Sardar Ali Takkar

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Sardar Ali Takkar (born 15 July 1956), a veteran of the Pashto singing scene, is mostly famous for singing the revolutionary poetry of Ghani Khan. An engineer by profession, Takkar is a graduate of the University of Engineering and Technology (Peshawar). In recognition of his services to the field of music the President of Pakistan had bestowed upon him the Pride of Performance Award.

Born in 1956 at Takkar village (Thakt Bahi) Mardan, he passed his metric examination from his village school and did his F.Sc. from Government College Mardan. He completed his graduation in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Engineering and Technology, Peshawar. Aside from this he has also attended special courses in U.K and Canada.

His university life provided him more chances to exhibit his hidden talent. Initially he presented his skills before his friends, in different musical programme in the university. But in 1982 when Yar Muhammad Maghmum, a professor at the historic Edward College Peshawar, wanted to celebrate an evening with the great legendary and dynamic philosopher Ghani Khan, but was unable to find a singer who was ready to meet the challenge of putting Ghani's poetry to music. When Takkar became aware of the situation, he agreed to sing in that programme. Some people also recorded this programme on audio cassette, which got so much prominence that music stores started selling it on regular basis. In this way, his debut album (solely based on Ghani khan's poetry) touched the market incidentally.

It was in those days when a program for youths named "Zalmey Kool" (Young Generation) used to broadcast from the Radio Pakistan. Takkar for the first time not only played different instruments but also sang two ghazals in that program. After that, he also had the opportunity to record a program at the Peshawar Center of Pakistan Television Vision (PTV).

In 1984, Takkar left for Afghanistan. His stay in Afghanistan helped him become able to sing the poetry of those poets who were banned in Pakistan and his singing from Afghanistan also brought him prominence back at home. In recognition of his unforgettable services to Pashto music, the government of Pakistan awarded him with the Pride of Performance. He is also a recipient of numerous awards and certificates from a number of cultural organizations.