Manzoor Ali Khan


Ustad Manzoor Ali Khan was a Sindhi classical singer belonging to the Gwalior gharana. He was the first classical musician of the twentieth century who knew about the regional music of Sindh.

Early life

Manzoor's father had migrated from Gurdaspur, Punjab, British India and came to live at Khairpur, Sindh because of the ruling Talpurs, who were quite fond of his music. In a short period of time, the family shifted to Shikarpur.
Manzoor was born in 1922 in Shikarpur, Sindh, Pakistan. He studied there up to secondary school level and later moved to Tando Adam Khan with his father in 1940.

Musical career

Manzoor Ali Khan took musical lessons from his father, Jamalo Khan and another musician Seendo Khan. His parents took him to musical events in Sindh and India. Manzoor Ali Khan's biggest achievement was that he beat Bade Ghulam Ali Khan in a music contest held in Lahore in 1940. He was a maestro in singing "Thappo", a kind of classical music, in Pakistan. He made various compositions. He composed and sang Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai's poetry in all forms. He performed at Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation Karachi and then at Hyderabad since 1955, and Pakistan Television Corporation Karachi center in the same years. Many cassette companies have released the volumes of his programs.

Mother tongue

His mother tongue was Punjabi, however he used to speak and write in Sindhi. His children also received education in Sindhi language.

Awards

Manzoor Ali Khan received several awards. He was honored with the title of "Bahar-e-Moseeqi" by Makhdoom Talib ul Mola at the Urs of Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai in 1960.
Government of Pakistan awarded him "Tamgha-e-Husne Karkardagi" in 1978.

Death and legacy

He died from a heart attack on 9 September 1980. His son Ustad Fateh Ali Khan follows in his tradition of classical singing.
In December 2010, Sindh Minister for Culture Sassui Palijo, paying tributes to Manzoor Ali Khan, called him the symbol and identity of Sindhi classical music.
Former Chief Minister of Sindh, Ghous Ali Shah was a fan of Manzoor Ali Khan for a long time. He recalled that he could not forget the excellent performance of Manzoor Ali Khan at the wedding ceremony of brother of noted story writer Naseem Kharal. He also said that Manzoor Ali Khan could sing, with equal mastery, poetry of almost all Sufi poets of Sindh including Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai.