New Delhi: A bunch of children singing Qawwali in a music academy in Lahore has done something rare — brought Indians and Pakistanis on social media together to say nice things about each other. At least for the most part. It has also united them in praising the singers, who are becoming popular as “little Nusrats” after a post from an Indian user on X described them as such. The child singers have struck a different note in the subcontinent — and few were expecting it.
“When you lift the veil of hate.. you will realise there was no enmity between our people and yours. Same music, same food, you look like us/ we look like you. The enmity was manufactured by a few to keep them relevant,” a user named Adnan Dawood posted on X.
The widely shared clip shows the children singing ‘Alfaaz,’ a Punjabi song, as they are joined by William Gamborg, a member of the Norwegian hip hop group Quickstyle. The video has garnered more than 10 million views.
Nine-year-old Abdul Rehman, one of the musicians in the video, is beyond ecstatic. Speaking to ThePrint over the phone from Lahore, he described how his class teacher played the viral video in class and heaped praise on him.
“She told me when she opens social media, all she can see are my videos,” he said in a squealing voice.
Rehman is among the 100 students who learn music at Lahore’s Sur Taal Academy, led by Zia-ul Haq. Founded in 2016, the academy has been teaching children for free under Haq and his brother. A decade later, the children have gone viral, and Haq feels emotional.
“I see the love that the Indian audience has showered on us, and I do not have words to explain how happy I feel and say thank you,” he added.
The gathering took place the previous week when Gamborg visited the academy with Zulfiqar Jabbar Khan, the Pakistani music producer widely known as Xulfi. Known for his work in Pakistan’s music industry, especially with Coke Studio Pakistan, he has served as a mentor to the academy’s Sultan Kids band, Haq said. Gamborg, meanwhile, was already familiar with some Punjabi and Saraiki songs and had performed covers of regional music.
“When he began singing, all the children joined in,” Haq said. Gamborg, in a comment, said, “I’ll never forget this moment.”
An academy for all
But the story of the children of Sur Taal is not simply one of a viral video. It is also the story of a music teacher who wanted to make formal training available to children who could not afford it, of families who have begun to see music as a possible livelihood for their children, and of a small institution that has struggled to sustain itself while trying to give young performers opportunities that might otherwise have remained out of reach.
Nearly a decade after the academy’s establishment, it has more than 100 students, and Haq said that the children who once came to learn in relative obscurity are now attracting audiences across national borders.
Haq, who studied musicology at Pakistan’s Punjab University and earned a master’s degree, said the academy’s idea took shape while he was studying. He had noticed that Pakistan had few places where children could receive structured musical training. Where such institutions existed, their fees were often beyond the reach of ordinary families.
“These children have immense talent but little resources,” he said, describing a problem he believed the existing system had failed to address.
The academy initially began partly as a side business. Haq and his cousin, who lives in the US and serves as the academy’s chief executive, had good students and wanted to create a place to teach them. But the arrangement changed when the first students began arriving.
“When the first student came to us, we saw that her financial situation was very difficult,” Haq recalled. As more children joined, their parents explained that they could not afford the fees.
“Then we made this academy completely free of cost,” he added.
The decision became central to the institution’s identity. Haq said he and his brother continued teaching without charging the children, despite the financial pressures involved in running the academy, paying teachers and maintaining the space.
Haq is convinced “this is why I was put on earth”. The academy’s support, he added, can extend beyond music lessons. Haq said that the institution has also helped pay school fees for some disabled children as well, though not all of them.
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‘We want parents to be aware’
The intention is to help parents understand that music need not be merely a hobby or an activity reserved for families with money. With training and opportunities to perform, children may be able to develop their talent and eventually earn money to support their education.
“We want the parents to be aware that their children who are interested in this can excel and earn money,” Haq said.
The students come from different parts of Lahore, but the academy also draws children from villages farther away. Haq said that girls, in particular, travel from villages to attend lessons.
For some, the journey to the academy has become an important part of their lives. One girl, he said, had been travelling from her village to learn music for six years. Her performance at the closing ceremony of the Pakistan Super League, singing the national anthem, had also gone viral.
Haq said a documentary had been made about her journey and her opportunity to perform at the event. The performance was another example, in his view, of what could happen when children were given access to training and a stage on which to demonstrate their abilities.
The academy has also produced students whose performances attracted attention through other musical platforms. Haq recalled a performance that drew a reaction from Indian singer Sonu Nigam. In 2020, Nigam shared a video praising then eight-year-old Hadiya Hashmi and Soch the band for their rendition of ‘Bol Hu’ on Nescafé Basement. Hadiya was then a student of Sur Taal. Haq proudly said that he had played the harmonium alongside her in the video.
Now, with the videos featuring Gamborg circulating widely, Haq said the academy is receiving interest from children across Pakistan who want to join.
“We got so many calls that we had to tell them that admissions are stopped for now,” he added.
That is because while the attention is welcome, it has brought practical challenges. The academy operates in a small space, and its teachers must continue to manage classes, salaries and the needs of more than 100 students.
Haq said that the academy was also preparing children for concerts and other appearances. Invitations were arriving in such numbers that managing the calls had become difficult. The academy had begun selecting concerts for the children and planning how they might perform at different venues.
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From Pakistan Super League to US embassy
A viral video may bring visibility almost overnight, but maintaining a music school requires a more dependable source of support. The academy’s growing visibility did not begin with Gamborg’s visit. Haq said its association with events surrounding the Pakistan Super League had already brought its students into the public eye.
Singer Ali Zafar and the Pakistan Super League’s chief Salman Nasir also brought the trophy to the academy. Nasir had helped connect the children with opportunities, while Zafar had also supported them, Haq said.
He also described support from Natalie Baker, the US ambassador to Pakistan. According to Haq, Baker had supported the children by inviting them to embassy events since the previous year and had continued to help them gain opportunities to perform.
Haq said the academy had begun to receive more interest after the embassy-related appearances and the children’s interactions with celebrities. He linked that attention to the rise in enrolment, adding that the institution was now receiving requests from families across Pakistan.
The challenge is to ensure that the children can benefit from that interest without losing the educational purpose that brought them together in the first place.
For Rehman, however, these things are beyond comprehension. What he does understand is the love. A huge Virat Kohli fan, he is happy with the reaction from across the border.
“I want to say thank you to everyone who watched and shared our videos,” he said.
He is now fervently waiting for another milestone: for the video to hit a billion views in two days. It would be an unprecedented feat, and they have plans to celebrate.
“We will be cutting a big cake,” he said.
(Edited by Saptak Datta)