I M QAZI TAUQEER--A MUST READ!!---

My first brush with spirituality happened when I was a young boy. My father, a lawyer, once visited Ajmer-e-Sharif and came back a changed person.

For seven months he stayed out of the house, lived on chapatti and water and searched for the Ultimate Truth. When he returned, he gave up all things material and started living a simple life. Everyday he would organise a langar at home where the poor were fed free of cost.

The practice continues till today. Soon enough, I began helping out with the langar. While other boys my age were charting out a career plan, I was busy feeding the hungry.

My father's friends began telling him I was wasting my youth. He replied that I would get what none of their sons could even dream of. I guess he has been proved right.

I have always been a dreamer. But I have also believed in the power of my dreams. I don't put my faith in lucky charms and magic spells. I think if your heart is clean, good fortune can never elude you. If you play the game honestly, you are bound to win.

If you respect others, they will respect you. If you're hardworking, nobody can stop you from getting ahead. And if you're talented, nothing can keep you down.

I am just 20 years old — I don't really have a view on the problems in Kashmir. But they do make me sad. I'm not a politician, just a singer — don't ask me for solutions to violence in my home state. I support peace — that's the only way I see out of this mess.

For me, personally, peace comes from talking to people, from joking around with my friends, from making those around me smile. My philosophy towards life is simple — I play to win. And if I don't win, I know a bigger victory awaits me elsewhere.