Legend music maestro ‘Aziz Mian’ remembered

ISLAMABAD – Legend Qawal, poet and musician ‘Aziz Mian’ was remembered on his 21st death anniversary on Monday, where fans from all walks of life through media paid him tributes for his unforgettable services for entertainment industry. Aziz Mian was born as Abdul Aziz in Delhi, British India. The exclamation Mian, which he often used in his qaw­walis, became part of his stage name. He was also famous for singing ghazals in qawwali style. He began to introduce himself as Aziz Mian Mairthi. The word Mairthi refers to Meerut, a city in north­ern India, from which he migrated to Pakistan in 1947, news channels reported. At the age of ten, he began learning the art of Qawwali under the tutelage of Ustad Abdul Wahid Khan. He received sixteen years of training at the Data Ganj Baksh School of Lahore, and earned degrees in Urdu lit­erature, Arabic and Persian from the University of Punjab, Lahore. Aziz Mian was one of the more traditional Pakistani Qawwals. His voice was raspy and powerful. Aziz Mian was the only prom­inent qawwal to write his own lyrics. For his ser­vice in philosophy and music, the Government of Pakistan awarded him the Pride of Performance medal in 1989. In addition to his own poetry, Aziz Mian performed poetry by Allama Iqbal, and a number of contemporary Urdu poets, including Sadiq and Qateel Shifai.