Puranchand Wadali Biography 
Puranchand Wadali, the legendary Punjabi Sufi singer from Guru Ki Wadali in the Amritsar District, along with his brother Pyarelal Wadali is together known as The Wadali Brothers. The siblings belong to the fifth generation of musicians, a family dedicated to singing the messages of Sufi saints. The Wadali Brothers took singing as their profession, and earned fame and recognition in this field, and earned appreciation across the world through the live concerts they performed since 1975. Puranchand Wadali is the elder brother of Pyarelal, who taught him the lessons of music and remained his mentor till the death of Pyarelal on 9th March, 2018 following a cardiac arrest. The duo remained active till the death of younger brother. Puranchand Wadali was awarded with Padma Sri in 2005.
The Wadali Brothers hail from Amritsar, Punjab, the land which gave birth to several Sufi singers. Puranchand Wadali was pushed to singing by their father, Thakur Das Wadali, and he got opportunity to learn music from some of the celebrated singers of the time, of whom Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan of the Patiala Gharana needs special mention. Later he trained by his younger brother, and they together performed live for hundreds of music concerts, and later came to be known as The Wadali Brothers.
Their first performance outside their locality happened in the year 1975 for a musical recording in Jalandhar. The duo set to participate in Harballabh Sangeet Sammelan but was not allowed to sing. They got disappointed for the missed opportunity, but later decided to sing at Harballabh temple, as a musical offering to god. An executive of All India Radio, Jalandhar, spotted them and recorded their first song. That was the beginning.
The duo marked their Bollywood debut in 2003 singing for Pinjar, followed by Dhoop. They sang popular Hindi film songs such as Aye Rangrez Mere for 2011 film Tanu Weds Manu and Ik Tu Hi Tu Hi for 2011 movie Mausam. Apart from singing, Puranchand Wadali owns an illustrious career in wrestling as well. He spent more than 25 years in this field. His younger brother used to play the role of Krishna in the village raasleela, to contribute to the income of the family.
Over the years brothers earned momentum in the field of Sufi singing and spent more than 4 active decades in the field. The brothers were exponent in different genres of music which include gurbani, kafi, ghazal and bhajan, and they earned name as Sufi singers and musicians. Deeply rooted in Sufi tradition, the duo believed them to be the messengers or mediators to preach Sufi tradition of saints. They lived a very simple life in the village, and were fully active in the field till death took away Pyarelal on 9th March, 2018 aged 75. He died after a short illness.
The duo was awarded with Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1992, Punjab Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 2003 and many more. Puranchand Wadali’s son Lakhwinder Wadali too is a famous singer and actor of present times.
Published: N/A
Updated: March 09, 2018
