Rahim found himself getting attracted to broadcasting and enrolled himself in a university program in TV and Radio broadcasting as well. He planned to return to Pakistan and establish his own studio. This passion for music made Rahim enroll in a program in recording engineering at Southern Illinois University.
I was just so passionate about good music that for me just showcasing and presenting such artists to music lovers itself was reward enough. “ It may seem strange, but even then I was never interested in the financial angle. This started happening on a regular basis in Peshawar and gave Rahim a first hand feel of the sound, production, content and organization that went in presenting such events. Rahim got his first taste of showbiz at 17, when he helped organize a live concert with Ghulam Ali and some other artists. Media and television in Pakistan was not as it is today in the 1970s but stars like Mehdi Hassan and Ghulam Ali were very popular and Pakistani television played a big role in showcasing and promoting the arts. I would research it and tell him who sang it and which album had it and then get that album for him.” At times someone would show up with just a song in his mind. People would come from all over because they knew that this was the place where they would find any and every information on music. “ We were a retail store for music recordings. One of the best gifts his father gave him was a business in music called “Teen Beat”. Rahim comes from Peshawar in Pakistan and says he had a great passion for music and the arts for as long as he can remember. Reconnecting with him again after so many years was like the years in between had never happened, except that his little daughter has just graduated from college and he has two more additions- daughter Fozia and son Kamran. I moved out of state for sometime and was very touched when Rahim said to me recently that he would often see the video he had made of that afternoon as I sat interviewing Mehdi Hasan, and wondered where I had disappeared. His adorable little daughter Natasha kept chiming in from time to time. While the maestro was getting ready, Rahim, the poet Farhat Shahzad and I had a long conversation that I still remember with affection. He welcomed me with great courtesy and arranged for a memorable interview with Mehdi Hassan. Even then Rahim was all class and dignity. He was hosting legendary ghazal maestro Mehdi Hasan in a cozy concert and I was invited to cover it for a magazine I was editing at that time. I first met Rahim Paracha way back in July1993 under the most melodious circumstances.