Introduction:

Attaullah Khan Esakhelvi was named Attaullah Khan Niazi on 19th August 1951, in a town called Mianwali, district Punjab, Pakistan and he is a famous Pakistani singer and an author. He is from the Saraiki-speaking branch of the Pashtun tribe precisely where he discovered his musical talent as early as a kid, but it was a forbidden activity for secret reasons in his home. 20 years old Esakhelvi left his home to face the challenges of the music world and as a result, he was widely recognized as an icon to the common man of Pakistan, especially to the people of rural areas. For sure he has a great musical existence; he has created over 50,000 records in seven languages and the titles are remarkable such as the Pride of Performance Award and the Order of Imtiaz. His son, Sanwal Esakhelvi is not only a talented musician but also a visual effects supervisor.

Early Life

Attaullah Khan an Esakhelvi, his stage name, was born on August 19, 1951, in Esakhel, Mianwali, and Punjab Province, Pakistan.  His original name was Attaullah Khan Niazi. He is a member of the Saraiki-speaking Pashtun tribe which is only surpassed by the Punjabi tribe of that province in Pakistan, and in the eastern part of Afghanistan, it is the dominant language there. Despite his parent’s rejection, of music, Esakhelvi somehow developed a child’s curiosity in music. His class mentor taught him how to sing Mohammed Rafi and Mukesh songs and motivated him that being a singer can go a long way. Nevertheless, Fox gave rise to the necessary courage to travel to Dublin alone due to a ban on singing tone by his parents at the age of 1825.

Musical Career

His training notwithstanding, upon his departure from his parent’s residence, he was able to buy a lot of instruments as well as he frequently recorded himself playing them. He has only lived in Mianwali one place and taught himself to do different jobs, including Mianwali where he has worked. His songs became a darling for people living in hinterlands of Punjab and the surrounding area; the sound of his voice was soon apparent in all public spaces as the truck drivers adopted it as their constant companion.

Personal Life

Attaullah Khan Esakhelvi is a man who has married four times and has four children apart from that. Secondly, his wife, Bazgha, was an actress with many achievements under her belt and his daughter Laraib Atta is now a successful VFX artist who has several credits with major Hollywood movies. His son, who is just 16 years old, also tries to work on his music career.

 Legacy

Sarsakhelvi, the folk figure, is Pakistan’s folk idol and one of the prominent folk singers in the country. His music sung mostly in a dialect of Punjabi named Saraiki, seems to be the connection with the souls of many people, in particular residents of the rural areas. He has been awarded by several awards for his contribution to Pakistani music which include a lifetime achievement award from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth. II UK and his entry in the Guinness Book of World Records for releasing the highest number of audio albums which was 24.

Awards

• The Pride of performed award that was provided to him by the Government of Pakistan in 1991 was 25
• The President of Pakistan bestowed upon Sitara-i-Imtiaz, on March 23, 2019, one of the highest civilian honors of the state.

Selected Popular Songs

Some of his popular songs are “Qameez Teri Kaali,” and “Idhar Zindagi ka Janaza where either of two hands has wound around the other thus making a circle, is an expression of love and devotion.

Musicians

Attaullah Khan is an artist with his music band that played with him in different countries and towns such as America, Japan, Canada, England, France, Spain, Germany, India, Italy, Australia, and Oman etc.