Ali Mohammed and Ghani Mohammed

Ali Mohammed and Ghani Mohammed are brothers who sing Mand, a folk style of western Rajasthan, as a duo. They were jointly named for the Padma Shri in 2024 in the field of art, from Rajasthan ^[1].

A family tradition

Both were born in a village in Bikaner district: Ghani Mohammed on 17 April 1955 and Ali Mohammed on 15 July 1960 ^[2]. They learned music first from their father, Ustad Sirajudeen Khan ^[2].

Mand is a popular singing style in Bikaner, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer and Barmer ^[2]. Over a career of about four decades the brothers have helped revive it and have taught it to younger singers ^[2]. Their best-known albums of Rajasthani folk songs include Kesariya Balam, Supno, Moomal and Kuijan ^[2].

Stage and screen

The brothers have performed on stages across India and abroad, as well as on radio and television, and have judged television music shows ^[2]. They have also worked as music directors. Well-known singers such as Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle, Udit Narayan, Alka Yagnik, Anup Jalota and Pankaj Udhas have sung on albums they composed ^[2].

Honours

The Rajasthan government gave each of them a state award in 2022, and both received the Allah Jilai Bai award (2019–20) and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (2022–23) ^[2].