Shahi Hasan

From Vital Signs to a Music Legend

By

Sadaf Fayyaz

Author’s Note

On a hot, dusty and humid evening, I was listening to a song “Mann ki Lagan”, about which I later came to know that it was composed by an ex-member of famous band, Vital Signs of Pakistan. I felt like doing some internet browsing and was surprised to see little information about the member. Though, the web world contained a lot of data about other Vital Signs members, but I found very meager pieces of information about Shahi. At that very moment, I decided to take an initiative. I thought it might have been due to other reasons that fans know little about Shahzad Hasan. The ex-member wasn’t in much spotlight, as he should have been.

The idea came to my mind fortuitously, I perchance stumbled and fell prey to the writing bug. I had recently posted a small article on glorious Vital Signs on a website; the reviews and readers’ opinions made me feel that people want to read more about the band and its members. I have always loved writing and it’s one my passions as well. Though, my student life didn’t give me any time for reading or writing. I wanted some incentive or motivation to write. One fine evening, I talked to Ammar Hashmi, a friend of mine about taking the life-sketch project on Shahzad Hasan. He thought it was an excellent idea and decided to help me out. He also spotted out that Shahzad was a kind of person who didn’t like to come in the limelight. I made it clear to him that the sketch had nothing to do with his personal life, but would aim towards portraying his musical and productive accomplishments so far. He agreed to that.

Also, I had to research on Shahzad’s works and his contributions during the last two decades. It took almost a week to gather and analyze data, and get some facts through other network channels. The most difficult part was to get in touch with him and initiating a “360 Degree” feedback process from the folks he had been working with. But thanks to my passion, which made the work much easier for me.

The scope of this small booklet is to provide Shahi’s fans a subterranean insight of his recent tasks, upcoming work, contributions and passions that he possesses besides music. “Shahi Hasan: From Vital Signs to a Music Legend” is an immense insight into his music toil, productions and mastered works. He describes himself as “There are words for people like me, but not very many”. I initially thought the same, but decided to find appropriate words for people like him; the mini booklet is a result of that. It is also a collection of my memoirs and things I have been writing on Vital Signs. The weirdest thing about this book is that it all relates with Shahi’s professional contributions and achievements, and it has nothing to with his personal life. Since in the beginning Ammar told me that he wouldn’t like his personal things to be known to public. Keeping that in mind, I started working, ensuring that nothing personal about him is disclosed, since he likes to abstain from it.

I have tried to be as just and fair regarding his contributions and works. I would like to dedicate the book to all the young and upcoming fans of Shahi in the hope that it provides several details revealing some aspects of his master pieces and exacting personality, his fans know little about.

Acknowledgements

I am vigorously grateful to Allah who created the universe and other creatures, without whose mercy and blessings nothing is possible in the world. I express my deepest thanks to my friend Ammar Hashmi who presented the novel idea to me, and appreciate his support from the beginning. My thanks are due to all these for their heartfelt and untiring helpfulness: Shahzad “Shahi” Hasan, Najam Sheraz, Haroon Rashid, Devika Chawla, Omran Shafique, Syed Farhad Humayun, Junaid Jamshed, Faisal Rafi, Asad Ahmed, Uns Mufti and Fayyaz Ahmed.

My account of acknowledgement would remain incomplete if I don’t express my thanks to my parents and brother. They supported me a lot during this piece of writing and provided every possible help. They have always been a source of inspiration for me. Lastly, I offer my regards to all those who supported me in any respect during the completion of this little booklet.

Dedication

I dedicate this work to my lovely

parents, who inspired, encouraged and

nurtured my existent writing talents.

I also dedicate it

to Shahi Hasan and all his fans.

(Excerpts from the Book)

“Shahi is an awesome friend, great teacher, a true believer in the power of music, an innocent soul and one hell of a bass player. “ Faisal Rafi

“Shahzad Hassan Shahi would always hold a very special place in my heart for introducing me to the biggest miracle that I have seen in my life ''the understanding of Quran '' Shahi is a dreamer, a fighter and a true genius unfortunately not as business minded as his other colleagues are but the gifts he possesses are far superior ...his production of my third solo album Jaisay Chaho (Aao wahan chalain) was way ahead of its time, India is now waking up to that pop rock sound. I would appreciate if you do not miss anything I have said about him.” Najam Sheraz

“History knows him as one of the forces behind the Vital Signs. The groove maker of VS. He is one of the best music producers around. He is undisputed king of the art of audio mastering and generally a very understated and decent guy.” Fayyaz Ahmed

“When the music is recorded in the studio, it is then mixed - which means the volume levels of each instrument/vocals/sound are brought to a level that complies with the genre of music being produced and the impact a band wants to bring to a record. After the mixing comes the mastering stage which refers to balancing harsh sounds, eliminating bad frequencies and giving the entire album an even feel. Mastering on the album was done by Shahi Hasan.” Syed Farhad Humayun

“I took it to Shahi for final mastering of the album. He has many years of experience and has a nice mastering facility, and he understood where I was coming musically. It seemed to be a natural fit!” Omran Shafique

“Nightmare for any Psychiatrist and an Angel for any Saint.”

Ammar Hashmi

“I always had a vision to sing this song differently, and give it a more modern, yet classical rendition, and I discussed this and brainstormed with Shahi about this. …………..Shahi is a great composer and musician; he is very passionate and a perfectionist about his music. I really enjoyed working with him to create a beautiful, soulful album.” Devika Chawla

“Shahi is an extremely versatile and multi talented man. He started off his career as a talented composer and musician with the Vital Signs but in the last ten years he has been at the forefront as one of the premier recording engineers and producers in the country. Shahi has played a role in the recording and engineering of my music since the very first Awaz album. I highly respect his opinion when it comes to music engineering. As a human being he is intelligent, has a great sense of humor and is the sort of person you can rely on to be a great friend. He has always made the time for me when I needed him. I think because Shahi has lately been working behind the scenes he is underrated in the general public. However all of us in the music field have the highest regard and respect for his talent. I wish him continued success.” Haroon Rashid

“He is a very up right person, a sincere friend, does not lie ever and is very sensitive” Junaid Jamshed

“Well Hum Tum was recorded in 2 weeks at Rohail’s house and Shahi played some great Bass on it. I think we all co- wrote a few songs... Jaana Jaana, Mein Chup Raha and Namumkin. Shahi's strength at that time was his bass playing and ability to liven up the proceedings with his humor. We also toured in England with that album and had a fabulous time there. Shahi is truly a great guy and friend as well as an exceptional engineer and producer.”

Asad Ahmed

Contents

Early Works: Vital Signs Rock the World

Late 90s Funnel Shahi

Production Endowment

Waiting for Tour de Force

“There Are No Rules for Good

Photographs, There are only

Good Photographs”

Adding Glamour to Mauj Technicolor

Accumulating Grandeur to

Overload “Pichal Pairee”

It’s not years in your life that count but Life in

those Years

Shahi Hasan Quotes

Early Works: Vital Signs Rock the World

t is very hard to flashback two decades old memories,

but I’ll try my best to portray them. It was an

uninteresting and droning evening somewhere around

mid of 80’s. My dad was posted in Azad Kashmir and then

to Siachen. We were staying at our grandparents place in

Baffa. Life was quite slow and boring at the village house,

with little creativity and almost no entertainment for young

kids. Village folks use to have food around 8 pm and went

to sleep around 9 pm. Television transmission programs

used to be quite dreary and un-enjoyable for young kids.

I

One evening, we were watching local television routine

transmission. It aired a song with four teenage boys,

holding musical instruments and singing in an entirely new

style. We kept watching the song called “DIL DIL

Pakistan” and didn’t move until the song finished. “WOW,

that was amazing”, ejaculated my little 4-year old brother,

“I love it’. I had the same notions as well.

They just mentioned the singers’ names. They later came to

be known as “Vital Signs”, a top-notch and first official

band of Pakistan. They produced some more hits like

“Chehra”, “Tum Mil Gaye”, “Gorey”, “Sanwali Saloni”,

but “Dil Dil Pakistan” was a skyrocket hit, which brought

them under the limelight. National songs aired those days

were usually picturized indoor in PTV studios. “Dil Dil

Pakistan” set a totally novel trend in the history of

Pakistani patriotic songs. It was something stunning for the

new generation. We later came to know about all the four

enigmatic boys of the band. The two young teenagers

Shahzad Hasan and Rohail Hyatt were the pioneers of Vital

Signs. They beautifully composed a ghazal “Chehra” by

late Parvin Shakir, which I found amazing too. There is a

slight difference between the “Chehra” composed first and

the later one. The one composed earlier is a bit speedy and

fast, with six young men sitting and enjoying at the side of

Lotus Lake Islamabad. One can see glimpses of a much

peaceful Islamabad and outskirts of much cleaner Rawal

Lake very clearly in the video.

When my dad came from Siachen, we insisted on buying a

cassette of Vital Signs. “But how are you going to listen to

the song? You don’t have a music player.” He replied.

Shahzad Hasan was light-eyed, camera-shy bassist, and an

energetic Rohail Hyatt was on the keyboards. They worked

really hard on the song and it was rated “The World’s 3rd

most popular song” by BBC World in 2003.

Photograph Courtesy Facebook

L to R: Rohail, Salman, Shahi & Junaid

L to R: Junaid, Shahi, Nusrat & Rohail

Photograph Courtesy Facebook

L to R: Shahi, Rohail, Salman & Junaid

Photograph Courtesy Facebook: Shahzad and Rohail are the finders of

Vital Signs, Junaid joined Afterwards and Nusrat was replaced by

Salman.

Sanwali Saloni video shoots at desert of Thar, Sind

L to R: Junaid Jamshed, Rohail Hyatt

Shahzad Hasan & Rizwan ul Haq

(Famous model Iraj Manzoor

was also in the video and dressed in a

Typical Thar outfit, little traditional

dance “Jhummer”)

Rizwan joined after Salman

Ahmed quit in 1990.

L to R: Shahzad, Nusrat, Junaid and Rohail

Shoaib Mansoor was ingenious enough to judge the talent of young

boys and asked them to prepare a song. The song was deeply aesthetic

and patriotic, thus making new ways to serious pop music in Pakistan.

Though Nazia & Zoheb had already initiated a pop music culture, but

they were known as siblings, not a band. Nusrat later quit and joined

PIA as a pilot, suggesting Salman Ahmed in place of him. The first

album was a great and jubilant success, as a result of VS members’ and

Shoman’s effort. Two songs from the album “Musafir” and “Yeh

Shaam” leave a very nostalgic impression on mind. “Tum Mil Gaye”

from first album was shot with Junaid and Andaleeb Iqbal, with other

VS members missing from the video. Some songs like “Do Pal”,

“Samjhana” and “Yeh Shaam” were used in “Dhundlay Raastay

also”.

Song Chehra: L to R: Rohail, Nusrat, Shahzad and Junaid

The video was shot at vicinity of Rawal Lake, produced by Rana

Kanwal, a student at Pakistan Television and edited by Dost

Muhammad Iqbal. Besides Vital signs, the video also had two other

musicians namely Sarosh and Zaheer. The beautiful ghazal was written

by Late Parvin Shakir. The song initially composed had different music,

from the “Chehra” re-composed, in terms of more bass riffs and

healthier rock. The song composed first has a soft and jolly tune

attached to it, whereas, the re-composed version has a melancholic and

romantic effect. Both are equally invigorating.

L to R: Shahi, Zaheer, Junaid, Sarosh & Nusrat

About The other two boys, people have little information about, since

they only appeared in “Chehra” and no other song of Vital Signs.

These were the times when the song only showed singers’ names.

Nusrat afterwards released his own album in 1993 but unfortunately

the solo venture didn’t do very well as expected.

“Wo Kaun Thi”, L to R: Rizwan, Rohail, Shahi & Junaid

The song typically depicted college boys’ attitude, busy writing letters,

talking till late nights on the telephone, gazing at every pretty girl.

There is a scene where Rizwan is on his bicycle and looking at some

girl, without looking ahead, he collides with a man and falls from his

bicycle. There is a scene that Rohail gets so absorbed to look at

someone that the cold drink he is holding in his hand splashes on earth.

Without any model or girl in the video, the direction is remarkable.

Vital Signs in Early 90’s

Photograph Courtesy Facebook

Later Nusrat Hussain (guitarist) was replaced by Salman

Ahmed, a student at medical College. Vital signs kept

producing rocking hits like “Aisa Na Ho”, “Rahi”, “Yehi

Zameen”, “Hum Tum” and “Aitebar”. Their videos even

sketched swinging moods, ranging from ecstasy to extreme

angst. “Dil Dil Pakistan” showed patriotism, “Tum Mil

Gaye” depicted marital failure and ending relationships.

“Wo Kaun Thi” depicted a typical college boy’s flirtatious

attitude, with writing love letters, standing outside college

gates, and talking to girls on the phone. “Gorey” and

“Sanwali Saloni” had cultural roots, shot in Kailash and

Thar, respectively. All of these were luminously directed.

One thing that I liked about their videos was that females

were never exploited. They even used to model in their own

videos and almost eighty percent of the videos were shot

without any female models. Even then they were big

miraculous hits. Videos like “Wo Kaun Thi”, “Yehi

Zameen”, “Chehra”, “Do Pal”, “Aise Hum Jiyen”, “Mera

Dil”, “Maula”, “Musafir”, “Yaad Karna” and “Dil Dil

Pakistan” didn’t have even a single female model.

My younger brother was so inspired that he decided to play

the cover for “Dil Dil” on his Parents’ Day in 1989. He

asked us to get the same kind of jeans and shirt, that Junaid

was wearing in the song and a small guitar as well. For the

whole night he kept practicing the song, though he was so

young that couldn’t utter words properly.

Developing a youth culture was not a cup of cake in 80’s; it

was a time when no one could talk openly about musical

shows or concerts. The credit goes to some highly

innovative and fresh musical programs like “Music 89”,

which introduced/promoted many upcoming singers and

bands, including Vital Signs and Jupiters. Late Nazia Hasan

along with sibling Zoheb and Uncle Sargam hosted it and

another program “Dhanak” as well. It aired songs like

“Aha”, “Paisa”, ”Dosti” (Jupiters) and ”Do Pal”, with

music of “Do Pal Ka Jeevan” in the background. Songs

like “Gorey”, and “Do Pal” were blockbusters and

picturized in 90’s, with more vivid directorial efforts.

(Shoman) Shoaib Mansoor was the first one to depict the

exceptional caliber of the young men, and directed a mini-

series “Dhundlay Raastay”, featuring all the four members

of Vital Signs, Tabinda Sheikh and Nayyar Kamal. The

play was written by legendary Hasina Moeen and directed

by Shoman. I felt that it could have been made in a better

manner, because it was comparatively meager than other

masterpiece works of the two legends. Though it managed

to show well how members of Vital Signs worked together

towards achieving their objectives. The mini play threw

light on the early stardom journey of the four young

enthusiastic men, their interests, passions and priorities. My

favorite dialogue in the play is, “Are you mad? Kia hum

loag tere liye sirf musicians hein?”

The first album was a super hit with songs like “Do Pal” ,

“Dil Dil Pakistan”, ”Samjhana” ,”Musafir”, “Chehra” and

“Yeh Sham”. All these tracks depicted different moods. It is

indeed one of the most memorable VS works. It also

included an instrumental track “Samina”, which is an

amazing piece of work and was used as a soundtrack for

“Dhundlay Raastay” too. The second album best tracks are

“Mera Dil”, ”Bazaar”, and “Tere Liye”. It also had “Rahi”,

“Aisa Na Ho” and “Ajnabi”, “Rahi” was a very romantic

and heartrending track, whereas “Aisa Na Ho” was

somewhat related with the political situation. “Ajnabi” was

a very slow, romantic and gloomy song, with a charming

Seema Rizvi in it. In 1993, the band came with a startling

program named “Guitar 93”. I remember it used to be my

favorite program and next day in school, we used to discuss

their songs and hum during the recess. The third album had

magnificent tracks like “Aitebar”, “Challa”, “Wo Kaun

Thi”, “Yehi Zameen” and “Yarian”. “Yarian” and “Sanwali

Saloni” tunes were even copied for Bollywood films in

1990s. The last album “Hum Tum” had tracks like “Jana

Jana”, “Guzray Zamane Wali”, “Der Ho Gai”, “Main Chup

Raha”, “Unka Khayal” and “Namumkin”. If one analyzes

critically, there is a colossal difference between the first and

last VS albums: The change is not only noticed in terms of

dressing only, but also in compositions as well. From plain

college boy-like dressing to heavy jackets and long hair, VS

depicted much mature looks, and a Pink Floyd style in their

last album.

Event: Pakistan’s Golden Jubilee, 13th August, 1997, Taj Palace

Hotel, New Delhi, India,

Photograph from My Personal Album

Photograph from My Personal Album

Shahzad Hasan, he has always been a very talented and creative

person, though he is always shy of looking at his audience. I noticed

that always avoided eye-contact with the audience and looked towards

either his band members or instrument. It seemed even quite tricky for

us to ask for an autograph from him, thinking that he might refuse. But

after asking for an autograph, my assumpsion completely altered: I

found him a very sweet and soft-spoken person. Out of all the

celebrities who have given me autographs, his I found the best. It didn’t

comprise any highly logical or philisophical statements, but just very

simple and sincere words.” To Sadaf, love, Shahzad”. Junaid defines

him as a very up right , sincere and sensitive person. Even till today, I

am unable to understand the autographs given by Amir Zaki.

Event: Pakistan’s Golden Jubilee, 13th August, 1997, Taj Palace

Hotel, New Delhi, India,

Photograph from My Personal Album

These were the times of Ashraf Jehangir Qazi as a High Commissioner

in India. When the show ended, we requested his younger daughter

Maha Qazi, who was doing her masters in anthropology from Quaid-e-

Azam University that time, to ask Begum Qazi if we could have a

picture session with Vital Signs. She forwarded our request to Begum

Qazi very politely. Begum Qazi laughed and said to my mom, “Saba!

Let these girls have some pictures with Vital Signs or else they won’t

sleep for the whole week”. I shall always be grateful to Maha.

L to R: Amir Zaki, Rohail Hyatt & Junaid Jamshed

Photograph from My Personal Album

The finest part of the event was autograph taking: There weren’t any

papers or notepads available, so we all decided to hide white napkins

from the Hotel and used them for autographs. I still have that signed

white napkin in my closet, even after twelve years. One of us was a

crazy fan of Fakhr-e-Alam(Yatagan), she asked Junaid about him.”I

know him,” was his reply. The other Vital Signs members were a bit

quiet. After the event, there was an official “Parcham Kushai”, flag

hoisting ceremony next day, Vital signs were asked to perform in that

event too, but they excused sympathetically, since they already had

some other commitments and concerts on 14th of August.

A specially designed cake for a very special day

Photograph from My Personal Album

“Maula”, A wonderful directorial endeavor by Bilal Maqsood

1993 Live Performance

I remember we were posted in New Delhi, my father was

counselor (culture) and there were some nice plans about

celebrating the Fiftieth Anniversary of Pakistan. Most of us

recommended having a concert at Taj on 13th of August,

1997. It was a dazzling evening and indeed one of the most

memorable evenings of my life. The High Commission

staff ordered a big cake of Pakistan’s map for the golden

jubilee anniversary. Vital Signs started the evening with

their hit songs like “Sanwali Saloni”, “Mera Dil”, “Gorey”

and some other famous tracks. The show was nicely hosted

by Junaid Jamshed. They were looking really stunning and

were all dressed in black. Before the VS show, there was a

series of some comical skits and parodies. We were

anxiously waiting for Vital Signs’ performance. I remember

some ladies muttering to each other, “God, I can’t believe

that Pakistani men are so dashing and stunning, I am

ready to go to Pakistan today”. The show continued for

two hours and VS were requested to sing “Dil Dil

Pakistan” in the end. Junaid was a bit reluctant and asked

his audience before singing the song. But the Indian

audience convinced him and they sang their most super hit

patriotic track joyfully.

Some old women in their late 70s started developing a

crush for Junaid. He laughed and said,

”Well, I have young girls going mad in my concerts, but

this is the first time that I can see some old ladies as well”.

The show was followed by a cake cutting ceremony. The

cake was specially designed like Pakistan’s map; the white

area had thick white cream dressing and the green portion

was topped with green jam. I still remember being the first

one to ask for the biggest piece and still dreaming of some

more pieces. Upon returning home, I excitedly told my

brother about the autographs. He started making fun of me,

“You and autographs, I wonder how Vital Signs gave you

autographs, you were dressed like a nerd geek, wearing big

glasses on even such a multi-colored event.” I had a fierce

fight with him, telling him that I wasn’t a celebrity, just a

fan of them, so they gave me the autographs. Next day, I

anxiously waited for the pictures. Even my Indian friends

were a great fan of the band; they kept asking me questions

about the show.

Even today, almost after two decades, they have a huge list

of fans, listening to their songs and playing covers. They

managed to create relishing and mesmerizing music in a

highly Islamized era, where there wasn’t any concept of

concerts and shows, Vital signs had euphoria and charisma

of their own. They were different individuals with their

unique set of traits. The band produced only four albums in

its eleven years, with very few of the songs going dreadful

flops. Towards the end of 90’s, the members started drifting

away and shifted their core energies to different fields.

They are still legends, but the way they set a fresh trend in a

dictatorship epoch, was distinctly appraising. Even today,

little is known about the band’s disbanding reasons, but

they will always be admired by millions of aficionados all

over the world. Even after the disbanding, the VS legends

have a whole list of fans. Shahi shifted his energies to

music production and mastering, whereas Rohail’s amazing

work can be seen at Coke studio. Many bands emerged and

disbanded during 1990s, leaving meager information to the

fans and world, but people still remember and want to read

more and more about Vital Signs, even after twenty three

years of band formation.

I attended one concert not of Vital Signs, but of Junaid

Jamshed at Services Club Lahore, in 1999. Tickets were

selling like hot cakes and we managed to get them only one

day prior to the concert. Mom showed keen interest to

attend the concert and we both attended it. I initially

declined to attend the concert, but agreed afterwards. When

the concert started, mom asked me,” I don’t see the

dashing guys who came to India with Junaid,” I explained

her that the band had disbanded and the members had

drifted away.

We got seats in the last rows and were quite unhappy with

our sitting plan. The show was organized by Col. Nawazish

and some other Army people. When suddenly a junior of

my father came to us and asked my mom, ”Bhabi, why you

are sitting in the last rows, I guess Sadaf is getting quite

bored, let us move to the VIP rows.” Mom declined to go

but I agreed to proceed to the front rows. Later the audience

created so much ruckus that Junaid asked girls to come

forward and sit on the carpet, just in front of the stage. I

remember it was pretty cold and there weren’t any proper

heating arrangements, but the girls felt glad to sit on the

carpet. We even sang some songs like “Us Rah Par”,

“Aanknon Ko” and “O Sanama” with him. My father and

little dog came to pick us when the show ended at 11 pm.

Mom and I were very exhausted but kept discussing the

show and other things till late at night.

Since only two of my class fellows attended the show, we

had some very narrow-minded and customary teachers in

our college, who were informed that we had attended the

concert. The grapevine traveled so easily. One of them

asked me especially next day, “Did you attend the concert;

I wasn’t expecting it from you at least.” I felt a bit

appalling, but didn’t say anything to him, since he was

unaware of my fanatical likeliness for the band. In fact

some brats came from very conservative and traditional

families; they kept pointing and telling me that it was quite

ghastly to go to concerts and musical shows and kept

making stupid points. Even those who weren’t able to get

the tickets exhibited the same attitude. It was a typical

“Sour grapes” attitude, indeed and I could feel their envy

easily. Even some other teachers kept speaking ill about

bands and concerts. Those who had attended it merrily

reached a conclusion that it was much better to have that

day off from the college. At least we could have saved

ourselves from nerdy criticism and orthodox remarks, but

there wasn’t any way to avoid the nemesis.

Late 90s Funnel Shahi Production Endowment

t seems a bit unscrupulous while discussing Shahi’s

Production and mixing contributions, if I don’t discuss

a little about the albums finally produced and mixed

by him. Even after the dissolution of Vital Signs, Shahi has

indeterminate energy and creativity of his own. Vital Signs

gave him a lot of name and fame, but he has his own set of

abilities and traits too. His movement to production side is

a pertinent example of that. His highly ingenuity was

noticed when Strings made a comeback after eight years,

with only two members. Rafiq Wazir Ali and Karim Basher

Bhoy weren’t a part of it any more. Their album “Duur”

was released after a protracted hiatus, produced by Shahi,

Nizar Lalani and Strings themselves. The guys had totally

changed their teenage looks and had emerged into serious,

mature gentlemen. “Duur” is one of the finest produced and

brilliantly composed albums by Strings. It had some very

touching tracks like “Duur”, “Anjane”, “Khirki” and

“Ankhein”, though a repeated “Sar Kiye”, which gave

success to Strings during their early career, was also

included in the album with much healthier riff guitar.

I

Strings from their Early Days: “Duur” not only marked the

impeccable return of the strings but also, marked a much escorted, re-

invented and rejuvenated music by them. “Sar Kiye” was example of

re-invented track after eight years. The lyrics, written by Anwar

Maqsood and marvelously composed by Bilal Maqsood, the album

tracks had more riff-rock treatment and subtle instrumentation, which

creates a mood of tranquility. Apart from change in looks and numbers

of members from four to two, one major change of vocals shifting to

Faisal Kapadia was even noticeable. I remember when “Duur” aired,

my brother commented, “Pehle Bilal used to sing na, now its Faisal.”

”Duur” was mixed by Shahi and Ehteshamulhaq.

Welcome back Strings: Much grown up and mature-looking, Bilal and

Faisal formed Strings with their breathtaking come back with “Duur”.

As compared to their initial albums, Strings 1 and Strings 2,

“Duur” encompassed many melodious and rhythmic tracks.

Though I didn’t see much glamour in the “Duur” video shot

at Gwadar, but still found it gorgeous, with touchy lyrics

and haunting melody. The crème de la crème “Duur”

escorts one into a blissful world with its soothing yet loud

guitars and drums.

I put an email to Haroon Rashid and asked him about

Shahi. He replied back very passionately and said,

“Well, Shahi is an extremely versatile and multi

talented man. He started off his career as a

talented composer and musician with the Vital

Signs but in the last ten years he has been at the

forefront as one of the premier recording

engineers and producers in the country. Shahi has

played a role in the recording and engineering of

my music since the very first Awaz album. I highly

respect his opinion when it comes to music

engineering. As a human being he is intelligent,

has a great sense of humor and is the sort of

person you can rely on to be a great friend. He has

always made the time for me when I needed him. I

think because Shahi has lately been working

behind the scenes he is underrated in the general

public. However all of us in the music field have

the highest regard and respect for his talent. I wish

him continued success.”

In 2002, Fakhir Menmood (of Awaz) released his solo

album “Aatish”, which was mixed and produced by Shahi

Hasan. The album did exotically well to initiate the solo

career of Fakhir. “Tera Bina” was a patriotic track, “Dil ki

Batein” was shot in Spain with glimpses of Flamenco

dancers and a very adorable Amina Shafat in the video. The

most romantic track was “Dil Haara”, which featured an

Iranian model Mohini in it. Another magnificent track was

“Ek Wari”, which was used as soundtrack for Humayun

Saeed’s “Chahatein”, featuring Nabeel, Vaneeza Ahmed,

Atiqa Odho and Humayun Saeed. Another track from the

album was used as a soundtrack for late Afreen Baig’ s

directorial debut “Kabhi Kabhi Pyar Mein” under

Evergreen Productions, featuring/starring Adnan Siddiqui,

Jia Ali, Humayun Saeed and Mahnoor Baluch. My favorite

song in the entire album was “Deewana” featuring Resham

and Faakhir both. I won’t say that it was luminously

directed by Babar Shaikh, but cutely directed.

Faakhir “Dilruba”: Magnanimously directed by Asim Raza, Faakhir

seen tiptoeing around ostentatious gypsy flamenco dancers, on the

romantic paved streets of Spain. It featured lovely Pantene Model

Amina Shafat, “te quiero mucho” mean (I want you too much)

“Dewana” featured a gorgeous and glamourous Resham with Fakhir.

Whether “Obe Derta Rawrlem” by Ahmad Zahir or “Dewana” by

Fakhir, both are refreshing. The former had shades of Afghan music

whereas the later one doesn’t have Afghan tinge. I found both

revitalizing and mind-blowing.

I critically think that it’s not replica of Ahmed Zahir “Obe

Derta Rawrlem”, but a little re-inventing and serving old

wine in a new bottle has been done. Even it was a very

romantic song, produced by Gauhar Maqsood, the one by

Fakhir is even refreshing.

Though, Shahi and Faisal Rafi had already started “Man ki

Lagan”, a song which was later used for Pooja Bhatt’s film

Paap in 2003. The film also had another track “Laal”,

composed by them. The film was somewhat disappointing

and flopped at the box office, but the three super tracks

“Mann ki Lagan”, “Garaj Baras” and “Laal” made their

way, though ‘Garaj Baras” was composed by Ali Azmat.

Vocals were provided by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan in “Mann ki

Lagan”, however Ali Azmat gave outstanding vocals on

“Garaj Baras”. “Mann ki Lagan” proved to be a hilarious

breakthrough for Rahat Fateh Ali Khan indeed. His recent

hits include “Jiya Dhadak” and “O Re Piya”.

The tune was already worked but was later used in Paap.

Shahi along with Faisal Rafi paid a visit to India. After a

much awaited venture, this was some really soulful and

supernatural music by Shahi. The beautiful tabla and

refreshing harmonium in the background of “Mann ki

Lagan” makes a magnetic effect for the song, and truly

deserves a listen for its soft and beautifully composed

rhythm. Though, “Garaj Baras” has more rock style,

radiantly composed and performed by Ali Azmat. Faisal

Rafi speaks about Shahi,

“Shahi is an awesome friend, a great teacher, true

believer in the power of music, an innocent soul

and one hell of a bass player.”

I think these simple and precise sentences stretch over his

entire personality.

Photograph Courtesy Shahi Hasan (Trip to India): R to L, Shahi

Hasan , Pooja Bhatt, her directorial venture “Paap” had John

Abraham and debutant Udita Goswami, the concept portrayed conflicts

between Divine and worldly desires. Though the film collapsed

commercially, but the music was enchanting. Rahat’s reminiscent

vocals in “Man Ki Lagan” and Shahi’s chaste rapture leave one in an

enchanted reverie. I felt the vocals to be a bit bucolic but enticing and

soft at the same time. A plain tabla and harmonium leaves a

mesmerizing effect. The next entrancing and dazzling song was “Laal”,

with Rahat and Farrukh on vocals. Though the vocals have a tinge of

mournfulness, the track begins slowly and increases its impetus

afterwards, a marvelous “Alaap” indeed. The song still remains a

masterpiece. “Garaj Baras” brilliantly reflects true enthusiasm of Ali

Azmat. While listening to “Man ki Lagan”, I found very little

resemblance of Rahat’s voice with great Nusrat Fateh, but never felt at

any point that he was trying to copy him. Apart from “Paap”, Shahi

has also mastered directorial venture of Digvijay Singh, namely

“Maya”.

Photograph Courtesy Shahi Hasan (Trip to India)

Photograph Courtesy Shahi Hasan (Trip to India)

Photograph Courtesy Shahi Hasan (Trip to India)

L to R Faisal Rafi, Shahi Hasan

Photograph Courtesy Shahi Hasan (Trip to India)

Shahi and Faisal on their way to create

a masterpiece “Mann Ki Lagan”

Waiting for Tour de Force

Ushk is a band with brains like Uns Mufti and

Ziyyad Gulzar. The album was critically

acclaimed, but failed to attract the Pakistani

audience and went underrated. “Behti Naar” is a

magnificent track with an endearing jazz feeling and

squashy piano, but the video was banned from music

channels and went disregarded. “Sawal” didn’t appeal

many music lovers besides its haunting music, though it

embodies forlorn soundtracks.

R

I got interested and planned to ask some questions from

Uns Mufti himself. He replied back very passionately and

courteously. I personally feel that “Sawal” was not meant

for an average audience, besides its in-depth lyrics and

diverse music. I remember Music Channel Charts aired a

song “Jago” by Jazba in 1993, based on Kashmir war. It

occupied No. 1 position for many weeks, since it was clear

to the audience. The same depicted in “Khuahish” is a bit

thorny for viewers to understand what actually the message

is, thus creating too much symbolism.

“Behti Naar”, directed by Saqib Malik, featured Iraj Manzoor,and

Tariq Amin. Despite Nazia Zuberi’s booming vocals and a bold

directorial attempt, it failed to capture its Pakistani audience. Though,

there were no reasons why people critically condemned it. The bold

Pakistani video was a little objectionable by audience and wasn’t

critically acclaimed much, though it was a bit “different”. Another

short track “Khuahish”, directed by Amean J, featured Aisha focuses

on Iraq war, queered questionable tone, surgical connotation and an

uncompassionate US invasion. The arranging was done by Shahi, being

a part of the post-production.

Shahi had another project in 2007 with Indian singer

Devika Chawla, Manesh Judge, Noor Nodhi and Anshuman

Chandra. Devika‘s album had tracks like “Kehnde ne

Naina”, “Intezaar”, “Pehli Nazar”, “Jeena Tere Bin”,

“Nayyo Lagda”, “Mere Husn ki Garmi”, and “Ishq Yeh”.

The most fascinating track is of course “Kehnde de Naina”,

which was billed “Top 14 Sufi Music tracks of all Time”,

happens to be my favorite too. The beautiful vocals and a

nice mellow starting make the track gradual and sublime.

Devika’s excellent classical training gives her an amazing

control throughout vocal phrases. I simply loved the

awesome vocals and exceptional mix by Shahi. The nice

production truly reflects the tasteful echo use. The other

two compositions are “Intezar” and “Jeena Tere Bin”, both

exotic pieces of work, depicting an enthralling hodgepodge

of ambient sounds, with Devika adding up a pleasant layer

of vocals. Other tracks of the album “Pehli Nazar” and

“Mere Husn ki Garmi” are produced by Farhan and

Anshuman, whereas “Nayyo Lagda” by Rajiv Sharma and

Manesh Judge. The album also marks the joint efforts of

renowned artists from India, Pakistan and US.

Asking and getting in touch with Devika wasn’t that easy.

After giving her long mails and other information, she

ardently answered my stated questions and gave me some

important pieces of information about Shahi’s contribution

towards her album. In her own words,

“I always had a vision to sing this song differently,

and give it a more modern, yet classical rendition,

and I discussed this and brainstormed with Shahi

about this. Keeping that in mind, Shahi produced

the music for this track for me, and sent it to me in

the US, over the internet. I recorded the vocals in

the US and sent them to him in Pakistan for

mixing and mastering. The final track was

everything and more than what I had imagined

and hoped for! P.S. - we shot a video for this track

in Hyderabad and Mumbai in India. This track

was featured in Sony's Sufi compilation titled 'Teri

Deewani' featuring other artists such as Nusrat

Fateh Ali Khan, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Kailash

Kher and several others. This was the top selling

pop album in India for the bulk of 2008. In

addition to Kehnde Ne Naina, Shahi also

composed and produced a few other songs in my

first self titled album "Devika". All the vocals were

recorded in the US and sent to him in Pakistan for

mixing and mastering. My second album titled

'Saari Raat' is scheduled for release in the next

few weeks. I partnered with Shahi for creating this

album. Shahi has produced this album and

composed and written many songs in this album as

well. He has performed some amazing bass guitars

and guitars on a few tracks in the album himself.

Shahi is a great composer and musician; he is very

passionate and a perfectionist about his music. I

really enjoyed working with him to create a

beautiful, soulful album.”

In 2007, Sony Music released a block buster Sufi music compilation

“Teri Deewani”, that had featured tracks namely “Afreen

Afreen”(Nusrat Fateh ali Khan), “Maula Mere Maula”(Film Anwar,

sung by Roop Kumar Rathod) “Tere Ishq Mein” (Rekha Bhardwaj),

“Jiya Dhadak Dhadak” and “Mann Ki Lagan” (Rahat Fateh Ali

Khan), “Bulla” (Rabbi Shergil), “Saiyan” and “Teri Deewani”

(Kailash Kher), ”Mitwa” (Shafqat Amanat ali), and “Ishq

Nachaya”(Sona). “Tere Bin Nahi Lagda” and “Allah ke Bande” were

also included. The compilation ranked # 1 for six months.

Devika Singing Live: “Inteha Hogai Intezar Ki”

L to R: Asim Khan, Noor Lodhi, Devika Chawla,

Shahi Hasan And Manesh Judge

on Tabla (Cold Fusion Productions)

Anisha Bakshi Singing Live

L to R: Noor Lodhi, Asim Khan, Anisha Bakshi,

Manesh Judge & Shahi Hasan

From Angeline Malik’s “Rani”, “Dil Tangay” is a Sufi Kafi by Baba

Bhullay Shah with mystical ingredients. Angeline did a great job in

portraying the painful journey of an innocent woman to a political

position. It encompassed greed, apathy, and woman empowerment.

Besides Rani’s transition from a naïve village girl to a brutal political

world, Angeline directorial venture didn’t do as well as “Lahasil”, but

Shahi was noticed for producing magnificent soundtracks, with vocals

by Zafar Ali Khan and Naseebo Lal. “Ranjhan” is a Sufi folk depicting

the love of God and a human desire to attain super powers. Another

amazing one is “Ambi Haeth Mehrma”, a worth downloading

masterpiece. It’s a story about passions, desires, power, innocence and

love.

“There Are No Rules for Good Photographs,

There are Only Good Photographs.”  Ansel

Adams

Shahi defines in his own words that “Photography is

another passion besides music.” His creativity and

perfectionism not only reflects in his music, but also in his

photography. With his latest Nikon D90, he loves to

capture beautiful moments and events.

The above are some pictures from Shahi’s own personal

collection. Very few of his fans know that Shahi is a

miraculous photographer as well. I have seen his other

collection of photographs and found them awe-inspiring.

Fayyaz Ahmed defines him as

“History knows him as one of the forces behind

the Vital Signs. He is the groove maker of VS, one

of the best music producers around, and

undisputed king of the art of audio mastering and

generally a very understated and decent guy.”

“While there is perhaps a province in which the photograph can

tell us nothing more than what we see with our own eyes, there is

another in which it proves to us how little our eyes permit us to see.” 

~Dorothea Lange

Photograph Courtesy Shahi Hasan (My Photography Part 4)

“There are always two people in every picture:  the photographer and

the viewer.”  ~Ansel Adams

Photograph Courtesy Shahi Hasan (My Photography Part 4)

“When you photograph people in color you photograph their clothes. 

But when you photograph people in B&W, you photograph their

souls!” ~Ted Grant

Photograph Courtesy Shahi Hasan

Photograph Courtesy Shahi Hasan

“A good snapshot stops a moment from running away.”  ~Eudora

Welty

Photograph Courtesy Shahi Hasan

Shahi has been working on Najam Sheraz’s new album that

features some renowned musicians like Chris Eaton, Miles

Bould, Dan Wheeler, Mark Edwards, Paul Evans, Matt

Weeks and Collin, Colin Walker and Paul Baton. The song

“Love you more than anything” featuring Hisham is mixed

by Shahi. A very cute video directed by Jalal & Amir, and

some nice experimental work too. Najam speaks and shares

his experience with Shahi,

“Shahzad Hassan Shahi would always hold a very

special place in my heart for introducing me to the

biggest miracle that I have seen in my life ''the

understanding of Quran “Shahi is a dreamer , a

fighter and a true genius unfortunately not as

business minded as his other colleagues are but

the gifts he possesses are far superior ...his

production of my third solo album Jaisay Chaho

(Aao wahan chalain) was way ahead of its time,

India is now waking up to that pop rock sound. I

would appreciate if you do not miss anything I

have said about him.”

Adding Glamour to Mauj Technicolor

efore I started doing some secondary research on

Mauj, I discovered the face book information

which I wouldn’t like to state here. I downloaded

the whole Mauj (Technicolor) and started listening to each

single track. Since it was mastered at Shahi studio, I needed

to analyze it critically to write something on Shahi. Thanks

to music download websites, I didn’t need to go to the

market to purchase a CD, downloading was much easier.

“Pyaar ka Jado” is a track from third album “Young

Tarang” of Hasan siblings, with Zoheb’s vocals. The album

was produced by Zoheb and Biddu. After listening to the

new one, I feel that vocals are a bit weighty and loud, as

compared with Zoheb’s malleable and slow ones. The

excessive use of guitars at some places in the song makes it

a monotone. “Paheliyan” starts with nice slushy guitar and

manages to continue its way till end. It is the track which

brings life to the album with its beautiful guitar beat and

B

fabulous vocals and embodies pure aestheticism

“Khushfehmi” happens to be another favorite track, with

rangy guitars and bluesy intonations. “Hasratein” is a

highly instrumental track with pleasant vocals by Momo,

improved arpeggio and riffs. I found it funky, punchy and

groovy. It has been mastered by Shahi.

Omran Shafique “Momo” shares something about his

album,

“I took it to Shahi for final mastering of the

album. He has many years of experience and has a

nice mastering facility, and he understood where I

was coming musically. It seemed to be a natural

fit!”

Accumulating Grandeur to Overload “Pichal

Pairee”

t was a usual routine and hectic day with lots of work

and writing. I had just finished downloading Overload

Pichal Pairee and was listening to the first track. I

Suddenly my mother entered the study and asked me,

“What kind of music is this?” before I could explain the

music genre to her, she ejaculated, and “It is really a

master-piece work, though I know little about music. From

my childhood, I have been listening to 60’s and 70’s tracks.

I can say that this is a dazzling piece of work.”

I listened to all the tracks charily, after she left the room.

“Mom is right, indeed”, I thought. The album title seemed

appealing to me, though, I have modest knowledge of

Punjabi vocabulary, but still it is beguiling. The title name

usually creates a horror sensation, but it has nothing to do

with it. Before listening to the songs, I had a misconception

of songs portraying some horror like atmosphere like

BSB’s “Everybody”, Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” and

Hadiqa’s “Mahi”. I initially assumed Pichal Pairee to be a

finicky fusion of horror and rock.

Pichal Pairee is an inimitable and experimental piece of work by

Overload, brilliantly produced by Farhad. The album is titled in

Punjabi, but it is contains some English lyrics as well. The album tracks

are vividly mastered by Shahi. It is indeed one of the most prolific

works of Shahi, who happens to be the one of the most ingenious music

producers. His master mind and perfectionism adds evocative splendor

to the album. The album is truly a flamboyant and glitzy piece of work.

Photograph Courtesy Overload Pichal Pairee

L to R: Meera Rahman, Mahmood Rahman & Syed Farhad Humayun

After listening to the songs, my assumption altered, since

the composition and lyrics have nothing to do with the

ingredient of horror. The album is an apt permutation of

swinging moods and melodies. The instrumental and

psychedelic genre of music makes it a mesmerizing

sensation. The album comprises tracks like “Dig”, “Saat

Mein”, ”Vichar Gai”, ‘Pichal Pairee”, “Amjad Khan”,

“One Mile High”, “Kaykra”, “Mela Kariye”, and “Dhol

Bajay Ga”. Apart from the alluring effort of Meesha,

Farhad, Sheraz and Mahmood, some additional folks like

Nasir Sain, Shahryar Jabbar, Ustad Allah Loke and Jaffer

Hussian have also marvelously contributed. Meesha’s

transition from a model to singer is fascinating; she has

truly inherited the talent and intellect from her mother, Saba

Hameed.

After a long hiatus, Overload has sustained its unique genre

of rock in Pichal Pairee. It is an experimental oeuvre

attempt. “Dhol Baje Ga” is a predominant delightful and

slightly clamorous track, with vibrant vocals. The drums

and bass beat are highly invigorating in the track, though

the vocals are a bit strident. “Amjad Khan” starts with a

very soft and rhythmic tone, but loses its way afterwards,

but still it is a vibrant track. “Pichal Pairee” sounds a bit

mystifying and reverberated, and unfortunately the most

meager composition. “A Thousand Miracles” starts with a

soft melodious tone, and continues its mellow status,

though the closure is not that malleable as it is in the

beginning. “Vichar Gai” is indeed the most influential and

most exotic song, with Punjabi lyrics. The ravishing beat is

intriguingly portentous, with heavy drums and conventional

base. “Mela Kariye” is a traditional track, with ordinary

melody, and doesn’t evoke a commotion like other tracks.

In fact it doesn’t prove to be a touching folk melody,

though the traditional dhol and drumming makes it a bit

customary. “Kaykra” is a bit speedy and riveting, whereas

“Saat Mein” is very catchy in terms of beat and tune,

miraculously depicts Ustad Allah Loke mode, with

conventional bass held somewhat in the middle of the track.

After seeing the video, a petite Meesha with a striking face

and Amy Winehouse looks, rocks on vocals. The video

reflected nothing about a Pichal Pairee, but it looked more

like a rock star’s emblematic performance. Even Meesha’s

makeover has been brilliantly done by Shehzad Raza, but

one is unable to find any component of Pichal Pairee (one

with twisted feet) in the video. I was expecting a typical

ghost like makeover, costume and ambiance, before

watching the video. However, the makeover, outfits and set

could have been more dramatic. Even no horror- like milieu

was justly rendered in the video. It could have been shot

while keeping an archetypal Pichal Pairee in mind.

Nevertheless, all the band people look absolutely stunning

in the video.

Syed Farhad Humayun shared something great about Shahi,

though I found his language a bit technical with too many

jargons.

“When the music is recorded in the studio, it is

then mixed - which means the volume level of each

instrument/vocals/sound is brought to a level that

complies with the genre of music being produced

and the impact a band wants to bring to a record.

After the mixing comes the mastering stage which

refers to balancing harsh sounds, eliminating bad

frequencies and giving the entire album an even

feel. Mastering on the album was done by Shahi

Hasan. I hope this answers all.”

Shahi has also been working with Zoe Viccaji and his

personal album, about which I found little information. The

work has already been started at Shahi’s studio and I have

listened to only few of the songs. “Thinking About You”

and “Angel”, where the first one being a breakup song. The

composition and lyrics are really touchy and awesome by

Zoe. Though, Shahi is producing the album.

Another upcoming project of Shahi is an album “Saara

Jahan” by Karavan. I initially talked to Asad Ahmed of the

band, he just told me that it would be released in January.

After “Gardish” in 2002, it is fourth album by Karavan.

The album has been produced and mastered by Shahi. Asad

recollecting his old memories with Shahi, speaks,

“Well Hum Tum was recorded in 2 weeks at

Rohail’s house and Shahi played some great Bass

on it. I think we all co wrote a few songs... “Jaana

Jaana”, “Mein Chup Raha” and “Namumkin”.

Shahi's strength at that time was his Bass playing

and ability to liven up the proceedings with his

humor. We also toured in England with that

album and had a fabulous time there. Shahi is

truly a great guy and friend as well as an

exceptional engineer and producer.”

Photograph Courtesy Haroon Shahid

Shahi has also been mastering the first album of Haroon

Shahid (Smyt). Shahi appreciates the new singer, creativity

and nice musicianship of the upcoming band very cordially,

with little concern over the production of the album.

Haroon Shahid speaks about his upcoming album, “Well to

start off with, I have a band called SYMT (meaning

direction in Urdu). It’s a two member band me being one

half and Hassan Omer being the other. I am on the vocals

and Hassan on the guitars and sequencing the keyboards on

the album. The other people who are involved with the

band are Farhad Humayon (Overload) and Mehmood

Rehman (Overload). The album was recorded and produced

by Farhad at Riot Studios and he has also played the drums

on the album whereas Mehmood has played the Bass on the

album. They also pretty much feature as our 'Live' session

players which are great to have such experienced players on

board right from the beginning. Hasan and I have written,

arranged and composed all the songs on the album (9 songs

in all).

Shahi Hasan came in when we reached a dead end as far as

production goes cause in Lahore there is a dearth of people

who can be trusted with Mastering the album. Therefore,

Shahi was the other option we heard about and knew whose

work and experience is a good enough to do the job for us.

It’s been great working with him. We being new artists, the

manner in which he takes up our opinion and then works on

it is great. The best part on a personal level was the day he

messaged saying he felt that 'three songs were exceptional'

out of the six that he had heard till then. So all in all it’s

really nice working with him! And Inshallah our future

projects will intend to definitely have him more involved in

the production.”

It’s not years in your life that count but Life in

those Years

I found it really fascinating that so many people speak well

about Shahi. Not even a single person that I contacted

spoke shoddily of him. Though Shahi isn’t in much

limelight or general public, his fans have never seen him

appearing in interviews or live sessions, he usually refrains

from such things and likes working behind the scenes. He is

not only an awesome musician but also a very good human

being as well. He loves exploring new places and things. I

found a note on his visit to old place Nankana Sahib, where

beautifully captures each and every view. He was so shy in

the beginning to provide me with any data so that I could

write on him. Also, he doesn’t make his friends that easily,

first judges a person and then befriends him, which I think

it is a good habit these days. One shouldn’t trust every one

that easily and hastily. After VS journey, he has been

involved in music engineering. Indus World Music is

another amazing project by him and Faisal Rafi. He holds

more than two decades of experience in music, which adds

more diligence to his work.

Shahi in 80’s

1990’s Mark more ingenuity 00’s Embody more perfectionism

“You can only perceive real beauty in a person as they get older”,

Anouk Aimee

I never found any kind of monotone or repetitive kind of

works that he produces or masters, rather every single piece

is inimitable and diverse.

From hard rock to Sufi tracks, his compositions reflect deep

perfectionism and versatility.

Though he holds a very nice sense of humor and never

hurts you badly. There is a place where his nephew quotes”

Elvis Presley never died”, with Shahi commenting back, “I

know: now Elvis lives in Islamabad”. I knew little about

him before starting the project on him, but kept exploring

different things about his habits and nature from time to

time during the project. He loves travelling and exploring

new places. It was very nice experience for me to write

something on him and bring him in the limelight. Because

initially I even thought the same that he was quite

underrated. Little credit was given to him and he never

complained about it, which shows a humble part of his

nature as well. His aesthetic sense is even amazing: his

passion for photography and the way I have explored him

giving very useful tips to some very professional

photographers, and helping them out. Though, I have tried

to explain him in the best appropriate words, but he says,”

There are words for people like me, but not very many”.

Shahi Hasan Quotes

“Maximum expectation is actually a curious cutoff point.”

Oct 20th, 2009.

“Sarcasm is the lowest form of humor, I should refrain from

it.” Oct 18th, 2009.

“Happiness is only lack of negative emotions.” Oct 5th,

2009.

“It’s about people you think you know but you don't really

know.” Sep 25th, 2009.

“Generally speaking, the people who are the least defined

in what they believe in and what they stand for are the ones

who are the most insecure in our society. They are more

prone to fall into someone else’s worldview than take the

time to think and decide their own opinions.

This is why so many people of low self-esteem fall into cults

and gangs. These organizations give them a purpose and a

direction they can’t find in their own lives. They think they

find their place and belonging with the group. Make sure

you are the one to define yourself, not through others’

opinions or plans.” April 30th, 2009

About the Author

Born on 19 June, 1980, Sadaf Fayyaz was educated at Little Angel and Bahria College Islamabad. She completed her bachelor in computer sciences and Masters in business administration from Bahria University Islamabad. She was awarded Magna-cum-Laude for her MBA program. She was an eminent contributor to research paper competition held by Institute of Bankers Pakistan in 2007. She worked as an intern at Citi Bank and Askari Commercial Bank Islamabad. After her masters, she started working as a freelance writer and blogger. She also worked at Auto Tech as a web content writer in 2008. Besides writing, music and interior decoration are her two passions. She is working as a Help Desk Analyst in her father’s company. In her own words, “After my IBP’s publication, it’s another serious project that I have worked on”. She has been a great fan of Vital Signs and a “networked” friend of Shahi Hasan.