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Jalandhar: Punjabi Sufi singer and revered ustad Puran Shah Koti passed away in Jalandhar on Monday after a brief illness. He was 72. Best known to many as the father and first guru of popular vocalist Master Saleem, Shah Koti’s larger legacy lies in the way he quietly shaped an entire generation of Punjabi folk–Sufi voices—as a teacher, trainer and “riyaz” disciplinarian whose impact travelled far beyond the stage.

The ustad behind the spotlight

In Punjab’s music ecosystem—where fame often belongs to the frontman—Puran Shah Koti occupied a rarer space: the maker of singers. Reports and industry recollections repeatedly describe him as a mentor who trained and influenced several leading voices, including Hans Raj Hans and Jasbir Jassi, besides nurturing Master Saleem from childhood.

His teaching was rooted in classical discipline but expressed through Punjab’s folk and Sufi idiom—the kind of training that builds breath-control, sur, and the emotional “thehrav” that Sufi singing demands. A UNI report notes that condolences poured in online, remembering him as a humble teacher whose contributions remained largely out of the spotlight—a telling line for a man whose finest performances often took place in rehearsal rooms rather than auditoriums.

A father, a guru, and the first stage for Master Saleem

For Master Saleem, Shah Koti was not only a parent but also the earliest and strictest musical institution. Public biographies and profiles note that Saleem’s training began at a very young age under his father’s guidance—an apprenticeship model standard in Punjab’s gharana-and-ustad tradition.

That father–son chemistry—where affection is often expressed through correction—has been evident in old live recordings and fan-shared performances, underscoring that Shah Koti’s role in Saleem’s career wasn’t ceremonial; it was foundational.

The disciples: Hans Raj Hans, Sabar Koti and the wider Punjab circuit

Puran Shah Koti’s passing underlines what the music fraternity has long acknowledged: Hans Raj Hans and Sabar Koti were among his disciples.  Older reportage around Sabar Koti’s life also notes that his talent was honed under Puran Shah Koti’s tutelage—another marker of how deeply the ustad’s hand ran through Jalandhar’s singing circuit. And Hans Raj Hans himself—speaking in another context—once offered a striking line that captures the “guru-parampara” chain in Punjabi music: “He is a real genius and the ‘guru’ of my ‘guru’ Puran Shah Koti.” That sentence—guru of my guru—is how artists often measure stature in traditional music: not by chart success, but by lineage and training.

Health struggles, resilience, and the long arc

Shah Koti had faced severe health episodes earlier, too. A Tribune archival report from 2007 recorded that he underwent angioplasty after suffering a massive heart attack—an old chapter that underscores the resilience behind his continued musical presence over the years.
This week, according to UNI, he had been receiving care at a private hospital in Jalandhar; his condition reportedly deteriorated despite treatment.

Remembered in tributes: “a humbling experience”

Beyond formal obituaries, some of the most human tributes to Shah Koti come from artists and observers who met him offstage. Rapper Bohemia, recalling an encounter around the PTC Awards ecosystem, wrote about sitting with him and called it: “a humbling one-of-a-kind experience to sit with and talk to the legend Ustad Puran Shah Koti. It’s the kind of tribute that fits Shah Koti’s persona: a man whose aura was often felt most strongly in conversation, in mehfils, and in the quiet authority of an ustad.

The Gurdas Maan connection—respect across worlds

Shah Koti’s name also surfaces repeatedly in the larger Punjabi cultural landscape that includes Gurdas Maan—not only because Punjab’s folk and Sufi streams constantly overlap, but because the community’s senior performers share stages, mehfils, and mutual reverence. Public videos and posts show Gurdas Maan and Puran Shah Koti together at events.

What his passing means for Punjabi music

Puran Shah Koti’s death is not only the loss of a singer; it is the thinning of a tradition where ustads are living institutions—custodians of raag-based discipline, Punjabi boliyan’s phrasing, and Sufi kalam’s emotional grammar. As tributes continue to pour in, the most fitting obituary line may be this: his voice will be heard for years—through the voices he trained.