Parvez Mehdi, born Pervez Akhtar (1947 – 29 August 2005) was a Pakistani

ghazal ''Ghazal'' is a form of amatory poem or ode, originating in Arabic poetry that often deals with topics of spiritual and romantic love. It may be understood as a poetic expression of both the pain of loss, or separation from the beloved, and t ...

singer.

Early life

Parvez Mehdi was born Pervez Akhtar in

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

in 1947. He was trained in music by his father Bashir Hussain Rahi, who was also a singer.

Career

Parvez Mehdi continued to learn under ghazal singer

Mehdi Hassan Mehdi Hassan Khan (; 18 July 1927 – 13 June 2012), known as Mehdi Hassan, was a Pakistani ghazal singer and playback singer of great renown. Widely considered one of the greatest and most influential figures in the history of ghazal singing, ...

(who gave him his-stage name of Parvez Mehdi)) and under sitar player Siraj Ahmed Qureshi. His first performance at

Radio Pakistan The Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation (); also known as ''Radio Pakistan'', serves as the national public broadcaster for radio in Pakistan. Although some local stations predate its founding, it is the oldest existing broadcasting network in P ...

was in 1968. Beside ghazals, he also sang

folk songs Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has be ...

, geet and film songs. He also performed with Kahlid Ashghar a

qawwali Qawwali is a form of Sufi Islamic devotional singing originating in the Indian subcontinent. Originally performed at Sufi shrines throughout the Indian subcontinent, it is famous throughout Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Afghanistan and has ...

singer of the 20th century. Parvez Mehdi's first major breakthrough and rise to prominence came in the early 1970s, when he sang with a noted folk singer of Pakistan

Reshma Reshma (; c. 1947 – 3 November 2013), was a Pakistani folk singer. Awarded with Sitara-i-Imtiaz (Star of Distinction), the third highest honour and civilian award in Pakistan among other honours, she is remembered for folk songs and her ...

on a

Pakistani television Television in Pakistan started in 1964 and the first live transmission of Pakistan Television began on 26 November 1964, in Lahore.Independence Day (Pakistan) Independence Day (), observed annually on 14 August, is a National days in Pakistan, national holiday in Pakistan. It commemorates the day when Pakistan achieved independence from the United Kingdom and was declared a sovereign state follow ...

(14 August 2005). He was officially conferred his

Tamgha-i-Imtiaz Tamgha-e-Imtiaz (), also spelled as Tamgha-i-Imtiaz, is a state-organised Civil decorations of Pakistan, honour of Pakistan. It is given to any civilian in Pakistan based on their achievements. While it is a civilian/military award, it can be ...

(Medal of Distinction) Award on the following

Pakistan Day Pakistan Day (, lit. ''Yaum-e-Pakistan'') is a national holiday in Pakistan primarily commemorating the adoption of the first Constitution of Pakistan during the transition of the Dominion of Pakistan to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan on 23 ...

(23 March 2006).President confers 192 civilian awards
Dawn (newspaper), Published 14 August 2005, Retrieved 19 April 2020

Death

Parvez Mehdi died on 29 August 2005 from a cardiac arrest in Lahore, Pakistan at the age of 58.

Discography

Parvez Mehdi sang a famous duet with the singer

, and also sang a popular song for a

Noor Jehan Noor Jehan (21 September 192623 December 2000) was a Pakistani playback singer and actress who worked in both British India and later in Pakistan's cinema of Pakistan, cinema. Her career lasted over six decades, during which she recorded 10,00 ...

Punjabi-language film ''Chann Tara'' (1973 film).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mehdi, Parvez 1947 births 2005 deaths Pakistani ghazal singers Pakistani folk singers Punjabi-language singers Pakistani playback singers Recipients of Tamgha-e-Imtiaz 20th-century Pakistani male singers 20th-century Pakistani singers