Ustad Rafiq Hussain Barkat Ali Murkianwala

Ustad Rafiq Hussain Barkat Ali Qawwal

Hailing from a long line of Dhrupad gayaks, the family of Ustad Rafiq Hussain ( died 1996) and Ustad Barkat Ali (died 2000) was settled in the village of Talwandi Chaudhrian, near the historic town of Sultanpur Lodhi in the Kapurthala princely state. They are known as the Kapurthala – Talwandi gharana due to this geographical linkage. The earliest of the Dhrupad singers in their family is Hussain Bakhsh Khan, while at the start of the 20th century, the two prominent musicians of the Gharana were Ustad Hidayat Ali Khan and his nephew, Ustad Dilmir Ali Khan. While Ustad Hidayat Ali Khan was an accomplished dhrupad singer who was recognized as a ‘Kalawant’, Ustad Dilmir Ali Khan was the first Qawwal of the Gharana. Ustad Dilmir Ali Khan learnt Dhrupad from his uncle, Ustad Hidayat Ali Khan, and learnt Qawwali from Ustad Mubarak Ali - Fateh Ali Khan, and performed Qawwali in the 1930s and 1940s. In the late 1940s, the Qawwali party was joined by Ustad Hidayat Ali’s son, Ustad Barkat Ali, and Ustad Dilmir Ali’s son, Ustad Rafiq Hussain. Both these young Qawwals were also shagirds of Ustad Fateh Ali – Mubarak Ali Khan.

After the partition of the subcontinent, the family’s Pir gharana shifted to Dipalpur, near Okara in Pakistan. The family of Ustad Dilmir Khan also accompanied their Pirs to the same area, where Ustad Dilmir Ali Khan passed away a few years after the partition. The Qawwali party was led by Ustad Barkat Hussain, who sang in a Dhrupad-based style, while Ustad Rafiq Hussain was known for his melodious, khayal-based singing. After struggling for a few years, the Qawwals were advised by their Pir to move to Lahore, settle there, and try their luck at the shrine of Hz Data Ganj Bakhsh Ali Hajveri (RA). Their performance at the shrine, initially met with skepticism by the seasoned listeners, soon turned into a raucous affair where the Qawwals were showered with gifts, a fact Ustad Rafiq Hussain attributed to the special favor of Hz Data Ganj Bakhsh (RA). The Qawwal party remained in Lahore for the next three decades and was regularly performed on Radio and Television. The family party soon comprised Ustad Rafiq Hussain’s eldest sons Rasheed Hussain, Ameer Ali Khan (1961-2020), and Saleem Hussain on the tabla and vocals. After Ustad Rafiq Hussain’s death, the party leadership moved to Ustad Ammer Ali Khan, who led the party for the next 25 years, furthering the legacy of his Gharana. Currently, the Kapurthala-Talwandi gharana’s legacy is being carried forward by Khurram Ali Khan – Tuqeer Ali Khan Qawwals, as well as Ejaz Ali Khan Qawwal and party.