BY Maliha Mansoor

Date:03-09-06

Source: Dawn

ABRAR UL HAQ: Dedicated to Sahara
FAVOURITE BOOK: Seven Types of Mind by Malik Mubasher
FAVOURITE SINGER: Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
FAVOURITE POETS: Baba Bullay Shah and Waris Shah

It has been more than a decade since he made an explosive entry on the pop music horizon and Abrar ul Haq is still hailed as the undisputable Bhangra King. He is popular with all ages and all sections of society, nationally and globally; even among those who cannot really fathom what the bubbly looking guy is actually singing in his thaeth Punjabi.

“People definitely relate to my music in one way or the other, or why else would they listen at all?” Abrar discloses candidly.

The Bhangra King has no doubts whatsoever that the language of his lyrics does not impede the essence of his music in anyway.

“For one, Punjabi is a language spoken and understood widely, and secondly, music in itself knows no boundaries, no barriers at all. It is a universal language that all relate to. Besides, I have also sung songs in other languages, like Urdu and even English, too and those have been equally appreciated as well.”

Does he himself have any favorites when it comes down to listening to music?

“Oh, a lot of singers, yet no one in particular….”

And then sensing it is not a very specific answer, Abrar goes on to elaborate. “Actually it all depends on my mood at that particular time. I usually listen to music while I am driving or sitting with someone in the car and whatever pops up I gobble it down. But seriously I have a lot of respect for the great Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and I do relate to his music quite particularly. ”

Abrar is currently working on his upcoming album which, according to him, is going to be a unique venture as it features an absolutely new style and is bound to carve a new image of the star.

“Music is a vital part of my soul. Whatever I am doing, wherever I am, whoever I am with, music keeps on flowing inside my being. It’s like life to me. And believe me when I am upset or depressed, I can actually feel the flow inside has stopped or slowed down; and it remains so till the time I have managed to resolve my problems giving me strength and vigor yet again,” reveals the singer.

And so the star has incessantly made people swing and dance to his irresistibly catchy tunes over the years. But over the years another side to his personality has also surfaced. And that reflects an extremely humanitarian Abrar who is willing to give all to the poor, sick and the needy wholeheartedly.

“Sahara for Life is a very well-organized trust. We don’t believe in making tall but empty claims. The Sughran Shafi Hospital (which is equipped with all the contemporary facilities) in as backward area as Narowal is one living example of that. And that is not where the story ends. In fact it is just the beginning.”

Abrar goes on to passionately describe how he has a number of projects lined up regarding health and education. “The sole objective of telling people all this is not for gaining cheap publicity, for by the Blessing of Allah Almighty I am in no need for that. I just want people, especially our youth, to realize that there is more to life than it apparently seems, and we have such little time to do so much. I want them to join hands with me, and with this younger generation specifically in mind we are coming up with projects like ‘Youth Parliament ’ which is going to enhance the talent, competence and leadership qualities of our young adults.”

Switching over to a lighter subject (that of his interest in books), he sighs deeply: “I am not really into much book reading. Have never actually been since my school days. But one book which I would like to mention and which has left lasting impression on my mind is that of Professor Malik Mubasher, who is the world’s most famous psychiatrist, and the book is called Seven Types of Mind. I would recommend it strongly to all as it really helps one understand the myriad facets of human psychology.”

Apart from that, Abrar is into some really ‘soul stuff’ like the works of Baba Bullay Shah, Waris Shah and Shah Hussain as he is really into Sufism. This facet of his personality is also reflected quite detectably in his music as well.

Abrar says he easily gets upset by seeing people (or rather all living beings) in misery or discomfort and also indiscipline of all kinds bothers him a lot. “I may not be a much disciplined person myself but at least I try to follow rules and regulations at all levels of life.”

When asked the question whether he likes to watch movies, he shrugs nonchalantly exclaiming that he hardly has time for a leisure activity like movie watching which essentially requires that you sit down at your convenience and enjoy.

“The only movies that I have ever watched were either during the long international flights or when I am touring abroad and have some spare time on my hands. And then too I only watch the most acclaimed hits or those recommendations by friends.”

And even though he tried hard to remember, Abrar could not come up with many names apart from just a couple which he had seen last on an international flight, (Mr and Mrs Smith and Ring One, Ring Two).

The past couple of years have brought some really pleasant additions to Abrar’s life as Hareem became his life partner last year and this year the happy couple has been blessed with a little son named Taha by the proud parents. Abrar says he can’t thank the Almighty enough and attributes all his blessings to the uncountable prayers of the mothers who have prayed for him incessantly over the years.

“Music definitely gave me an identity, made me Abrar ul Haq through the length and breadth of the country and got me international acclaim. I am not saying that I intend to neglect that essential part of my life. But the fact of the matter is that the inner peace and gratification that I feel since I started Sahara for Life Trust is matchless. I might not be Abrar, the singer, in the coming years but you’ll, Inshallah, see my name attached with ‘SfLT’ for as I long as I live. That is a promise to all, and most importantly to my very own self.”