Singers and music aficionados mourn the death of Farid Sabri who gave Bollywood evergreen songs like Der Na Ho Jaye

Famous for his raw, energetic style of delivering traditional qawwali repertoire, Farid Sabri, of Sabri Brothers, lost his life to severe pneumonia in a hospital in Jaipur on Wednesday. He was 58.

Reports suggest that he was unwell since last four-five days and his condition worsened on Tuesday night. It wasn’t a case of Covid-19 but Farid Sabri had lung infection.

Son of Saeed Sabri, the two brothers along with their father have given some of the great qawwalis in Bollywood. Der Na Ho Jaye from Heena (1991), Ek Mulakat Zaruri Hai Sanam from the film, Sirf Tum (1999), countless stage performances both in India and internationally. Their works have been recreated by many others.

Singer Hans Raj Hans feels it is unfortunate to have lost an artiste. “Qawwali and classical music is a dying art and on top of that to have lost someone who mastered the art of qawwali is really sad. These days, songs have no content or musical notes; there are such few good artistes and they should have a long life. Artistes like Farid Sabri bring life to their surroundings with their music. The two brothers have a distinct voice quality, which is a rare blessing.”

Qawwali singing is a unique musical experience and has millions of aficionados. Daler Mehndi says we are living in such horrid times when every day we are waking up to news of death. “It is an irreparable loss. A good artiste is capable of bringing happiness in the lives of so many people and Farid Sabri was one of them. I pray for strength to his family and may he be in peace.”

To have known someone and lost him is quite painful. As singer Kumar Sanu puts it, “He was indeed a gem in our music industry. We have lost a brilliant and unique voice. I always liked their kind of rendition as it had uniqueness and depth that always touched my heart. I am sure many more people out there will agree.”

These are unprecedented times but Farid Sabri will live eternally through his songs. Art, after all, is forever. – Gurnaaz Kaur