Multan: - The 16th death anniversary of renowned qawwal Aziz Mian being observed today (Tuesday).
Late Mian was conferred upon Pride of Performance by the government of Pakistan in 1989.
Aziz Mian was born ‘Abdul Aziz’ but many of his qawwalis used the word ‘Mian’ and thus it went on to become his stage name or what he was known by in the circles both inside and outside Pakistan.
Late Aziz was born in then Delhi of British India. He migrated to Pakistan from Indian Meerut in 1947, at the time of independence. He was an alumni of University of Punjab in Lahore and educated himself in Persian, Urdu literature and Arabic.
Unlike several qawwals, Aziz Mian wrote his own lyrics besides reciting those of different poets. It is only in 1966 after spending years under tutelage of Abdul Wahid Khan of Lahore starting from age ten that he would deliver his first breakthrough performance.
The first time Aziz Mian tasted admiration at a mass level was when he was awarded a gold medal by then Shah of Iran as he had performed before him in a ceremony.
Before that, he was normally referred to as the ‘fauji qawwal’ as he would be invited to different army camps and installations to perform for the troops.
Sufi recitations, qawwalis and music art groomed the best, as different experts agree, in 1970s when Sabri brothers and Aziz Mian would ‘own’ their audiences alike.
According to his will, he was laid to rest in the land of Sufis, Multan.