Tell us about some of the songs and artists you grew up listening to during the late 50s and early 60s. Who were some of your most favourite back then? I grew up listening to Barray Ghulam Ali Khan, Roshan Ara Begum, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Noor Jahan and, of course, my mother, Malika Pukhraj. How much was your family into music? Significantly less than most people would think. My family had a love for the arts. This included music, poetry, literature, painting and a lot else. Music was but one of the few things we enjoyed as a family. When did you realise music was the right profession for you? Tell us about your first big break. I never did! My mother decided that I would become a singer for me; much to my chagrin, she was determined to make a singer out of me. She not only trained me herself but engaged the services of a very good teacher Ustad Akhtar Hussain Khan of the Patiala Gharana, to teach me classical Hindustani sangeet. I got my first break as a singer on Radio Pakistan where I participated in a singing competition for children. I sang Raag Malkauns in the programme, won the top prize, got noticed, and garnered more attention than I had expected. You have mainly been a folk music and a ghazal singer during your career. Why did you choose these particular genres for yourself? My mother focused on the genres of ghazal and geet during her entire career. Since I was following in her footsteps, it was natural that I had a focus in the same area. That being said, I must add that my repertoire also includes Khayal, Thumri, Dadra, Kafi, Dastan, Nauha, Soz and film songs. In fact, I even performed a qawwali written by Muneer Niazi on PTV. I believe that I am the only female vocalist to have ever performed qawwali on television. What did you learn the hard way in this industry? I learnt that show business was like any other field. It had good people and it had bad people. It was no worse than any other industry. An artist could always choose to conduct one’s self with dignity, honour and decency in the industry, the reputation of show business notwithstanding. Tell us about a memorable moment in your career.I am very proud of my television programme ‘Sur Ka Safar’ which was produced by Farrukh Bashir and Khawaja Najamul Hassan for PTV in 1981. A lot of hard work – a whole lot, to tell you the truth – went into making the series and the results were great. The programme exceeded what used to be truly high standards of television programming in Pakistan. We worked hard on each and every song in the programme – selected the best of poetry, worked with the most talented of composers, employed the finest musicians and made sure each song was picturised in the best possible way. I have never seen any team work as hard and smart as ours did for the programme. The collaborative spirit was intoxicating. We recorded ghazals in virtually all forms – thumri, geet, mujra, filmy, theatre, modern and experimental – and both traditional and modern songs. Working on the programme was a memorable and rewarding experience. I am proud of my work in ‘Sur Ka Safar’. What are you currently working on? I am working on developing a programme on ghazal that will tour all over the world. It will be a seminar that will have three components: lecture, demonstration and performance and present the origin, history, evolution and development of ghazal singing in the context of culture, art, society, religion and music. The target audience is music schools all over the world. A lot of hard work is going into developing the programme. “I learnt that show business was like any other field. It had good people and it had bad people. It was no worse than any other industry” What is your vision for Pakistan and what does it mean to be Pakistani for you? I pray and wish for a Pakistan where people can focus on the finer things in life such as music, poetry and art instead of working hard just to make ends meet; a Pakistan where justice, equality, freedom, and fairness can be taken for granted; and a Pakistan where independent thought is allowed, encouraged and valued. As a Pakistani, I want to be able to add to the little happiness that our people have in their lives. These are unfortunate people subjected to injustice, unfairness and inequality; I want to be able to make them smile. I feel that I do my part whenever my songs bring happiness to their lives. It is my way, however small, to bringing smiles to the faces of fellow countrymen the vast majority of whom deal with adversity, unfairness and injustice throughout their lives. You are the recipient of various musical awards including the Pride of Performance award and have appeared on many international magazine covers as well. What, according to you, has been your biggest achievement till date? How have your achievements changed you professionally and personally? My biggest achievement, in my opinion, has been in the field of music. I have been able to preserve and, to some extent, popularise the very individual, distinct and unique music of my mother and introduce it to a generation of listeners who would not have heard of it otherwise. I have added to my mother’s repertoire and I have always sung “good” poetry; poetry which is intelligent, meaningful, classical and intellectually stimulating. I do not have even one “vulgar” song in my repertoire of almost 1,000 songs. What other than singing do you feel the most passionate about? I feel passionate about friendships. My friends mean the world to me and bring me a lot of pleasure. What advice would you have given to a young Tahira Syed? Enjoy life, enjoy family and enjoy friendship. Do not squander love on people who don’t deserve it and do not worry about people who do not, or should not, matter in your life. We, at Daily Times, consider you one of our national heroes. Who are some of yours? It would have to be my parents. My mother because she was a true feminist before even the word was in vogue! She stood for her rights throughout her life and ensured that she was given due respect, esteem and deference. My father because he embodied all the values – love, warmth, sincerity, integrity and honesty – that I hold very dear. Achievements Sang In Multiple Languages Veteran singer and performer Tahira Syed enjoys a repertoire of singing immaculately in not just Urdu, but Punjabi and Pahari folk songs as well, an attribute that lead to her immense popularity. Strong Grasp On Numerous Genres The immensely-talented Tahira Syed is known to have performed in various genres with equal zeal and calibre, like ghazal, folk and film songs as well as qawwali. Highly-Qualified Both Academically & In Extra Curricular Syed was made to learn singing by her mother at the age of 12. After two years of rigorous classical music training by a professional teacher, Syed was instructed in music by her mother. She obtained her primary education from the Convent of Jesus & Mary where she passed her Senior Cambridge examinations. She went on to graduate at Lahore College. She studied law at the Punjab University, Lahore obtaining an LLB degree, before enrolling for Masters in English at Kinnaird College for Women, Lahore. Syed received her initial training in music from Khan Sahib Akhtar Hussain. International Star Syed has performed both nationally and internationally. In April 1985, she appeared on the cover of National Geographic magazine. Raking In The Awards She has received the Pakistan Television Lifetime Achievement Award and also received the Pride of Performance Award from the president of Pakistan in 2013. In 1972, she won the Nigar Award for Best Female Playback Singer.