Lahore (Web Desk): Renowned Qawwal and poet Aziz Mian was remembered on his 82nd birthday anniversary on Wednesday.
Born on April 17, 1942, in Delhi, his birth name was Abdul Aziz. He migrated to Pakistan from Meerut in 1947, at the time of independence.
Aziz Mian was an alumni of the University of Punjab in Lahore and got degrees in Persian, Urdu literature and Arabic.
The legendary Qawwal holds the record for singing the longest commercially released Qawwali that goes slightly above 115 minutes.
Unlike several qawwals, Aziz Mian wrote his lyrics besides reciting those of different poets. It was only in 1966 after spending years under the 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 in 1966.
From this moment on, Aziz Mian gained popularity and started releasing albums. In addition to singing qawwalis, he was also an expert at singing Ghazals. He became a noted member of the qawwal community due to his unique and crisp voice.
Late Aziz Mian was conferred upon Pride of Performance by the government of Pakistan in 1989.
He died on December 6, 2000 and was laid to rest in the land of Sufis, Multan.