Habib Wali Mohammad ( ur, ), (16 January 1921 – 3 September 2014) was a Pakistani ghazal and film playback singer.

Early life

Habib Wali Mohammad was born on January 16, 1921 at Rangoon to a conservative

Memon Memon may refer to: Ethnic group and language * Memon people, an ethnic group originating in the ancient Sindh (modern day Pakistan) * Memoni language, the language of Memon people historically associated with Kathiawar, Gujarat, India People wit ...

family, which later moved to

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' fin ...

where he grew up. His family, Tabani, an industrial house has large business holdings in

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...

. During his childhood, Habib Wali Mohammad often listened to

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 ...

music. But due to economic and business reasons, he gave priority to academics. He received his MBA from Syracuse University, New York in 1947, and then lived in

for about 10 years before moving to

. His brother Ashraf W. Tabani was the governor of the province of Sindh,

during 1988. He died on 3 September 2014 in Los Angeles, US.Ghazal singer Habib Wali Mohammad passes away at 93
Dawn (newspaper), Published 4 September 2014, Retrieved 20 December 2021 The Tabanis belong to the

Gujarati Gujarati may refer to: * something of, from, or related to Gujarat, a state of India * Gujarati people, the major ethnic group of Gujarat * Gujarati language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by them * Gujarati languages, the Western Indo-Aryan sub ...

-speaking

community.

Career

As a youth, Habib Wali received classical music lessons from Ustad Latafat Ali Khan, a nephew of noted musician Ustad Faiyyaz Khan (1880 – 1950). In college, he became active in the musical functions of

Ismail Yusuf College Ismail Yusuf College, is the fourth oldest college of Mumbai, India. ''"I Y college"'', as it is popularly known, is managed by Government of Maharashtra. It is the oldest college in North Mumbai. It was established in 1930 with a large donati ...

, gaining the nickname 'Taan Sen'. He completed his bachelor's degree in Bombay. In 1941, Habib Wali was awarded first prize in a Bombay music competition with 1200 contestants, including the singer Mukesh Chand Mathur. His winning performance was singing the ghazals of the last Moghul Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar, ''Lagta Nahin Hai Jee Mera Ujray Diyar Mein'' and ''Yeh Na Thi Hamari Qismat'' by

Mirza Ghalib ) , birth_date = , birth_place = Kala Mahal, Agra, Maratha Confederacy , death_date = , death_place = Gali Qasim Jaan, Ballimaran, Chandni Chowk, Delhi, British India , occupation = Poet , language ...

. He recorded his first LP in the 1950s for Radio Ceylon, now known as

Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation The Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC) ( si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා ගුවන් විදුලි සංස්ථාව, ''Shrī Lankā Guvan Viduli Sansthāva'', ta, இலங்கை ஒலிபரப்புக் க� ...

. Interestingly, the LP record did not have his real name. Instead, he used his stage name of ''Kamal Roy'' and the music was composed by Saraswati Devi. Encouraged by this recognition, at a young age, he took more interest in ghazal singing. During his stay in America, he had been out of touch with music. Hence, he felt lonely and missed his earlier college functions in Bombay. In his own words, "He was not happy in ‘Ujray dayar mein’, the same ghazal which had won him an award of a lifetime. He put a lot of effort and came out with a gramophone record of ghazals in his voice. On one side of the record, he dubbed Bahadur Shah Zafar's ghazals and on the other side, Ghalib's ghazals. Unfortunately, the Indian public was reluctant to buy them at that time. Listening to these ghazals, actress

Meena Kumari Meena Kumari (born Mahjabeen Bano; 1 August 1933 – 31 March 1972) was an Indian actress and poet, who worked in Hindi films. Popularly known as ''The Tragedy Queen'', she was active between 1939 and 1972. Kumari is widely considered one of ...

became a fan of his, and since she was at the time affiliated with Radio Ceylon, she had his recordings broadcast often. This boosted Habib Wali's sales and caused him to become a celebrity. After the

independence Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the statu ...

in 1947, his family migrated to

and established an industrial group which includes the Shalimar Silk Mills. He gave most of his time to the family business, recording ghazals and geets for films in his spare time, however music was not pursued as a profession. However, he still sang ghazals for the music companies, including a geet written by the poet Parveen Shakir: ‘Gori karath singhar’. In the eighties, he recorded ghazals on audio cassettes which were composed by the noted music director

Nisar Bazmi Nisar Bazmi (1 December 1924 – 22 March 2007) was a composer and music director of Indian and Pakistan film industry.

and

Pakistan Television Pakistan Television Corporation ( ur, ; reporting name: PTV) is the Pakistani state-owned broadcaster. Pakistan entered the television broadcasting age in 1964, with a pilot television station established at Lahore. Background Historical co ...

, Karachi Center's music director ''Niaz Ahmed''. In addition, he received offers to become a film playback singer for the Pakistani film industry. Habib Wali Mohammad was from an early group of singers ever to record ghazals. But probably because of his background and as a member of a well-established family, Habib Wali Mohammad had never pursued an aggressive and mainstream career as a singer, though he was still highly regarded among the Pakistani public. His famous ghazals include Bahadur Shah Zafar's 'Na kisi ki aankh ka noor hoon' and Qamar Jalalvi's 'Kab mera nasheman ahlay chaman'. All of his performances of the ghazals of Bahadur Shah Zafar have been very popular. His other well-known ghazals, include

Aaj Jaane Ki Zid Na Karo "Aaj Jaane Ki Zid Na Karo" ( ) is a geet written by Pakistani poet Fayyaz Hashmi. It was composed by Sohail Rana, an eminent Pakistani composer. It was popularized by noted classical vocalist, Habib Wali Mohammad, who also sang it as a film playb ...

. He also sang the famous national song, "Roshan-o-Rakhshan, Nayyar-o-Tabaan, Pakistan rahay".

Personal life

Habib Wali Mohammad, later in his life, lived in Los Angeles California, United States with his wife, Rehana and his family, including his sons, Rizwan Wali Mohammad Tabani and Nadeem Wali Mohammad Tabani. Both are ghazal and geet performers in their own right. Anwar Wali Muhammad Tabani lives in New Jersey and the daughter Rukhsana lives in Karachi, Pakistan. His brother, Ashraf W. Tabani went on to become the Chairman of Export Promotion Bureau of Pakistan and later served as the Governor of Sindh in the late 1980s.

Discography

Some of the ghazals, recorded in the voice of Habib Wali Mohammad are listed here below: *''Lagta Nahin Hai Dil Mera Ujray Diyaar Mein'' : poet Bahadur Shah Zafar *''Ye na thi hamari Qismath'': poet:

*''Ja kahio unsay naseem-e-sahar'': poet: Bahadur Shah Zafar *''Gajra bana kay lay Aa malaniya'': poet: Afshan Rana

Ghazals for films

*‘Aaj janay ki zid na karo’: poet:

Fayyaz Hashmi Fayyaz Hashmi ( ur, ; 1920 2011) was a Pakistani poet and screenwriter who worked both in the Indian and Pakistani film industry. He penned some memorable songs such as the famous nazm Aaj Jaane Ki Zid Na Karo and ''Tasveer teri dil mera beh ...

, picturised on Nadeem, music of

Sohail Rana Sohail Rana (born 31 March 1938) is a Pakistani music composer for films and television. He was introduced by actor Waheed Murad in Pakistan film industry and gained popularity when singer Ahmed Rushdi sang his compositions in such films as ...

for film ''Badal Aur Bijli (1973)'' *‘Aashiyan jal gaya' :poet: Raaz Illahabadi, music by

in film ‘Baazi (1970)’ *'Raatain theen chandni', film song lyrics by Waheed Qureshi, music of

in film ''Baazi'' (1970) *'Marnein Ki Duawain Kyun Maangoon - Jeene Ki Tamanna Kaun Kare', film song lyrics by Moin Ahsan Jazbi, music by

Nashad Nashad ( ur, ) (11 July 1923 – 14 January 1981) was a film composer and music director of Indian and Pakistani film industry. He composed music for Hindi films in the 1940s and 1950s, credited on-screen under the names Nashad and then later ...

in film ''Chand Sooraj'' (1970) National songs like: ''Roshan-o- rakhshan, nayyar-o-taban'', ''Aye nigar e watan tu salamat rahay'', ''Sohni dharti Allah rakhe'', ''Lahoo jo sarhad pe beh chuka hay'', ''La fata illah ali la saif-o – illah zulfakar''.

Awards and recognition

Nigar Award The Nigar Awards ( ur, , translit=Inʿām Negār, lit=Picture Awards) were presented in an annual award show to recognize outstanding achievement in Pakistani cinema. The honors are awarded by Nigar Magazine founded in 1948. The Nigar Awards ...

- Special Nigar Award in 1970.

Recent concerts

Habib Wali Mohammad had a ghazal concert on 27 February 2010 in

Edison, New Jersey Edison is a township located in Middlesex County,in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Situated in Central New Jersey within the core of the state's Raritan Valley region, Edison is a commercial hub, home to Menlo Park Mall and Little India. It ...

, and on 28 February 2010 in

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the B ...

, performing with his son Nadeem Wali Mohammad, and former singer Bela Modi. Habib Wali Mohammad recently performed in April 2012 in San Jose, California for the

Human Development Foundation The Human Development Foundation (HDF), also referred to as the Mercy Centre, is a non-profit and non-denominational organization in Bangkok, Thailand. It was established by Roman Catholic Redemptorist priest Father Joe Maier with Sister Maria Cha ...

in the United States at a fund-raising event.

Death and legacy

Habib Wali Mohammad died in Los Angeles, California after being treated for his illness and health issues due to old age on 4 September 2014 at age 93.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mohammad, Habib Wali 1921 births 2014 deaths Nigar Award winners Pakistani ghazal singers Pakistani Muslims Syracuse University alumni Singers from Karachi Pakistani expatriates in the United States 20th-century Pakistani male singers Pakistani playback singers Pakistani people of Gujarati descent Indian expatriates in Myanmar Indian emigrants to Pakistan