New Delhi: May 29 marked the first death anniversary of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala, and on the occasion, Pakistani qawwali singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan paid homage to the late Punjabi singer in a concert.
During one of his concerts in the US, the Pakistani musician known for singing hit Bollywood songs such as 'Mann ki lagan', 'Jiya dhadak dhadak', 'Bol na halke halke' and 'Dagabaaz re', dedicated popular qawwali ‘Akhiyan Udeek Diyan' to Moosewala.
Several videos of the concert are doing the round on social media. In the video, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan is seen saying, "Yeh abhi jo qawwali pesh karne jaraha hoon main, yeh Sidhu Moosewala ko yaad karte huye karna chahunga (The qawwali that I am going to present now, I would like to remember Sidhu Moosewala through this)." The crowd erupted in cheer after his announcement and the Pakistani singer then sang the song Akhiyan Udeek Diyan.
Moosewala, whose real name was Shubhdeep Singh, was shot dead on May 29 in Punjab’s Mansa district last year.
The singer-rapper enjoyed a cult following in India and abroad with songs like 'So High', 'Same Beef', 'The Last Ride', 'Just Listen' and ‘295'.
A candle march was also taken out on Monday in memory of Moosewala.
The late singer's fans and supporters gathered in a large number in Moosa village to participate in the candle march to seek “justice” for him. The march was also attended by Moosewala's mother Charan Kaur.
Prayers were held at a gurdwara in Jawahar Ke village in remembrance of the slain singer. Gurjit Singh, a local citizen who donated property close to where Moosewala was killed, announced that a monument or statue honouring the deceased singer would be built there shortly.
Indian Express quoted Gurjit Singh saying, “Today, we organised Sukhmani Sahib path in memory of Moosewala as he was our son. Everyone in the village, including young and old, loved him. It is extremely unfortunate that he was shot dead in our village. His mother attended the prayers today (Sunday) and got extremely emotional. She broke down and touched the ground where her son was shot dead.”
Hailing from the village of Moosa in Mansa district of Punjab, Sidhu started his career on a duet song titled 'G Wagon'. In 2018, he released his debut album PBX 1, which peaked at 66th on the Billboard Canadian Albums chart. In 2020, Sidhu was named by The Guardian among the top 50 new artists.