Nagpur: Online search giant Google often spring surprises for Indian and neighbouring nation’s audience by flashing out its doodle commemorating important events, birth and death anniversaries of their important people. Strangely, it do shock us by missing out on more important people too, On Tuesday, the online freaks woke up to Google’s doodle remembering renowned Pakistani singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan on his 67th birthday. The search engine carried a specially created doodle which shows the artwork image of Nusrat performing along with his team members.
Khan contributed songs to, and performed in, several Pakistani films. Shortly before his death, he recorded a song each for two Hindi films, Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya work with singer Udit Narayan (in which he also sang ‘Koi Jane Koi Na Jane’ onscreen) and Kachche Dhaage. He sang “Saya bhi saath jab chhod jaye” for Sunny Deol’s movie Dillagi. The song was released in 1999, two years after Khan’s death. He also sang “Dulhe ka sehra” from Bollywood movie Dhadkan which was released in 2000.
Born in Faisalabad, Khan had his first public performance at age of 16, at his father’s chelum. He became the head of the family qawwali party in 1971. He was signed by Oriental Star Agencies, Birmingham, England, in the early 1980s. Khan went on to release movie scores and albums in Europe, India, Japan, Pakistan, and the US. He engaged in collaborations and experiments with Western artists, becoming a well-known world music artist. He toured extensively, performing in over 40 countries.
Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan was taken ill with kidney and liver failure on 11 August 1997 in London, while on the way to Los Angeles in order to receive a kidney transplant. He died of a sudden cardiac arrest at Cromwell Hospital, London on 16 August 1997, aged 48.
