Daily Times

It must have been a matter of pride for Samar Iqbal to sing the duet “Soniye Ni Lamma Ganna Kumade Da” with Tufail Niazi many years ago for a television performance.

Unfortunately both artists are no more. Tufail Niazi was basically a theater performer and while singing he used to act as per the requirements of the lyrics. The profound Punjabi Sufi elements in his story telling, which was characteristic of his repertoire, together with his energetic singing while clothed in a ‘Lacha’ and a silk ‘Kurta’, created the impression of a performer for whom art was inseparable from life. His two songs ‘Saada Chiriyan Da Chamba Aei’ and ‘Main Nahi Jaana Kherian Dei Naal’ have been lifted by Pakistani and Indian singers and the respective film industries. Shafqat Amanat Ali Khan’s latter version made him a star overnight. Listening to the former song one witnesses the coordination between auditory and visual expressions that is legendary. Tufail had the art of singing exquisitely at low and high scales maintaining depth of expressions in his voice. His musical expression captures the nuances and shades of the moods rooted in the secular tradition of folklore and the myths of Punjab.

Tufail Niazi was one of the greatest folk singers of Pakistan. He was born in Madaira, Jalandhar in 1916. It was a village of Sikhs. Niazi’s family was the only Muslim family residing there. His tribe used to be called ‘Pakhiwajis’. His ancestors were ‘Rubabis’ who sang Gurbanis in Sikh Gurduwaras. Tufail followed this tradition for three years in Pumba, near Amritsar. He lost interest and moved to Taran Town with his father Haji Rahim Bukhsh. He joined a Gaushala party singing songs for cow protection.

Tufail moved to Multan after the creation of Pakistan. With nothing to do he started selling milk till he was noticed by a police inspector who knew him from East Punjab. He bought him musical instruments and arranged his first performance. Singing for Radio Pakistan and his appearance on Pakistan Television inauguration on November 26, 1064 made him noticed by music lovers at large. Aslam Azhar, the first managing Director of PTV changed his name as Tufail Niazi because of Tufail’s mentioning Hazrat Pir Niaz Ali Shah as his Pir. His performance of the song ‘Lai Beqadran Naal Yaari Tut Gai Tarak Kar Kei’ in the ceremony was a hit performance. Tufail settled in Islamabad and kept on singing and composing music for PTV. Even I had the opportunity to singing his four compositions in PTV’s folk music programme ‘Lok Rang’. For the development of National Institute of Folk and Traditional heritage he joined hands with its Director Uxi Mufti and travelled all over Pakistan to gather folk treasures. For PTV LIVE shows ‘Lok Tamasha’ hosted by Uxi Mufti I performed a few times in the show conducted by Tufail Niazi.

Due to stroke Tufail fell ill and later died peacefully on September 21, 1990 and was buried in Islamabad. His two sons Javed and Babar Niazi have taken on their father’s legacy and perform regularly on Pakistan Television, in the same manner their father did. Renowned folk singer Tufail Niazi was paid rich tributes at a musical evening that was organized in his honour at the Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA) on 30 May 2011.

I consider Tufail Niazi as a magician singer that while singing a melody he would touch an odd note here and there and return to the basic melody with ease, thus creating a mesmerizing effect. His mastery of classical vocalisation combined with a soulful melodic voice mesmerized audiences. Apart from the songs mentioned above, his other worth mentioning songs are ‘Dardaam Maar Leya’, ‘Charkha Laanda Pherian’, ‘Akhian Lagian Jawab Nahi Dendiyan’, ‘Sajna Vichora Tera’, ‘Saanwala Wei Na Maar Naina Dei Teer’, ‘Saada Kaleyan Da Ji Nahi Lagda’, ‘Mei Vi Jana Jhok Ranjhan Di’, ‘Ve Tun Naire Naire Wass Ve’, ‘Haran Ni Kehri Aei Tun’ and so on. The list is endless.

In recent times, Abrar Ul Haq, Meekal Hassan Band, Asad Abbas, Arif Lohar, Abida Parveen, Ali Abbas, Shafqat Amanat Ali and a number of other vocalists have all tried to lay hands on Tufail Niazi’s works. Lollywood choreographer Pappu Samrat, whose grandfather Ashiq Hussain Samrat was friends with Niazi, covered the ephemeral song Charkha, in what was his first attempt at singing. Tufail is well-known to the point that Muahmmed Rafi was once reported to have said: “People listen to me, but I listen to Tufail Niazi.”

Tufail Niazi gave music for Ashfaq Ahmad’s single film production, however the film did not do well at the box office.

Published in Daily Times, July 5^th  , 2017.