Muhammad Tufail Niazi was gifted with one of the finest folk voices on the subcontinent, remembered by fans all over Punjab for its warm timbre and versatility. Born into a family of traditional musicians who specialised in playing the pakhawaj, he grew up as one of a very small number of Muslims in a Sikh village in the Kapurthala district of undivided Punjab.
In those days, before the subcontinent was a place where different faiths insisted upon a purist approach to culture and worship, Muslims sang gurbani (the sayings of the gurus) in the gurdwaras. It was in this way that Tufail got his initial experience as a singer.
But like every young boy he had dreams. His mind wandered and so an elder male relative took him to another local institution, the goshala, where the youngster set about touring the surrounding villages singing songs in praise and protection of the cow. We don’t know how long he did this and whether he enjoyed it much, but like struggling singers everywhere, he had to pay his dues.
He later told interviewers that he also ‘busked’: stood in village lanes and small town streets, singing songs about Lord Rama’s life and getting enough coins to buy his train fare to the next village. By the late 1930s and early 40s ‘Tufail (the name Niazi was bestowed on him much later in life) joined the travelling nautanki circuit, moving all across the northwestern plains playing roles in skits and singing the songs of the villages. In the Punjab that meant the ancient tales of star-crossed lovers like Heer and Ranjha, Sassi and Pannu.
The upheaval of the Partition forced Tufail Mian westward. He ultimately landed in Multan with no money, no instruments and no audience. His years in the goshala proved to be an asset though; he opened a small milk shop.
From time to time he’d sing for his customers as well, the songs that all Punjabis know and love. As fate would have it, another refugee from the East recognized the voice and asked if he was the same singer who used to sing around the villages and towns of Jalandhar!
Instruments were procured, mehfils arranged and Tufail Multani (as he was called) was soon being heard on Radio Pakistan Multan. He became so popular and well-respected that when Pakistan TV first went to air, he was asked to perform on the very first broadcast.
These clips capture both the voice and wonderful performance talent of a truly shimmering Punjab-da-hira.
Laye Bay Qadran Naal Yaari
This is the song that started it all for him as a TV artist. By 1964, when this video was made, he already had a national profile, but nothing compared to that which awaited him on the little screen. In this clip the nautanki experience is clearly evident.
Sada Chiryan da Chamba
A wonderfully moving rendition of a marriage song that expresses both the sadness of the bride at having to leave her home as well as the excitement of starting a new life with her handsome groom.
Ni Ranjha Jogi Ra Bann Aaya (Bulleh Shah)
The 17th century’s mighty Sufi poet Bulleh Shah’s telling of the story of Heer and Ranjha is one of the eternal classics of folk poetry. This sort of song was Niazi’s greatest legacy.
Mahia Way Terey
Ve mahiya tere vekhan nu,
Chuk charkha gali de vich panwa
O darling, to catch a glimpse
I’ve placed the spinning wheel in the lane outside
Ve lika paane main kat di
Tang teriya yaad de panwa
People may think I am spinning cloth
But really, I’m spinning the thread of your memory
A traditional folk melody from Punjab.
Main Nai Jana Kheryan Day Naal
In time Tufail Multani was bestowed a grander name: Muhammad (after his pir) was chosen by himself. Impresarios and folk culturists from a young Lok Virsa (the Folk Heritage Institute of Pakistan) insisted upon the Niazi. Through the 1960s and 1970s his popularity grew with regular appearances on TV and in mehfils. He never lost his sense of drama, humour and humanity.
Main Wanjara
A lilting upbeat number which you’d imagine would fit perfectly in a nautanki show. ‘I’m a gypsy’, Tufail sings. This is one of his earlier recordings for Radio Pakistan.
Listen to all these songs as a single playlist on our YouTube channel.
In those days, before the subcontinent was a place where different faiths insisted upon a purist approach to culture and worship, Muslims sang gurbani (the sayings of the gurus) in the gurdwaras. It was in this way that Tufail got his initial experience as a singer.
But like every young boy he had dreams. His mind wandered and so an elder male relative took him to another local institution, the goshala, where the youngster set about touring the surrounding villages singing songs in praise and protection of the cow. We don’t know how long he did this and whether he enjoyed it much, but like struggling singers everywhere, he had to pay his dues.
He later told interviewers that he also ‘busked’: stood in village lanes and small town streets, singing songs about Lord Rama’s life and getting enough coins to buy his train fare to the next village. By the late 1930s and early 40s ‘Tufail (the name Niazi was bestowed on him much later in life) joined the travelling nautanki circuit, moving all across the northwestern plains playing roles in skits and singing the songs of the villages. In the Punjab that meant the ancient tales of star-crossed lovers like Heer and Ranjha, Sassi and Pannu.
The upheaval of the Partition forced Tufail Mian westward. He ultimately landed in Multan with no money, no instruments and no audience. His years in the goshala proved to be an asset though; he opened a small milk shop.
From time to time he’d sing for his customers as well, the songs that all Punjabis know and love. As fate would have it, another refugee from the East recognized the voice and asked if he was the same singer who used to sing around the villages and towns of Jalandhar!
Instruments were procured, mehfils arranged and Tufail Multani (as he was called) was soon being heard on Radio Pakistan Multan. He became so popular and well-respected that when Pakistan TV first went to air, he was asked to perform on the very first broadcast.
These clips capture both the voice and wonderful performance talent of a truly shimmering Punjab-da-hira.
Laye Bay Qadran Naal Yaari
This is the song that started it all for him as a TV artist. By 1964, when this video was made, he already had a national profile, but nothing compared to that which awaited him on the little screen. In this clip the nautanki experience is clearly evident.
Sada Chiryan da Chamba
A wonderfully moving rendition of a marriage song that expresses both the sadness of the bride at having to leave her home as well as the excitement of starting a new life with her handsome groom.
Ni Ranjha Jogi Ra Bann Aaya (Bulleh Shah)
The 17th century’s mighty Sufi poet Bulleh Shah’s telling of the story of Heer and Ranjha is one of the eternal classics of folk poetry. This sort of song was Niazi’s greatest legacy.
Mahia Way Terey
Ve mahiya tere vekhan nu,
Chuk charkha gali de vich panwa
O darling, to catch a glimpse
I’ve placed the spinning wheel in the lane outside
Ve lika paane main kat di
Tang teriya yaad de panwa
People may think I am spinning cloth
But really, I’m spinning the thread of your memory
A traditional folk melody from Punjab.
Main Nai Jana Kheryan Day Naal
In time Tufail Multani was bestowed a grander name: Muhammad (after his pir) was chosen by himself. Impresarios and folk culturists from a young Lok Virsa (the Folk Heritage Institute of Pakistan) insisted upon the Niazi. Through the 1960s and 1970s his popularity grew with regular appearances on TV and in mehfils. He never lost his sense of drama, humour and humanity.
Main Wanjara
A lilting upbeat number which you’d imagine would fit perfectly in a nautanki show. ‘I’m a gypsy’, Tufail sings. This is one of his earlier recordings for Radio Pakistan.
Listen to all these songs as a single playlist on our YouTube channel.
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