera dil mere jaan Ali 8 . Savree Savree 9 . Ya Sahib Al Jamal 10 . Mera koi naheen hai teray siwa