[Photograph of Ghulam Ali with Chandra Bodalia]

Photograph of Ghulam Ali with Chandra Bodalia.

Ghulam Ali is a Pakistani ghazal singer of the Patiala gharana. Ali was born on December 5, 1940, in the village of Kaleke in the Sialkot district of Panjab, pre-partition India (now Pakistan). He belongs to a musical family, his father was a vocalist and a sarangi player who initiated Ali to music from his childhood. At 15, Ali became a student of Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, a master of the Patiala gharana (Patiala School) of Hindustani music. Ali started singing for Radio Lahore in 1960. Along with singing ghazals, he also composes the music for his ghazals. Ali has also contributed to Bollywood with his music. Ali is considered as one of the greatest ghazal singers of his era, as his style and variations in singing ghazals are unique. In 1979 he received the Price of Performance Award and in 2013 he was honored with the Sitara-i-Imtiaz Award by the President of Pakistan.

Born in 1948 in Sisodra, a village in Gujarat, India, Chandravadan "Chandra" Bodalia was a talented artist who pursued higher education in commercial arts and painting at the prestigious Sheth C. N. College of Fine Arts in Ahmedabad. After immigrating to Canada in 1976, Bodalia settled in Vancouver, British Columbia, where he initially worked various jobs, including creating art props and souvenirs for cultural events. In the late 1980s, Bodalia embarked on a career as a photojournalist, documenting the lives of South Asian Canadians with unparalleled dedication. Bodalia photographed important events for the South Asian Canadian community across B.C. and highlighted the unique stories and experiences of the community. He covered a range of events and various facets of life, from community programs and celebrations to cradle to grave events such as weddings, birthdays, cultural festivals, honoring events, political gatherings, and religious ceremonies. The photographs also reflect the intercultural connections and collaborations within the immigrant communities in Canada as well as transnational ties to the South Asian region. Bodalia's work appeared in local newspapers such as The Voice and The Link, earning him widespread recognition and over 20 awards, including a Lifetime Achievement Award from The Times of Canada. Bodalia passed away in 2017.