It has been 28 long years since the legendary Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan passed away at a relatively young age, leaving his fans from across the world devastated by the loss.
But the great singer’s admirers still remember him in glowing words, including his fans and collaborators from across the border.
Salim-Sulaiman Merchant, the sibling duo who has composed music for many hit Indian films, recounted their experience working with Nusrat in a recent interview.
Told by an audience member that he and his colleagues in office listen to Nusrat when their headphones are on, Salim replied, “He was too good.”
He then went on to recount that though he didn’t remember the year, he worked with Nusrat in Mumbai on Aur Pyar Ho Gaya. “He would have lunch and then start around 4 pm. And then the session would continue till 12 am or 1 am. His style was unique and obviously, his singing was lajawaab.”
At this point Sulaiman chimed in to say that when the duo worked with the iconic singer on the smash hit song Piya Re, his voice was “like a small child’s, full of truth and honesty. He had a very spiritual voice.”
He also said that the qawali king talked to everyone with “a lot of love and respect.”
At this point the host interjected to say that he often imagines Nusrat singing in a huge concert in one of the newer large venues in India. “What an atmosphere that would have been,” he mused.