By Maesam Khan
‘The whole performance of this evening is dedicated to my honourable Ustad Mehdi Hassan Khan, he is not in this world now, but he is still alive in our hearts and we’ll never forget his dedication towards classical music’, says Ustad Tari Khan – student of Mehdi Hassan on June 22, 2012 at an event at Racecourse Park, Wolverhampton. This musical event was organised by ‘Azaad Arts’, a professional outfit in UK who combine education and performance in order to keep traditional Punjabi Folk Music alive. The evening started with One Minute of silence in the honour and memories of Mehdi Hassan. Ustad Tari broke the silence after a minute and started singing session of the event with Mehdi Hassan’s Ghazal ‘Ranjish He Sahi Dil he Dukhanay k liay aa’. He sang all the songs of Ustad Mehdi Hassan and received great appreciation and applauds from the audience. He shared his experiences with the audience relating to the time he and Mehdi Hassan spent together. He sang many other top songs of Mehdi Hassan, ‘Zindgi main tou sabhi pyar kia kertay hain’and Dunya kisi kay piyar main jannat say kam nahi’. He tribute all these songs and performance to his Ustad. In the second part of the evening, Tari Khan played ‘Tabla’ which is his actual speciality. He played four different beats on Tabla– Punjabi, Middle Eastern, Western and Afro-Caribbean. Ustad Tari Khan, a Pakistani born Tabla player, has got a unique talent in classical music. He has got the honour to be amongst the most renowned students of ‘King of Ghazals’ and is a real asset for music industry.
