The 11th death anniversary of the renowned singer famous as Shehenshah-e-Ghazal Mehdi Hassan Khan is being observed today (Saturday).
Famously known as Shehenshah-e-Ghazal, Mehdi Hassan Khan was born on the 18th of July in the year 1927 in Rajasthan, India, to a family of musicians. In order to keep up with the tradition, the singer began training under his father and mentor, Ustaadh Azeem Khan as well as his uncle Ustaadh Ismail Khan.
Hassan pursued an early interest in Urdu poetry and composed soulful songs that drew from the works of contemporary poets, including Faiz Ahmad Faiz.
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In 1957, he was given the opportunity to sing on Radio Pakistan, primarily as a thumri singer. Khan was honored with numerous awards including Nishan-e-Imtiaz, Tamgha-e-Imtiaz, Pride of Performance and Hilal-e-Imtiaz by the Government of Pakistan.
He sang for over 300 films during his music career. Mehdi Hassan died on 13th June 2012 after a protracted illness in Karachi.
