By:Ameer Mandhro
He is not a pied piper of Hamelin, but his story is quite inverse to that. Khalid Tarar is a flute master based in Badin who has made it his life’s mission to find missing children and reunite them with their parents. His noble mission has made him a hero of children.
“I could not see the tears of mothers for their missing children, so I left home to find them,” says Khalid. Though he has no blood relation with former Pakistani president Rafique Tarrar, people often address him with the name of “Tarrar Saheb”. He has no other source of income without his flute, which he plays in programs and personal gatherings to earn some money.
Multi-skilled musician and actor Ghulam Qadir Rahi, General Secretary of Badin Arts Council, Sindh, provides him appointments to perform in various shows along with other talented artists. Rahi believes that “artists like Tarrar Saheb need due attention from the culture department for the promotion of their talent.”
About 30 years ago, Khalid left home on his bicycle in search of missing children. He walked through each and every corner of the country with pictures of those missing kids. To draw the attention of the public, he found the flute as a key source. After a few years, he purchased a microphone for announcements too. “A famous radio program ‘Yeh Bacha Kiss Ka Hay’ was the main supporting source for me to reach out to the parents of missing children during those days,” says Tarrar Saheb. “But now, the advanced technology of social media has made the process too easy, so now I can perform that service without traveling from door to door,” he added.
Khalid Tarar is happy to state that he has helped reunite over 5000 individuals with their beloveds. For self-soul satisfaction, he goes to an isolated place to play the flute. Many people in Badin city are used to his flute voice at midnight. Khalid Tarar is a poor artist who has given a new introduction to his city as a “City of Flute Masters”. Visitors from other parts of the country never miss an opportunity to listen to his flute. His family is very poor, but his passion for art is too rich, and that’s why he never raised a hand anywhere for support.
Khalid learned the art of playing the flute from many teachers, but he improved it with his daily practice. He also joined a music club in Badin under the supervision of Mr. Rahi and got the knowledge about Hymes. His day starts at dawn with a flute tune of “Shah E Madeena صہ, Yasrab Ke Waali”. He dreams of establishing an institution in Badin to find missing children. His offer is open to everyone who wants to learn flute playing. He hopes that Badin Arts Council and Culture Department Sindh will recognize his services, and an opportunity would be availed to him to teach the flute to youngsters.
Khalid Tarar’s story is an inspiration to us all. His selfless dedication to the cause of reuniting missing children with their parents is nothing short of heroic. Let us all support him in his noble mission.