Hamid Ali Bela

Hamid Ali Bela (1932 26 June 2001) was a Pakistani folk singer and television performer specializing in kafi singing.

Early life and career Hamid Ali Bela was born in 1932 in Amritsar, British India. He started his career at Radio Pakistan, Lahore in the 1950s. His mentor at this radio station was radio producer Abdul Shakoor Bedil who helped him much in developing his career including Hamid's pronunciation of Punjabi folk songs. Subsequently, Hamid Ali Bela was able to develop his own unique style of singing kafis which he is mostly known for in Pakistan.

He also used to sing at All Pakistan Music Conference events and other folk music festivals in Pakistan.

Bela mostly sang folk songs and kafis based on the poetry of the Sufi saints of Punjab including Bulleh Shah, Shah Hussain Faqir, Sultan Bahu, Khawaja Ghulam Farid and Waris Shah.

Awards and recognition Pride of Performance Award by the President of Pakistan in 1994.

Death Hamid Ali Bela died on 26 June 2001 at Lahore, Pakistan after a short illness.