Rahat Fateh Ali Khan to be awarded an Oxford honorary degree

Rahat Fateh Ali Khan

Rahat Fateh Ali Khan will be awarded an honorary degree in music by the Oxford University in recognition for his services as a musician, especially in the sufi and qawaali genre. The honour will be awarded to him on June 26. In 2017, a rehearsal hall of the university was named after him.

A renowned Sufi singer and nephew of Pakistani singing legend Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan debuted as a playback singer in Bollywood with the movie Paap in 2003. He has also served as a judge on singing reality shows in India. Other popular Hindi films that Rahat Fateh Ali Khan has sung for are My Name Is Khan, Love Aaj Kal, Ishqiya, and more recently, Simmba.

In an interview with mid-day, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan spoke about his uncle and mentor Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. He had said, "Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan saab trained my voice to make it the way it is today. As his student, I have seen him [sing], and train for eight hours a day, which is why I say that despite all the content about him that's available on social media, the world hasn't heard even 25 per cent of his work." He further added that growing up in the shadow of a revered senior was tough, and continues to be so.

Also read: Rahat Fateh Ali Khan: The 24-year-old tune stayed with me

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