Children of renowned singers tend to follow in their footsteps. Having inherited their parent’s vocal prowess, they also pursue singing as a career, sometimes even emulating their style and habits. Mukesh, Kishore Kumar and Udit Narayan were three of the Indian film industry’s shining stars, and their sons Nitin Mukesh,
Children of renowned singers tend to follow in their footsteps. Having inherited their parent’s vocal prowess, they also pursue singing as a career, sometimes even 
emulating their style and habits. Mukesh, Kishore Kumar and Udit Narayan were three of the Indian film industry’s shining stars, and their sons Nitin Mukesh, Amit Kumar and Aditya Narayan respectively, also made their name as playback singers in films. Similarly, Tahira Syed, the daughter of ace ghazal singer Malika Pukhraj, also sang in television and films.
Son of veteran ghazal singer Habib Wali Mohammed, Rizwan Wali Mohammed, is a mirror reflection of his father inheriting the vocal talent that Habib was most known for.
Rizwan Wali Muhammad, son of the famous ghazal and film singer Habib Wali Muhammad, has also followed in his footsteps. On a personal trip to Karachi from Los Angeles, where he is based, Rizwan performed in front of a private gathering at classical dancer Sheema Kirmani’s residence last month. He mostly sang his eminent father’s ghazals and film songs, to the delight of the audience. Two songs, ‘Raatein Theen Chandni, Joban Pay Thee Bahar’ from the film Bazi and ‘Aaj Janay Ki Zid Na Karo’ from Badal aur Bijli, brought back his illustrious father’s memory to the audience. Prominent Indian singers like Asha Bhonsle, Anup Jalota and Talat Aziz have cherished singing the latter song. Radhika Chopra, a globetrotting ghazal singer from Delhi had paid rich tributes to then recently deceased Habib Wali Muhammad before singing ‘Aaj Janay Ki Zid Na Karo’ during her performance in Karachi in September last year, when she also shared that wherever in the world she went to perform, her audience requested that she sing this song.
Born on December 17, 1959, Rizwan’s own musical career started in 1970 from PTV in children’s music program Kaliyon Ki Mala, conducted by music director Suhail Rana. In a children’s singing competition organized by PTV, he won first prize. Later on, he received training in light and semi classical music from his father and performed in musical concerts with him. He also toured individually all across Pakistan and in India, United Kingdom and the United States over the last three decades. During these years he has established himself as an all-rounder, singing geets, ghazals, Pakistani and Indian film songs as well as Punjabi and Bengali songs.
Distressed by the decline in Pakistan’s film industry, Habib Wali Muhammad had migrated to USA in 1985 with his family comprising of his wife, three sons and a daughter. Rizwan’s younger brother Nadeem also has great interest in singing. Rizwan did his
BS in Accounting from the University of Texas at Dallas in 1993 and manages his own business. He performs frequently for the Pakistani and Indian communities living in Dallas, Houston and Oklahoma and his CD containing geets and ghazals is in the process of being finalized.
Being the son of Habib Wali Muhammad, Rizwan is privy to a lot of information, which is not generally known to his late father’s many fans all over the world. For one, Habib Wali took proper training in classical music from Ustad Latafat Hussain Khan and tabla nawaz Ustad Allah Rakha in India and Ustad Hamid Hussain Khan in Pakistan and learnt to sing thumris and dadra. When the family moved from Bombay to Pakistan after the Partition, two of his ghazals Bahadur Shah Zafar’s ‘Lagta Naheen Hai Dil Mera’ and Mirza Ghalib’s ‘Yeh Na Thee Hamari Qismat’ used to be played frequently on Radio Ceylon. According to Rizwan, Meena Kumari, who later became a superstar in Indian films, used to conduct a programme of listener’s choice in Radio Ceylon and she would adore Habib Wali’s voice.
Naushad Ali, who had achieved an enviable and unmatched position in the creative world of film music, was another fan of Habib Wali Mohammed’s voice and singing style.
In an All India Music Competition held in Bombay in 1942, in which Naushad Ali was one of the judges, Habib Wali had won the first prize. Ten years later in 1952, Naushad gave Habib Wali a break in the film Deewana, for which he composed the music. While Mohammad Rafi sang “Tasweer Banata Hoon Teri Khoon-E-Jigar Say” in this film, Habib Wali also sang it in the same film for another actor.
Rizwan is said to have inherited all those traits, which people liked in his father, that is, his commitment to singing, his refined manner and humility. The release of his CD is therefore eagerly awaited.
