Ghulam Farid Sabri was born in British Punjab’s Rohtak district in 1930 to a family of gifted artists that traced its lineage back to the legendary musician Mian Tansen, one of the ‘Nine Jewels’ in the court of Mughal emperor Akbar – The Great. Before migrating to Pakistan upon the country’s inception, Ghulam Farid Sabri had joined Ustad Kallan Khan’s Qawwali party in India. He sang publically for the first time in 1946 at Sufi saint Mubarak Shah Sahab’s Urs.
Migration to Pakistan and the uphill battle back to singing
Upon migration to Pakistan, Ghulam Farid Sabri’s family had had to live for a while at a refugee camp in Karachi. While he used to work at a construction site carrying bricks, at night he would build his own brick house, a shelter for his family. The exertion took so big a toll on him that he fell ill and the doctors said he’d never be able to sing again as his lungs had become too weak to do the job aptly.
In this moment of gloom, Ghulam Farid Sabri’s father told him to do zikar each night for about five hours. The youth bent on achieving the strength of his lungs back, often had to quarrel with the neighbours in the refugee camp but he continued on his journey. Eventually, he was able to attain his coveted strength to sing but the sheer struggle with which he had obtained it paid even better dividends than anticipated as his voice became heavier than ever. This gave him a unique edge over other singers. He’d often chant Allah at the top of his voice during the Qawwalis, to much of the audience’s amusement. This chant alone earned him immense popularity and became a legend on its own.
The Sabri Brothers
Ghulam Farid Sabri joined the Qawwali group of his younger brother Maqbool Ahmed Sabri. The duo gave some of the greatest Qawwali hits of all time as their journey began with a super-hit track Mera Koi Nahin Hai Tere Siwa in 1958.
From there on, it was all glory for the Sabri Brothers. Their Qawwalis featured in films like Ishq-e-Habib, Chand Suraj, Ilzam and Sahaaray. ‘Bhar Do Jholi’ became a resounding success as it featured in the 1975 movie Bin Badal Barsaat. The Qawwali became so popular that it features often in advertisements and movies even today.
Tajdar-e-Haram, Saqiya Aur Pila, Bhar Do Jholi, Mera Koi Nahin Hai Tere Siwa, Sarela Makan Se Talab Hui are some of their biggest hits in Urdu while their work was prolific in Persian Qawwali as well. Abdul Rehman Jami and Amir Khusraw were two of their favourites among the Persian Sufi poets. Sabri Brothers also recited Khusraw’s Man Kuntu Maula and Rung.
Qawwali to the US
The biggest day came in 1975 when Sabri Brothers sang at New York’s Carnegie Hall. This was the first time that a Qawwali crew received such a massive response in the West. From there on, Qawwals from both India and Pakistan have remained all the rage in the West, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan being the biggest sensation of them all. Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, and more recently, Farid Ayaz and Abu Muhammad have been all the rage in the UK and US for their Qawwalis.
In 1990, the Sabri Brothers released Ya Habib (O Beloved) on Peter Gabriel’s Real World Records label. They also sang Persian Sufi Abdul Rehman Jami’s kalam. Although the recording was done in 1991 in Berlin, Ghulam Farid Sabri could not live long enough to see the release of album ‘Jami’ in 1995. He had died the previous year, on this day (April 5, 1994), of a heart attack in Liaquatabad, Karachi.
Legacy
Ghulam Farid Sabri, and his Sabri Brothers, remains the pioneer of the Qawwali genre for introducing the art to the West. Their Qawwalis still remain popular and are often heard on TV. They even today feature in ads and movies. As late as 2015, the Qawwali ‘Bhar Do Jholi’ was remade by Adnan Sami Khan for Salman Khan starrer Bajrangi Bhaijaan.
Similarly, Atif Aslam paid a rich tribute to Tajdar-e-Haram the same year as he recited the Qawwali at Coke Studio 8. The performance till date remains the biggest Coke Studio hit in all of its 10 seasons.
His brother Maqbool Ahmed Sabri died in 2011 of a heart attack in South Africa. His son, Amjad Farid Sabri, was murdered by terrorists in Karachi in June 2016 over ‘blasphemy’ allegations.