By Muhammad Rome
The music of a nation is a living image of their social life, attitudes, culture and way of life. Folk music is the soul of music. It is usually simple and in easy notes, equally appreciated and enjoyed by all members of a society. If a degree of classical music is added to the folk music it becomes more fascinating.
Music is so embedded in the cultural set up of Pakhtun society that at least a Tapa – a popular Pashto folk poetry meant to be sung – is remembered by each individual of the society. The social strength has kept Pashto music alive and made progress with the passage of time.
In 1893 when the Durand Line was drawn between Afghanistan and India, present day Pakistan, a challenge of social and cultural survival was faced by Pakhtuns of this side of the Durand Line. The annexed territory was used as a buffer zone by the British. Proxy wars were fought on both sides of the Line. The region has witnessed many upheavals in the past century. Today the region is one of the most dangerous zones of the world. In these harsh circumstances Pashto music was able to carry on its journey.
Pashto with Western beats
In the third quarter of last century Western music permeated into Indian music. But they have adopted it and made some very standard compositions. However, this influence is limited to theatre and film music of Bollywood. Through the film music of India, Western music gradually entered into neighboring countries. Thus Pashto music has also been affected.
Due to turbulence in Afghanistan artists and musicians sought refuge in Western countries. The assimilation has resulted in composition of high standard music in Pashto with Western and European beats and musical instruments. This experiment was successful in the context of Afghanistan because the artists and musicians there have good understanding of classical music. On the other side of Durand Line, the north west of Pakistan the Western influence has bad effects on Pashto music due to its peculiar circumstances.
The famous Ghazi Amanullah Khan gave patronage to music. He sent musicians to India for learning classical music and thus introducing classical music in Afghanistan. He himself was a good player of piano and harmonium. Academies were opened to educate youngsters in music. This official patronage started long before him and survived after him.
To the Pakistani side of Durand line there has never been state patronage. Therefore the Western music was not assimilated in the way Afghani artists have done. Sardar Ali Takkar was the first to experiment with Western and classical music. Takkar, a great artist, was successful in this experiment. After him, with exception of a few, the trend has never been successful.
Onslaught against culture
The so-called media revolution in Pakistan poses new threat to Pashto music. AVT Khyber TV, the only Pashto tv-channel in Pakistan, did more damage than service to Pashto music. Without proper compositions, new songs with Western beats were started being aired. Those who could afford recordings became singers overnight.
The current onslaught against culture and Pashto music is traced back to the then Soviet Union invasion of Afghanistan. Radical Islam was introduced in both sides of Durand Line, region inhabited by Pakhtuns, to effectively restrain and defeat Soviet troops. During the period cinema halls were frequently targeted, once the most powerful artistic expression of the society has been gradually made worthless. In the process Pashto music has made great loss. As the intolerance and extremism grew spaces for cultural expression shrank.
The appearance of Taliban in 1990s, the offshoot of Mujahideen, was the beginning of dark period for Pashto music. After 9/11 when Taliban sought refuge in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and other parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa all means were deployed to discourage cultural gatherings and expressions.
The extremists capitalized upon the public understanding of music as something against the religion. This view has been propagated since 1980s through various mediums. And thus there was little resistance on the onslaught of singers, performers, artists and musicians.
Dead or exiled
On the other side of Durrand line, in Afghanistan, the decades-long and unending civil war, anarchy and turbulence has caused the decline of all fine arts. The reigns of Jihadi war-lords and Taliban were particularly suppressive and destructive for all arts and artists in Afghanistan. In past, Kabul and Kandahar were big centres of music. Singers and musicians in these cities were either murdered or forced to quit music under threats of death. Many were forced to leave their country. The consequences of all this for music were, to say the least, destructive.
A great teacher of classical music from Kandahar, Rahmani Sahib, is teaching music at a university in Denmark. Nashanas Ustaz lives in London. Other Afghan singers and musicians are scattered in the United States, Germany, India and other countries.
Insecurity and fear
The circumstances under which Pukhto music is surviving since last few years have inflicted a great damage to Pukhto music. In these years, many a singers and artists were murdered. Shabana and Ghazala Javeed of Swat and Anwar Gul of Peshawar are recent instances of killed artists.
A number of leading Pukhto singers and musicians – like Sardar Ali Takkar, Haroon Bacha and Sahib Gul Ustaz – were forced to leave the country and leave in exile. Those who couldn’t make it to free lands had no option but to quit music altogether and are now leading miserable lives. And those remaining Pukhto singers and musicians who refused to end their attachment to music are living under a continuous sense of insecurity and fear.
Need of the day: advocacy
In this backdrop there is a need of civil society to stand with art and its industry. Advocacy at all levels is the need of the day. The shrinking spaces not only endanger the artists but there is a threat to the art itself. There is now one master of sarenda, a traditional musical instrument, player left. With him the art will die.
Music Freedom Day provides a tremendous opportunity in bringing to light the importance of music within a society and discussing and sharing ideas locally and at world stage.
Creative and free expression is a key to progress. Long lasting peace can only be achieved if pluralism is duly respected and valued.
“Protect my white pigeon from the gun fire
Believe me,
the music of Rabaab will bring back peace.”
Poetry by Amjad Shahzad
The article is originally published by Freemuse
The author can be reached at muhammadrome@gmail.com
Can be followed via Twitter: @muhammadrome
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