The 90s Indian music saw a lot of sufi influence with artists like Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan giving a new face and recognition to qawwali and ghazal music. The influence started fading away though as the years went by. However, Sagar Bhatia has brought a resurgence of the qawwali genre with a fresh touch in recent times, especially with his Sagar Wali Qawwali.
The way the artist has reinvented the genre, fans have lauded him as the perfect heir to carry forward the legacy of an artist like Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. Sagar’s YouTube channel boasts of millions of views on his covers of iconic qawwali songs by the legendary singer and the fans can’t help but laud the impact that he has created amongst the new generation.
A fan commented on his video, “Nusrat Sahab must be very happy in heaven today after listening to his song,” while another one said, “Hamare Nusrat sahab ki yaad aa gayi.” On Sagar’s tribute to Nusrat sahab titled Saadagi, a listener commented, “Best cover I listen of Nusrat saab’s song. Your voice is so magical,” while another wrote, “The real tribute to Nusrat Saab is here”. Another fan said, “Aapne Nusrat saheb ke nashe ko aur gehra kar diya.”
Sagar has truly made a niche of his own with his qawwali music that has a modern appeal to it, and he has also given the most apt tribute to an artist like Nusrat sahab with his songs. The artist is taking the qawwali genre to newer heights and is bringing it back to the mainstream music scene.
