Lutfullah Khan

Lutfullah Khan (Urdu لطف الله خان) (25 November 1916 – 3 March 2012) was a collector, archivist, hobbyist and an author from Pakistan. He was best known for his rare collection of voice recordings of renowned artists, poets, writers and other eminent individuals from Pakistan and South Asia.

Early life Lutfullah Khan was born in Madras (now Chennai) in British India on 25 November 1916. In 1935, at the age of 19, he performed publicly in a two-hour radio concert in Madras and played Karnatic music. when he started his advertising agency, one of his clients imported a Sound Mirror audio tape recorder. Lutfullhah bought the machine and 22 tapes for Pakistani rupee 1,146 and 10 annas (the machine and the receipt forms a part of his collection). He performed his first sound recording, which was the voice of his mother, on 29 July 1951.

Painter artists The smaller but a unique section consists of interviews of artists like Jimmy Engineer, Iqbal Geoffrey, Iqbal Mehdi, Bashir Mirza, Sadequain, Shakir Ali.

The story of this journey is penned in Tamashay-e-Ahal-e-Qalam

Other collections His personal gallery displays rare photographs, photography equipment, sound recording equipment and accessories, drawing instrument and stationery items used in documenting the collections, International and Pakistani coins, stamps and matchboxes.

A notable album in the collection of old Hindi and Hollywood movies posters, some of them dating back to the 1920s. Kamal-e-Fun Award (Lifetime Achievement Award in Literature) from the Pakistan Academy of Letters in 2009.

Death Lutfullah Khan died on 3 March 2012 in Karachi at the age of 95. He is survived by a wife, two sons and three daughters.