ISLAMABAD: Asrar, a musician best known for his presence on the Coke Studio series, performed at a fundraising concert on Sunday. Accompanied by a band, the Sufi rock musician performed popular compositions and songs, many of which were requested by children from the SOS school.

The event itself was organised by local NGO, Developments in Literacy, and was held at the Pak-China Friendship Centre auditorium.

Asrar’s performance engaged both children and adults alike. He invited children to participate in the performance, dedicated songs to them and asked them to dance. The event was made even more enjoyable by the audience’s clear appreciation of his talent.

Blessed with an impressive voice, the musician’s vocal range and flexibility awed the listeners, some of whom described his performance as a ‘magical trip’.

Among the compositions performed were ‘Lajpaal Ali’ and ‘Cigarette Sulga Rakha – Ek Packet Mangwa Rakha Hai’, which he dedicated to the ‘lovers’ in the audience.

His vocal range amazed listeners when he performed ‘Ali Ali’, and dripped with harmony and humanity when he dove into ‘Jahaan Dekhoon Tujhay Dekhoon – Chahoon Bus Tujhay Chahoon’, which he dedicated to a ‘special one’.

His band was equally talented, and enthralled the audience with their music.

For most of the children from the SOS school, the musical evening was a special event.

Salma Hameed said she had attended a concert for the first time, and Ali Ahmed did not want the night to end. “I liked it a lot,” he said.

According to an organiser, proceeds from the concert will go towards running SOS schools in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Orangi, Kala Shah Kaku, Swat, Dir, Khairpur and Sukkur.

They will also be utilised to build more schools for underprivileged children and for training teachers, as well as to offer scholarships.

Published in Dawn, November 30th, 2015