Mehdi Hassan, the legendary ghazal singer, was one of those ghazal singers that made ghazals an enjoyable form of music (though it always was). With the blend of Indian Classical Music with the best lyrics by greatest of Shayars (poets), he could do what may be called unmatched.
The softness of his voice had the ability to make the listener get rid of every other thought for those moments to just refresh the soul with this rich form of music. He was popular both in India and Pakistan. He has been one of those names in the Indian Ghazals that without
his name the list of Ghazal Singers couldn’t be completed.Here is a list of some of the best ghazals sung by Mehdi Hassan. His recent death is surely an unrecoverable loss to this beautiful form of music.
• Ab ke hum bichchde to shayad kabhi khwabo mein mile
• Hum hi mein thee na koi baat, yaad na tumko aa sake
• Shola tha jal butha hu, sadayein mujhe na do,
• Rafta rafta wo meri
• Ranzishein sahi, dil hi dukhane ke liye
• Zindagi mein to sabhi pyaar kiya karte hain
• Dekh to dil ki jaan se uthta hai
• Ek bas tu hi nahi mujhse khafa ho baitha
It is true that for an ordinary person it is difficult to sing these ghazals as it would require the expertise in Indian Classical Music and preparation yet it requires no expertise to enjoy any sort of music. Mehdi Hassan sang the ghazals such that ordinary person could enjoy the ghazals while listening but also could feel the nostalgia even after the performance was over.
Ghazal is a combination of the best music and the best of lyrics. There was a time when ghazals were very popular in India though the trend is no longer prevalent yet there are people who enjoy ghazals. Some of the other ghazal singers that made big names in India are Ghulam Ali, Begum Akhtar, Farida Khanam, Jagjit Singh, Pankaj Udhas, Talat Mehmood etc.
