31/07/2024
On 14th April, 2018 Mr. Tariq Farani was awarded with a lifetime achievement award by the Old Ravian Union (ORU). Here's a video of Mr. Farani receiving award from General Raheel Sharif (COAS).
"Satisfaction lies in the pursuit of objective, not in the objective", says Mr. Tariq Salman Farani, In charge Nazir Ahmed Music Society who has witnessed ups and downs at Government College (GC) Lahore. He was admitted in FA 1963 and passed out from GC while the Master’s degree was in his hand. He had great passion of music and learnt it formally from an Ustad. During his college days, he was member of College Football and Swimming team and is still a great fan of sports. He has been seeing the old glorious minarets and elegant tall windows of old building of GC for more than five decades as a student, a teacher and in charge of Music Society and an inspiration for many young music lovers. With relatively low tone he symbolizes patience and determination when he explains his commitment with the objective i.e., Art and Music. For him, music is the purest form of expression of human emotions through sound. He upheld this "freedom of expression" in difficult times of Zia's martial law, when music and art was suffocated in the city and state. Mr. Farani, from the small room near the Bukhari Auditorium, kept melodies coming out of gifted throats and traditional instruments.
The staircase that leads to his room is a difficult hike but when he starts talking to young people, it is even difficult to leave the room and come down. He joined Government College in 1985 and was given the charge of Nazir Ahmed Music Society. Very few know that before that appointment, he had been working in Music Society even without any remuneration. In addition, he was also organizing co-curricular activities in numerous colleges across Punjab as program officer in D.P.I Colleges Punjab office. Under his command Music Society, has always been in pursuit of art as compared to entertainment and popularity. It was because of this culture, society has produced eminent names in Pakistani Music Industry such as Shafqat Amanat Ali Khan, Rustam Fateh Ali Khan, Jawad Ahmad, Hadiqa Kiyani, Ali Zafar, Waris Baig and many more. The society is also acclaimed at various state level functions and held numerous international and national awards under Mr. Farani's kind guidance. It goes without saying that his name is synonymous with music at Government College University, Lahore.
Being one of Pakistan's well-known musicians, Mr. Farani not only a classical flute player but also holds excellence as literary Music by composing of Kalam-i- Iqbal, Ghazliyat of Mirza Ghalib, Faiz Ahmad Faiz, Nasir Kazmi and Arifana Kalam of Buley Shah, Shah Hussain, Khawaja Freed, Main Mohammad Bakhsh and two Milli Tranay one about Pakistan and second about Quaid-e-Azam.
This entire score was composed for the Government College students which they have been singing since 1987 in competitions and on national days. Year before last, the Central Production Unit Radio Pakistan Lahore has started recordings of the entire literary score for their literary of archives. He has an honor for composing the anthem of Government College University which is played at every University celebration. In 2010, a sports anthem was composed by him for opening ceremony of the G.C. Sports. This tradition has been observed at the time of Olympics opening ceremony. He has spent whole of his life for teaching and promoting the quality music. He is a genuine Ravian for three generations and commitment with his alma mater is par excellence. Mr. Farani is one of the few Old Ravians who really know culture and traditions of Government College which have been diminishing gradually. The Government College is the only institution in the country where music as performing art is being practiced for the last so many years and the outcome of which is seen on the horizon of artists at national and international level. Mr. Farani was humble, sympathetic and kind human being. We hope the society keeps growing with the legacy he left behind. In recognition of his services for music and Government College, the Old Ravians Union confer 'Life Time Achievement Award - 2018' to Mr. Farani and pray for his health and long life. Indeed, GC University needs such people who serve it passionately and with commitment
