ALKHOBAR, 25 October — He has the same stature, the same bald head and his singing voice resembles that of the great maestro, therefore many people who have heard Bakhtiar Ahmad sing, call him, "Mehdi Hassan of Alkhobar".

Bakhtiar Ahmad hates that. "Mehdi Hassan is such a great singer, there’s nobody like him. Also, I want to be known for what I am….Bakhtiar Ahmad, a modest man, a patriot and a social worker."

It is the social work that inspires Bakhtiar to sing. He says his 15-year-old organization Friends Forum try to provide entertainment and community service to the Pakistanis in the Eastern province. "We usually include some musical program as an attraction. The entrance is free. People come in good numbers and get to hear about the needs of the community. Most are patriotic Pakistanis and are keen to help others. Music just helps to attract attention."

Friends Forum is a small organization. It has only six active members: Professor Shafqat Upul and Gulraiz Butt of King Faisal University, poet Iqbal Qamar, Tarique Babri, Ejaz Gul and Bakhtiar Ahmad. "We have no designations, no titles for the members. We work like a team. We raised 1.5 million rupees for Nawaz Sharif Fund when he had called on Pakistanis for support. During the war in Afghanistan, we were asked to collect at least six containers of blankets and clothes. Friends Forum collected fifteen. We are now raising funds for the construction of a new building for Pakistan school. Maybe we can somehow contribute to building its new premises."

Bakhtiar, who hails from Kasur, is an accountant by profession. He is also a good sportsman. He played five times in the national badminton championship in Pakistan. He was also a good player of cricket, squash and tennis. But if you hear him sing raag kalavati you will never believe that this man has had no musical training, that he is a self-taught music composer and singer.

Sheer boredom made him a singer. "When I first came to Saudi Arabia in 1978, I worked for Jubail Harbor Consortium. Our office was situated in deep sea. There was nothing to do after work. I used to go to a club for playing tennis or squash. A cousin of mine had a broken harmonium. I borrowed it from him and to beat boredom, I would try to play it on my own. Within a week, to my surprise, I was able to play tunes on it. That was the discovery of the musician in me."

Bakhtiar is always being compared to Mehdi Hasan. He has the same type of voice as the maestro. "I am not ashamed to admit I do copy his style. After all he is the greatest ghazal singer in the Indo-Pakistan subcontinent."

Bakhtiar has sung for Radio Pakistan, Lahore. He has also composed music for singer Shafqat Upul’s cassette. Has he ever considered coming out with his own collection of songs?

"I would love to do that. But frankly speaking, I am a poor man. You need a lot of money to release records and cassettes. I am very satisfied with my music here in Saudi Arabia. I prefer to use it for a good purpose, for social work."

Bakhtiar believes in the richness and quality of traditional music. He is quite opposed to the modern trend of pop music. "A plant stays green only if its roots are deep and strong. Our roots get hollow and weak when we abandon our own rich heritage and try to follow in the footsteps of the West.

"Our culture, our weather and our temperament are all suitable for soft and gentle songs like ghazals. The loud, swinging music is suitable for the West because they are inhabitants of a cold and harsh area. There are very few real singers nowadays. There is so much technology available. You can makeover any voice and it will appear very good. They cannot sing without those instruments."

Bakhtiar believes that singers in India have better opportunities. "We have more talent in Pakistan. In India they have better opportunities and appreciation. Now if I am to practice singing, my neighbors would complain and say, I’ve gone crazy. In India, they would be more understanding."