Tariq Tafu enthralled the Doha audience with scintillating numbers
and his super hit tribute to Lahore. By Umer Nangiana
He made them dance to the tunes of his Punjabi songs. Promising to make them take a virtual tour of Lahore, the provincial capital of Pakistan, through his super hit song Lahore Lahore Aye (Lahore is Lahore), Pakistani folk singer Tariq Tafu enthralled the Doha audience.
Tafu was performing alongside a number of Pakistani and local singers in a concert organised here at Sheraton Hotel Doha by Punjab Music Group (PMG) to celebrate the National Day of Pakistan.
A giant cake in the colours of Pakistani flag was cut before the start of the concert. Tafu is the son of legendary tabla player and musician Ustad Altaf Tafu and he is the son-in-law of acclaimed Pakistani ghazal maestro Ghulam Ali. Besides singing songs from his latest and old collections, Tafu also touched upon some of the greatest melodies from past such as Sun way balori akh waliya, one of the evergreen Punjabi songs.
“My father has provided music for some evergreen songs sung by some of the great singers of Pakistan. Those were great artists. I, however, try to create my own songs, in my own style and you would tell me tonight if I have been successful in my effort,” Tafu told the excited audience.
Besides his hit songs, Tafu also sang his tribute song to mothers. Like his father, who is known for his unmatched contribution to Pakistan’s music industry, Tafu has quickly emerged as a crowd-puller and a great entertainer on Pakistan’s folk music scene. Coming from the capital city of Pakistan’s Punjab province, Lahore, Tafu is best known for his popular Punjabi song, Lahore Lahore Aey.
Tafu started his music career at the age of seven. With a typical voice of a folk singer and great command over traditional music, he was quickly attracted attention and a great fan base in Pakistan. He has composed music for and sang alongside legendary singers such as the late Madam Noor Jehan. He has a melodious voice and inherited the knack for playing different kinds of musical instruments from his father.
Tafu has toured different countries of the world with his music concerts. Besides singing, Tariq is also active in discovering and developing the raw talent through his music school, Tafu Khan Music College. At the college, his team comprises music industry’s top professionals who guide and mentor rising singers.
His father Ustad Tafu is also teaching music and vocals to young singers at the college. Tafu is also known for his catchy music videos that accompany his songs. For lyrics, he says, he approaches the top lyricist and poets of the country such as Ali Kashmiri, Amjad Islam Amjad, Khawaja Pervez and Saghar Ahmad.
He says he tries to do justice to every song and some of his songs were written by the famous poet late Qateel Shifai. The secret of success, Tafu believes, lies in the giving respect to seniors so that you can learn from them.
He does not sing classical music, but believes that it is the base. Besides music, the singer is also actively involved in relief and welfare work with Sahara Foundation of singer-turned-politician Abrar-ul-Haq.
Razwan Bobby Sarwar, a Qatar-based UK expatriate, was the prominent feature among the musicians at the event. He is a pianist, a music composer and the head of Music at Pre-Prep Sherborne.
Sarwar recently composed a song Mere ho Tum (You are mine) which is being heard and played all over the world. Sarwar brought his own distinct style the event.
The music fest also featured young singer Danish Asif Ali. He has appeared in popular Sa Re Ga Ma Chote Ustad TV show as a young singer and nowadays performs on Pakistan Television (PTV).
Singer Hina Ali presented a famous patriotic song on the theme of National Day before singing a song written by famous poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz that was originally sung by Madam Noor Jehan. Starting her journey into music at a very early age, Ali has already performed at different venues across South Asia.
The event also featured local artists from Doha and the members of the Punjab Music Group such as Raza Hussain Gullu, Rama, Javed Iqbal Bajwa and others. The chief organiser of the music fest, Nazakat Ali Khan, thanked the audience for their participation to make the event an “unforgettable night of music with singers coming from India, Pakistan and Nepal.”
Punjab Music Group has been organising musical events and cultural shows for South Asian communities in Doha for the past 10 years and has established a name for itself.