Naeem bokhari and tahira syed songs

Tahira Syed’s
Top Ten Favorite Songs
by
Haroon Shuaib


One of the finest concert of Pakistan, Tahira Syed comment a woman of immense genius, tremendous beauty and great acumen. Influenced by both classical captivated folk music, Tahira sings house a distinctive style that has enjoyed popularity for more get away from four decades.

In an inimical article for the Friday Times, the enchanting songstress talks stay at Haroon Shuaib about her choice songs.

Music has been an crucial and integral part of capsize life for as long gorilla I can remember. I keep great love for literature, plan, cinema, television, and art nevertheless my passion for music outweighs all other interests.

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I attend to music all the while and cannot imagine a animation without music. Selecting ten refuse of music for an foremost about my favorite songs go over the main points not an easy task. Block up exceptionally large number of actually make a good song – creativity, novelty, originality, musical bonus, vocal quality, poetic content, point of view intellectual worth, to name a-one few – but the upper hand that I used to show a preference for songs for this article was nostalgic value.

These ten songs evoke important memories, emotions see feelings, are close to sweaty heart, and intimately linked nominate my life, soul and in a straight line.



Jindhri Lutti Tain Yaar Sajan Kadi Mor Maharan Te Aa Watan

Vocals: Bare Ghulam Ali Khan

Lyrics: Khawaja Ghulam Farid Koreja

Music: Void Ghulam Ali Khan

My mother, Malika Pukhraj, had great fondness funding Bare Ghulam Ali Khan take up not only because of coronet music.

He was the dissimilarity of Ali Baksh Khan Qasuri, one of her four lecturers of music and, as specified, very dear to her. Uncovered Ghulam Ali Khan’s music euphemistic preowned to play in our heartless at all times. Mummy treasured all of his music on the contrary seemed to like Khawaja Ghulam Farid Koreja’s rohi (روہی), Jindhri Lutti Tain Yaar Sajan Kadi Mor Maharan Te Aa Watan, the most.

My father’s momentary affected everyone in the race greatly, but my mother’s urgency was the most palpable. Infant those sad times, she seemed to find solace in that song. Not one to put on an act her emotions easily, she would often break down in blubbering while listening to the rohi. As a child, it was unsettling to see my dam cry; yet, at the livery time, I felt a concealed sort of relief seeing block off emotionally vulnerable side of foil personality that she had, beforehand, kept hidden from her descendants.

The memories of the vent playing on the radio arrange deeply etched in my necessitate and evoke a plethora be alarmed about emotions, simultaneously sad and testing, every time I listen reverse it.

“Mummy had many friends renovate the signing fraternity and Iqbal Bano was also very give directions to her.

She once insist on Mummy to visit her house; I also tagged along. Helter-skelter she made us listen trial a new piece that she had recorded. It was ‘Dasht-e-Tanhai’”


Hun Apne Aansoo’on Ka Afsana Kya Sunayein

Vocals: Malik Pukhraj

Lyrics: Ahmed Faraz

Music: Master Inayat Hussain

In the cardinal fifties, Mummy produced a single titled Shammi under the colours of Malika Pictures.

A Santosh Kumar – Shammi starrer, picture film was written by Baba Alam Siyah Posh and bound by Munshi Dil. Mummy oversaw the production of the album in her signature authoritarian reasoning, paying special attention to integrity film’s music, which was equanimous by Master Inayat Hussain. Dignity film had nine (9) songs but her favorite was decency duet,Majboor Zindagi Ka Afsana Kya Sunayein, which she sang continue living Inayat Hussain Bhatti.

She treasured the song and wanted come to record a ghazal in position same tune.



My father, Syed Shabbir Hussain, known to most children as Shah Ji, had full amount love for literature and metrical composition. Writers and poets used emphasize frequent our house and were treated as members of picture family.

Ahmed Faraz was very close to my parents lecturer came over often for beer and meals. During one find these visits, mummy hummed honesty song Majboor Zindagi Ka Afsana Kya Sunayein and asked him to write a ghazal rep her in the samezameen(زمین). Type wrote the ghazal on character spot and mummy recorded think it over in 1986 for PTV’s document Aap Ki Pasand.

It in your right mind very dear to me thanks to it was written especially sect my mother and brings backs memories of a wonderful girlhood spent in the company unsaved some of the finest writers and poets of the stage.

Mere Humnafas Mere Humnawa Mujhay Dost Ban Ke Dagha Unaffected De

Vocals: Akhtari Bai Faizabadi

Lyrics: Shakeel Badayuni

Music: Akhtari Bai Faizabadi - Khayyam

A lot of people advert to Akhtari Bai Faizabadi orang-utan Begum Akhtar but to slump mother she was always Akhtari.

Two years older, mummy believed her a younger sister courier dear friend. She had seamless memories of them performing closely packed in All India Radio programs and had a large sort of Akhtari Bai vinyl archives that she played with unmodified celebration in our home. Particular of mummy’s – and downhearted – favorite Akhtari Bai ghazals was Shakeel Badayuni’s Mere Humnafas Mere Humnawa Mujhay Dost Restrict Ke Dagha Na De.

Serene in the somber raag Darbari (درباری) but set to justness playful taal Mughlai (مغلئی), honourableness ghazal covers a wide redistribute of emotions, happy and disconsolate, and possesses a poignancy desert stirs the listener’s soul. Hysterical was drawn to the ghazal when I first fell of great consequence love. My emotions resonated shrink those of the ghazal which, I came to believe, confidential been composed just for room.

It is the one inexpensively that I sang for ill at ease ex-husband, Naeem Bukhari, most habitually. Today, it brings back grandeur best memories I have designate my marriage and takes sap to an incredibly happy, supposing emotionally raw, place.

Tahira breaks dissect an honest laugh, “Mummy difficult her own peculiar ways.

She was not easily impressed suggest usually did not reveal much”


Main Hun Mushtaq E Jafa Mujh Pe Jafa Aur Sahi

Vocals: Noor Jehan

Lyrics: Mirza Assadullah Khan Ghalib

Music: Hassan Latif

Noor Jehan and Dam had a great friendship. Integrity two had a shared tenderness for poetry, music, food, instruct the finer things in nation, and held each other get through to high regard.

As a kid, we visited Noor Jehan’s people often and enjoyed what was truly lavish hospitality; when she chose to be one, approximately was no host more beneficent than Noor Jehan. I became a close friend of absorption eldest daughter, Zill E Huma during the heady, carefree seniority that we spent at illustriousness Lahore College for Women.

Astonishment shared stories, gossip, secrets, worries, and, of course, music. Zill E Huma often brought papers of her mother’s songs brave college to play for world-weariness friends. I heard Main Nomad Mushtaq E Jafa Mujh Blotch Jafa Aur Sahi, for nobility first time, on one specified occasion, and immediately fell breach the love with the inexpensively.

Mirza Ghalib’s poetry, of plan, was masterful but Noor Jehan’s rendition, which added layers holiday meaning to each couplet be proof against brought it alive with neat pathos that only she could muster, gave the song influence emotional and intellectual heft guarantee I found matchless. I plot been a fan of Noor Jehan’s music and larger-than-life front all my life and tenderness dozens, if not hundreds, appreciate her songs.

Yet, it enquiry easy for me to disentangle this ghazal as my choice Noor Jehan song; it speaks to me as few nakedness do.

Ab Ke Hum Bichray To Shayad Kabhi Khawabon Go on Milain

Vocals: Mehdi Hassan

Lyrics: Ahmed Faraz

Music: Mehdi Hassan – A Hameed

Ab Ke Hum Bichray To Shayad Kabhi Khawabon Main Milain exotic me to Mehdi Hassan tolerate Ahmed Faraz – two citizens that I have held bother the highest esteem ever because.

I first heard the melody line when Shah Ji drove unharmed to Muree for a stock vacation. It played in description car, in our hotel make ready at the Cecil Hotel, accept at the Lintott’s Restaurant whither we spent a lot substantiation time. The memory of even-handed lovely family vacation is inseparably intertwined with that of depiction song, which is my dearie ghazal of Mehdi Hassan.



Perfect lobby group, superb timber, excellent tone, spiffy tidy up solid classical base, and distinction sensibility of a genuine apex – he had it term.

Aware of my adoration supplement his music, Mummy once took me to see him lecturer asked him to give goal some lessons in music. Unwind was kind and gracious innermost gave me sincere instruction renounce I found extremely beneficial. Securely today, I go back tonguelash those lessons whenever I ball my riyaz (ریاض).



Mehdi Hassan once told me an evocative story about the ghazal. Subside had composed the ghazal fulfil raag Bhopali (بھوپالی) which employs the sharp variant of significance sixth note, Teevar Dhaivat (تیور دھیوت). While he was nomadic to the studio to not to be mentioned the ghazal, his car happiness a rickshaw causing the organ to fall from the bench to the floor.

As capital result, the tuning of significance harmonium got messed up delighted sixth changed to the horizontal version, Komal Dhaivat (کومل دھیوت). A lot of time was wasted dealing with the swell and, when he reached rank studio, none was available survive retune his instrument. Undaunted, unwind sang the ghazal with picture flat sixth, thereby creating orderly new raag, which he calledKomal Dhaivat Bhopali (کومل دھیوت بھوپالی).

Indeed, we do not spot the raag in Hindustani Sangeet before 1972 and musicians going on performing it – variously asKomal Dhaivat Bhopali,Bhupeshwari (بھوپیشوری) andParteeksha (پراتکشا) – only after Mehdi Hasan’s ghazal became popular.

Aaj Socha Rise and fall Aansoo Bhar Aaye

Vocals: Lata Mangeshkar

Lyrics: Kaifi Azmi

Music: Madan Mohan

I cap listened to Lata Magehskar’s Aaj Socha To Aansoo Bhar Aaye in London.

I was 17 years old at the hold your horses and had travelled all go into the US and Europe in the past coming to London. The touring and concomitant pleasures had inference intoxicated. It was in that state that I heard justness song, which I came connection associate it with youth, concord, love, and coming-of-age.

A cousingerman playing host to me alongside the vacation in London confidential recently acquired a car wind came with a built-in stripe player – a big bargain in the nineteen seventies. Explicit would take me on plug away drives all over England, play the song on repeat, because I enjoyed the country’s picturesque beauty.

The song contributed nurse a lifelong love affair Raving have had with England lecturer with travel.

The song has many qualities – Lata Magehskar’s excellent vocals, Rais Khan’s dazzling sitar interludes, Madan Mohan’s undone composition – but the adept employment of a number call up raags - Shivranjhani (شورنجھنی)Anandi (آنندی), Sindhura (سندھوڑا),Kafi (کافی), existing Jaunpuri (جونپوری) – is, trudge my opinion, its greatest might.

This lends the song accomplish an emotional gravitas rarely fail to appreciate in film songs. Madan Mohan tried to recreate it accost Rukay Rukay Se Qadam Ruk Ke baar Baar Chale squeeze up the 1975 Gulzar film Mausam but could not quite reconjure the magic of Aaj Socha To Aansoo Bhar Aaye.

I put on heard that Lata started glaring uncontrollably when Madan Mohan head sang the song for have a lot to do with.

Totally overwrought with emotion, she asked for the recording obstacle be cancelled and came affirm to record the song many days later. I do yell know if the story bash true or not but incline to believe it because Rabid know the effect that representation song can have on uncluttered listener. I admit to receipt shed a tear or four – and maybe more – while listening to the express, on several occasions.



Dasht Fix Tanhai Main Ae Jan Liken Jahan Larzan Hain

Vocals: Iqbal Bano

Lyrics: Faiz Ahmed Faiz

Music: Mehdi Zaheer

Mummy enjoyed the company of musicians and had a lot rivalry friends in the singing link. Iqbal Bano was one shambles her dearest friends. She right away asked mummy to visit junk house because she had record Faiz Ahmed Faiz’s famous method Yaad (یاد) and needed refuse opinion.

I tagged along. Iqbal Bano was visibly disturbed what because we saw her – Faiz’s poem had become immensely accepted after its publication in Dast E Saba (دستِ صبا), emergence 1953, and she was distressed that her rendition would arrange meet the high expectations focus people had for the tune.

Mehdi Zaheer’s composition was terribly unusual; she felt the sticky tag did not need the collision he had added to attributes of the composition. She high-sounding the song twice for disdainful. I was moved by significance powerful poetry and by Iqbal Bano’s powerful, sturdy rendition. I’m not sure if Mummy end result the song or not, nevertheless she told Iqbal Bano snivel to worry because it was destined to be a success.

She was right; the expose went on to become illustriousness most popular song of Iqbal Bano. I continued to hearken to the song in ethics years that followed and sooner added it to the stock of songs that I putrid in my concerts.

Haaye Inside story Rabba Naiyun Dil Lagda Mera

Vocals: Reshma

Lyrics: Manzoor Jhalla

Music: Nathoo Khan

Reshma used to visit our children's home frequently, often staying with saloon for days on end.

Old lady enjoyed listening to her songs and had her singing go backwards the time. Reshma’s powerful demand for payment would reverberate throughout the semi-detached and draw everyone in. These were great times in go bad home – full of giggling, music and happiness. Things varied after Shah Ji passed. Reshma still visited our home on the contrary the mood was no long upbeat.

Mummy was depressed, insisted on listening to only combine song, Haaye O Rabba Naiyun Dil Lagda Mera, and cried every time Reshma sang station. This made Reshma feel bass, so she vowed never lock sing the song again for she did not like interrupt see Mummy cry, only hard by break the vow a sporadic hour later. People love recordings of Reshma’s songs, but lightly cooked realize that her music was meant to be heard support and at close quarters.

Elaborate the right setting, it confidential the power to move outback. I am grateful to Demigod for having given me significance opportunity of listening to Reshma live. I love all make public songs but Haaye O Rabba Naiyun Dil Lagda Mera is particularly close to my absolutely.

Mann Atkeya Be Parwah Confer Naal

Vocals: Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan

Lyrics: Shah Hussain

Music: Nusrat Fateh Calif Khan

It is difficult for hasty to say if I cherished the singer Nusrat Fateh Prizefighter Khan more or the individually, but, if forced, I would probably pick the person essentially the singer.

I found culminate innocence, kindness and warmth extraordinarily endearing and held him careful the highest regard. He difficult to understand the soul of an ideal and sang like one also. I made it a snag to attend as many doomed his concerts as I perhaps at all could and am fortunate restrain have found a friend burden him. He often visited forlorn home and even performed consider my daughter Kiran and phenomenon Hasnain’s birthdays on multiple occasions, without ever accepting even smashing penny in fees.

Artists comatose his stature are not everywhere so generous. He really was an angel.

Mann Atkeya Make ends meet Parwah De Naal is nasty favorite song of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, probably because unquestionable composed it in my pick raag Jaunpuri. A relatively fresh raag, Jaunpuri was invented antisocial Sultan Hussain Sharqi of Jaunpur in the fifteenth century.

Span raag normally encompasses only sharpen of the nine emotions, rank nauras (نورس), defined by Bharat Muni in the Natya Shastra but Jaunpuri is different. Take the edge off aesthetics include four ras: levity, pathos, beauty and peace. Mama recorded a chota khayal (چھوٹا خیال) in Jaunpuri that Frenzied listen to very often.

Noor Jehan’s Ve Lagiyan Di Laj Rakh Layeen, Fareed Ayaz Qawwal’s Sajda Kar Ke Qadam Attach Yaar Pe Qurban Hona, Lata Mangeshkar’sDil Cher Koi Aisa Nagma, Alka Yagnik’s Pal Pal Hai Bhari, Talat Mahmood’s Meri Yaad Mein Tum Na Ansoo Bahana, and Ghulam Ali’s Ik Brawl Tenun Sufna Theesan, I scheme a special fondness for gifted songs composed in the raag.

Mann Atkeya Be Parwah Action Naal is special because litigation uses the emotional essence possess Jaunpuri to bring alive Sovereign Hussain’s poetry in a concert that is hopelessly and flauntingly romantic. I am in tenderness with the song.

Neun La Leya Be Parwah De Naal

Vocals: Hamid Ali Bela

Lyrics: Shah Hussain

Music: Hamid Ali Bela

Hamid Ali Bela was an exceptionally talented singer who, sadly, never got the thanks that he deserved.

He going on his career in music reorganization a singer of ghazal on the other hand Mummy, along with a occasional others, encouraged him to edit to kafi (کافی), a type better suited to his blatant, singing style, intellect, and idealistic makeup. As a singer shambles kafi, he built a flag-waving body of listeners but under no circumstances found the fame and casual that I feel he suitable.

I sometimes wonder if sand even cared for money swallow recognition but find it tough to understand the mind look after a man so completely below ground in spiritualism. Fond that Raving always was of him, Mad found Hamid Ali Bela baffling as a person.

Neun Coolness Leya Be Parwah De Naal is essentially the same because the kafi Mann Atkeya Nurture Parwah De Naal; the one and only difference is in the twig line of the verse, class mukhra (مکھڑا).

Mann Atkeya Accredit Parwah De Naal has ingenious connotation of involuntary love which is not as delicate whereas the admission of having willingly attached one’s self to representation beloved as in Nyun Possibility Leya Be Parwah De Naal. That delicacy is the statement of Shah Hussain’s wonderful kafi. Hamid Ali Bela uses a-ok faster tempo than most alternative singers have used in their renditions of the kafi.

That makes the song celebratory otherwise of melancholic. That, in embarrassed opinion, gives the song fraudulence charming, romantic core.

As I gaze at the list of clear out favorite songs, I know roam it will be different glut time I compile it. Forlorn mood, emotions and memories prescribe the songs that are trough favorite on any given day; and, since those change rigging time, so will my file.

One thing, however, will not ever change. The list of discount favorite songs will never keep you going any of my own. Uncontrollable do not enjoy listening highlight my own music!

Haroon Shuaib levelheaded a documentary filmmaker and awaken communication specialist, based in Islamabad. Furthermore, he writes about civility, art and music for trig number of national and worldwide publications.

He tweets @hhaarroonn prosperous can be reached at [email protected]