News Desk |
The prestigious Oxford University awarded Asia’s leading Sufi singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan with an honorary doctorate degree on Wednesday afternoon at a ceremony held at Oxford.
Ustad Rahat Fateh Ali Khan expressed his feelings of joy saying: “I am honoured to be accepting this degree from Oxford University, a world-famous educational institution. This is a very special day for my family and me but also for my fans, who have shared this journey with me. To be presented with this honour is a massive achievement and I am happy that my music has allowed me to reach such incredible heights.”
Rahat Fateh Ali Khan will perform his Qawwalis at the Oxford Town Hall on Thursday 27th June. The money collected from his performance will be spent to enhance the Faculty of Music’s Sounds of South Asia series.
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The University of Oxford had announced in March that Asia’s acclaimed Sufi singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan has been shortlisted, along with eight other dignitaries, for an honorary doctorate degree.
According to media reports, the university had described Rahat Fateh Ali Khan as “Pakistani singer, primarily of Qawwali, a devotional music of the Muslim Sufis.”
“Born into a family whose name has become synonymous with South Asian musical tradition, he began formal training at the age of seven and has since released more than 50 albums, performed in numerous high-profile concerts across the world and amassed a global following, achieving over one billion views online,” the statement issued by the university read.
“Rahat Ali Khan has sung more than 50 title tracks of television serials and featured in over 100 film songs for both Hollywood and Bollywood,” the statement added. Earlier, a rehearsal hall of the university was also named after him in 2017. This is the highest honor for any South Asian singer, naming the music studio “The Rahet Fateh Ali Khan Music Room.”
Read more: Rahat Fateh to be given honorary Oxford University degree
Rahat Fateh Ali Khan is the nephew of maestro Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and is an equally celebrated singer both in India and Pakistan. He began his career at the age of three, under the guidance of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, known as the King of Qawwali. Since then, he has taken on the responsibility of carrying forward his 600-year-old family legacy by touching the hearts and souls of audiences by spreading the magic of qawwali across the globe.