Ahmed Rushdi

Ahmed Rushdi was a Pakistani folk singer and musician who is widely regarded as one of the greatest folk singers of South Asia. He was born in 1934 in Hyderabad Deccan, a city in British India (now India). He started singing from a young age and participated in local gatherings and festivals. He recorded his first album at the age of 13 and became popular in the rural areas of Punjab. He is credited with creating and popularising the musical term Jugni, which means a female firefly or a rebellious spirit. He sang many songs in this genre, such as Ko Ko Korina, Bol Mitti de Bawa, and Dilwala Dukhra. He also sang in various languages, such as Urdu, Punjabi, Sindhi, Bengali, and Gujarati. He was a versatile singer who could sing high tenor notes with ease. He also sang naats, or praises of the Prophet Muhammad, and appeared in several Pakistani films. He performed in various countries, including India, UK, Canada, Norway, US and Germany, where he entertained the South Asian diaspora. He was awarded the Pride of Performance Award by the Government of Pakistan in 1979. He died in a road accident near Lahore on 11 April 1983. He is remembered as a legend of Pakistan folk music and a master of the Jugni genre.