Pakistani singers Attahullah Khan and his son Sanwal Esakhelvi share their passion for music

“I have received so much love from India and have been accepted here. It was so wonderful to be in Amritsar once and visit the Golden Temple. Common people of both the countries want peace and love,” reflected the singer, who has been a part of Coke Studio with his son.

With more than 50,000 songs and 500 albums to his credit and the recipient of several awards, Attahullah is known for music which is rooted, a part of the landscape of the country, expressing pathos and timeless traditions of folk.

He agrees, his deep voice which reaches people of different walks of life, is suited for songs that talk of pain.

With Mukesh and Kishore Kumar among his favourite singers, the sadness in his voice, says Attahullah, also comes from the many odds and struggles that he went through to realise his dream of being a musician.

It was his English teacher who, recognising his talent, inspired Attahullah to take the less traveled path and follow his dreams fearlessly.

With his family completely against his decision to be a musician, Attahullah had to leave home to pursue his passion, struggle to make ends meet, do odd jobs and continue to learn and train relentlessly. Lovingly called Lala by his fans, Attahullah says talent is a prerequisite for success, as is hard work. “My dard comes from Allah. Struggles make you a stronger and more sensitive person and these are qualities that are reflected in your art and work. Over the years, you develop purity in your work and the pain of all that you have experienced is reflected. To learn music, even several lifetimes are less and the hardships I have faced have helped me to process and polish my talent,” he says.

Performing all over the world, the singer says, when he faces an audience- he sings with abandon, is with himself and is immersed in his own world.

The outside world ceases to exist, when Attahullah is with his music. Singing songs that he has carefully selected, which resonate his experiences, loneliness and dard, make his music reach out to larger audiences and sing better. “What we cannot touch, we call Khuda and it is the justuju and the tadap that keeps you going,” says Attahullah, whose songs are found painted behind trucks, both back home and here in India.

Sharing his father’s passion and dedication for music, Sanwal, who is away from home and family in Washington, is an audio engineer and singer.

Surrounded with music since his early childhood, Sanwal says music is a ring of fire and he moved out to become a better form of himself, learn different music, experiment and yet not compromise on traditions that he has received from his father.

“I want to take my music to a wider audience in my own language, but without diluting its essence. My inspiration is my home, my father. It was an overwhelming experience to perform ‘Sab Maya Hai’ with my father in Coke Studio and my dream is to continue learning.”

Attahullah says, he is happy that Sanwal is pursuing music, for he has an original voice and creates new forms of music with his experiments.

“The more he goes forward, my dreams get realised and as musicians we must be receptive to change, embrace it and continue our work.”