Tahira Syed

{{Infobox musical artist

| name = Tahira Syed

| honorific_suffix = PP

| image =

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| landscape =

| background = solo_singer

| birth_name = Tahira Syed

| native_name = {{Nastaliq|طاہرہ سيد}}

| native_name_lang =

| alias =

| birth_date = {{birth year and age|1958}}

| birth_place = Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan

| genre = Folk music • Ghazal

| occupation = {{Hlist | Vocalist | TV personality}}

| instrument = Vocals

| years_active = 1968 – present

| label = Radio Pakistan

| associated_acts =

| module = {{infobox person|embed=yes

| spouse = {{marriage|Naeem Bokhari|1975|1990|end=div}}

| children = Hasnain Bokhari (son)
Kiran Bokhari (daughter)

| parents = Malika Pukhraj (mother)
Shabbir Hussain (father)

| relatives = Asif Habibullah (son-in-law)

| website =

}}}}

Tahira Syed (in Punjabi and {{langx|ur|طاہرہ سيد}}) (born 1958, Lahore) is a Pakistani ghazal and folk singer.{{cite news |title= Nurturing the tradition of music|url= http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-newdelhi/Nurturing-the-tradition-of-music/article14861216.ece|newspaper=The Hindu|date=22 October 2007 |access-date=27 May 2017}} Her repertoire includes folk songs in Urdu, Punjabi, Dogri and Pahari.{{cite book|last=Sheikh|first=M. A.|title=Who's Who: Music in Pakistan|date=26 April 2012|publisher=Xlibris Corporation|isbn=978-1-4691-9159-1|pages=251–}}

Early life

Tahira Syed was born in Lahore to a vocalist Malika Pukhraj and Shabbir Hussain, a Punjabi, government official and writer.{{cite web|last1=Adnan|first1=Ally|title=I find gossip about me mildly amusing|url=http://www.thefridaytimes.com/tft/i-find-gossip-about-me-mildly-amusing/|website=The Friday Times|access-date=27 May 2017|date=2 January 2015}}

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.{{cite web|url=https://dailytimes.com.pk/62711/pride-of-pakistantahira-syed/|title=Pride of Pakistan:Tahira Syed|website=Daily Times|date=September 12, 2022}}

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

Music career

Syed first appeared on air in 1968–1969 on Radio Pakistan, 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. In April 1985, she appeared on the cover of National Geographic magazine. She received the Pakistan Television Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Pride of Performance Award from the President of Pakistan on 23 March 2013.{{cite web|title=Civilian awards: Presidency issues list of 192 recipients|url=https://www.scribd.com/document/102767138/Civilian-awards-Presidency-issues-list-of-192-recipients|website=Scribd|access-date=27 May 2017|language=en|date=13 August 2012}} In 1972, she won the Nigar Award for Best Female Playback Singer.

Syed continues to perform at diverse events such as a "ghazal evening" in Dallas, Texas, U.S.,{{cite web|last1=Kahnzada|first1=Raja Zahid Akhtar|title=Tahira Syed performs in Dallas|url=https://www.geo.tv/latest/72779-tahira-syed-performs-in-dallas|website=www.geo.tv|access-date=27 May 2017|date=19 June 2019}} a tribute to Faiz Ahmed Faiz in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.,{{cite web|title=SOLD OUT: A tribute to Faiz featuring Tahira Syed in concert @ Union League of Philadelphia, Philadelphia [7 May]|url=http://philly.carpediem.cd/events/2682301-sold-out-a-tribute-to-faiz-featuring-tahira-syed-in-concert-at-union-league-of-philadelphia/|website=philly.carpediem.cd|access-date=27 May 2017|language=en|archive-date=27 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171227235955/http://philly.carpediem.cd/events/2682301-sold-out-a-tribute-to-faiz-featuring-tahira-syed-in-concert-at-union-league-of-philadelphia/|url-status=dead}} and at the Faiz International Festival in Lahore.{{cite web|last1=Reporter|first1=The Newspaper's Staff|title=A trip down 'melody' lane with Tahira Syed|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1221396|website=DAWN.COM|access-date=27 May 2017|language=en|date=22 November 2015}}

Personal life

Syed was married to lawyer Naeem Bukhari for 15 years (1975–1990) before their separation and divorce; they had two children.{{cite web|title=Tahira Syed Dreams|url=http://www.thefridaytimes.com/beta3/tft/article.php?issue=20120608&page=24|website=www.thefridaytimes.com|access-date=27 May 2017|archive-date=10 June 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120610004106/http://www.thefridaytimes.com/beta3/tft/article.php?issue=20120608&page=24|url-status=dead}} She is a well-known personality in Pakistan and occasionally speaks publicly at art and literature events.{{cite web|title=All set for literature gala starting on February 5|url=http://www.thenews.com.pk/print/94039-All-set-for-literature-gala-starting-on-February-5|website=www.thenews.com.pk|access-date=27 May 2017|language=en}}

Awards and recognition

Year	Award	Category	Result	Title	Ref.
class="wikitable"
1972	Nigar Awards	Best Playback Singer	{{Won}}	Mohabbat
1982	Nigar Awards	Best Singer	{{Won}}	Nigar Awards Committee	{{cite journal \|title= نگار ایوارڈز سال 1982\|journal=Nigar Weekly \|date=2000 \|volume=Golden Jubilee Number \|page=297 \|language=ur}}
1994	PTV Awards	Lifetime Achievement Award	{{Won}}	Herself
2013	Pride of Performance	Award by the President of Pakistan	{{Won}}	Herself

References

External links

[http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-newdelhi/Bridging-differences-with-cultural-exchanges/article14860411.ece Bridging differences with cultural exchanges]

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Category:1958 births

Category:20th-century Pakistani women singers

Category:20th-century Pakistani singers

Category:Radio personalities from Lahore

Category:Pakistani ghazal singers

Category:Living people

Category:Pakistani classical singers

Category:Urdu-language singers