KARACHI: Versatile Pakistani playback singer Ahmed Rushdi is being remembered today (Thursday) on his death anniversary.
Ahmed Rushdi a master of all moods was adept at singing all styles, be it happy, comedy, tragedy, qawwali, lullaby, and patriotic, pop, revolutionary or folk numbers.
Syed Ahmed Rushdi was born on 24th April, 1934, to a well respected Hyderabad Deccan family. Singing was strictly disallowed in his household, but Rushdi was crazy about music and wanted to sing all sorts of songs.
In this context, he met many talented seniors, and took admission in a small music school by another name. In 1954, he came to Karachi with his family, and gave an audition at Radio Pakistan. He first sang Himayat Ali Shaer’s poem, soon followed another hit, Bandar Road se Kemari, which was a mega-hit of the times.
Rushdi sang his first number for the film Karnama (1956) and sang over 800 songs in films till 1983.
Since 1976, Ahmed Rushdi was a heart patient and his doctors advised him to abstain from singing but Rushdi refused by saying that music was his life. When he had a second heart attack in 1981, he was composing a musical album.
On the night of April 11, 1983, he had a third heart attack. He was immediately taken to the hospital but pronounced dead by the doctors. He was 48. In recognition of Rushdi’s services, he has been decorated with a Pride of Performance posthumously.
