Tahira Syed

Tahira Syed [sic] (Urdu: طاہرہ سيد‎) (born 1958, Lahore)[1] is a Pakistani ghazal and folk singer.[2] Her repertoire includes folk songs in Urdu, Punjabi, Dogri and Pahari.

Tahira Syed
Born1958 (age 62–63)
Lahore, Pakistan
GenresFolk music and Ghazal
Occupation(s)Vocalist, TV personality
Years active1968–present

Early life

Tahira Syed was born in Lahore to a Dogra vocalist Malika Pukhraj and Shabbir Hussain, a junior Punjabi government official and writer.[3]

Syed obtained her primary education from the Convent of Jesus and Mary where she passed her Senior Cambridge examinations. She graduated from Lahore College, then studied law at the Punjab University. After obtaining an LLB degree, she enrolled in a Masters Program in English at Kinnaird College for Women, Lahore, but later dropped out of the college.

Syed began singing, at age of 12, to please her mother. After two years of rigorous classical music training by Akhtar Hussain,[1] Syed was instructed in geet and ghazal by her mother.[3] Her final teacher, Nazar Hussain, taught her voice modulation and raggi (singing using the throat).[3]

Music career

Syed first appeared on air in 1968–1969 on Radio Pakistan,[1] and then on Pakistan Television. "Yeh Alam Shauq Ka Dekha na Jaey", "Chanjar Phabdi Na Mutiar Bina" and "Abhi Tau Main Jawan Houn", written by Pakistani poet Hafeez Jalandhri, are some of her most popular songs.[1] In April 1985, she appeared on the cover of National Geographic magazine.[3] She received the Pakistan Television Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Pride of Performance Award from the President of Pakistan on 23 March 2013.[4] In 1972, she won the Nigar Award for Best Female Playback Singer.[1]

Syed continues to perform at diverse events such as a "ghazal evening" in Dallas, Texas, U.S.,[5] a tribute to Faiz Ahmed Faiz in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.,[6] and at the Faiz International Festival in Lahore.[7]

Personal life

Syed was married to lawyer Naeem Bukhari for 15 years (1975-1990) before their separation and divorce; they had two children.[8] She is a well-known personality in Pakistan and occasionally speaks publicly at art and literature events.[9]

References
  1. Sheikh, M. A. (26 April 2012). Who's Who: Music in Pakistan. Xlibris Corporation. pp. 251–. ISBN 978-1-4691-9159-1.
  2. "Nurturing the tradition of music". The Hindu. 22 October 2007. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
  3. Adnan, Ally (2 January 2015). "I find gossip about me mildly amusing". The Friday Times. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
  4. "Civilian awards: Presidency issues list of 192 recipients". Scribd. 13 August 2012. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
  5. Kahnzada, Raja Zahid Akhtar (19 June 2019). "Tahira Syed performs in Dallas". www.geo.tv. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
  6. "SOLD OUT: A tribute to Faiz featuring Tahira Syed in concert @ Union League of Philadelphia, Philadelphia [7 May]". philly.carpediem.cd. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
  7. Reporter, The Newspaper's Staff (22 November 2015). "A trip down 'melody' lane with Tahira Syed". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
  8. "Tahira Syed Dreams". www.thefridaytimes.com. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
  9. "All set for literature gala starting on February 5". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
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