Qawwali maestro Rahat Fateh Ali Khan returned to New Zealand last weekend and it won’t be an exaggeration if we said that it was one of the best Indian music concerts Auckland has ever witnessed.

A packed Victory Convention Centre auditorium and the sold-out show on Friday, August 12, was evidence of the popularity of the Pakistani singer who has a huge fan base not only in Pakistan but also in India and the entire Indian subcontinent.

Members of the audience were cheering throughout the evening while Rahat sang some of his most popular Bollywood songs and qawwalis one after another.

From the recent hot ‘Rashqe Qamar’ to the 'Teri Meri’ of the film Bodyguard, each of the songs he sang, received a huge round of applause and standing ovations.

Speaking to the Indian Weekender, a few people who had come all the way from Fiji, Christchurch and Wellington, said they could not have missed this opportunity to watch their favourite singer live and that it was worth their time, money and the travel.

The event was well-organised and managed by Aariaa Events Limited.

Dinesh Raniga of Aariaa Events, who has been organising such events successfully since many years and servicing the community, was modest about the success of this event.

Mr Raniga thanked the audience for the overwhelming response to this show. 

However, it will not be exaggerating to comment that Mr Raniga’s exemplary organisational and management skills were on full display on the night.  

Mr Dinesh Raniga of Aariaa Events Limited

It’s worth noting that nearly 40-50 per cent of the show tickets were sold within a few hours of ticket-release in early May.

The concert was a part of The Tribute Tour by Ustad Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, remembering his uncle and renowned Qawwali singer Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan on his 20th anniversary.