Music in Mardan
Akbar Hoti
There is no doubt that Pushto Singers and Musicians of Mardan are well known throughout Pukhtoonkhwa
and Afghanistan. On the one hand the poets have written beautiful poetry and on the
other hand the musicians and the singers have worked hard to convert these into beautiful songs.
The majority of this
traditional group of singers and musicians are living in Par Hoti Mardan. Most of them have come from Marghuz and Baja Bam
Khel in Swabi and some from Swat. The reason of coming to Mardan was the hardships of life in their villages and the relatively
closer geographical position of Mardan to Peshawar. From here
they used to visit other places to perform .They also used to go to Peshawar Broadcasting Station for recording of the songs.
There were small studio rooms where people used to visit and listened to the music in Par Hoti. For this reason this area
was called the music bazaar of Mardan.
Some great singers have emerged from Par Hoti. The famous ones are Bachazareen Jan, Qamro
Jan, Kishwar Sultan, Mashuk Sultan, Nigar Sultan,Khatoon, Shakila Naz and Neelam. The well known Pushto singer Khial Muhammad
also learnt singing in Mardan in his childhood.
The musicians who became popular are Farrukh Seir Shama, Rahdat Hussain,
Muhammad Anwar Master and Wali Dad Tibla Nawaz. At the present time Master Liaqat, Moeen Ali, Iqbal Hussain Shan, Laloon,
Fazal Wahab Dard, Zar Nosh, Muhammad Ali (Rabab Nawaz), Malik Aman and Kachkol Ustaz are worth mentioning.
These are
the people who have kept the Pushto music alive and in particular the traditional and folk music of Pukhtoon Nation. They
are also working hard to promote Pushto poetry and language. Despite the struggle, this group of people have always been living
in poor conditions. The main reason is that like the Pushto language, these are the disadvantaged people. There is not enough
coverage of Pashto language on the Government Media. With the introduction of Private Pushto Radio Services and TV Channels
there is some hope that Pushto language and along with it the Pushto Music will flourish.
Badshazarin Jan
Akbar Hoti
Badshazareen Jan is one of the famous Pashto singers. She comes from Mardan
and started singing in a very young age. Her first song was played by Radio Peshawar in 1949 when she was only 7 year old.This
great singer was born in Par Hoti in 1942.Her father was Abdul Rahim who concentrated on her education. She was the first
Pashto female singer who passed Metric exam from a local school for girls
She got the initial music lessons from her
elder sister, Dilbar Jan Balelai and later on regular training from Pazir Gul Ustaz. She is the only singer who has sung in
Pashto, Hindko, Punjabi, Farsi, Potohari, Saraiki and Urdu languages. Apart from every corner in Pakistan,
she has performed in India as well.She
is not only a good singer but also played a central role in Radio dramas like Jalat Khan-Mahbooba and Sher Alam-Mamoonai.
She was given an award for best performance in 1960s and in 2000 she received a Medal of distinction.
She remained single and dedicated her life to Pashto music. Like everything else the good
time has come to an end. Badshazareen Jan is living quietly in Gulbahar Peshawar. The grant from Radio has been stopped and
she is facing financial problems. She deserves more what she received for her good work.
She has recorded many songs
but the ones we like are
پناه
ولاړه يمه هلکه
بلۍ مه نړوه
ليدې مې نۀ شې او زۀ
Aw za pana walarha yama...Halaka balai ma narhawa, leedey mey na shey
2.ما پر ے سيز ے
ځې په مکيزونو
ياره هوجرې له بله
ډيوه و ړ ے
Maa pe sezey.....
Zey pa makezoono yara....Hujrey la bala deva worey...
Qamro Jan
By Akbar Hoti
Mardan is playing a very
central role in keeping the Pukhtoon culture alive. Apart from literary activities, it has produced some very top singers
who have performed at the top levels. These traditional singers are not only known to the people of Mardan but are very popular
in the entire Pukhtoon population throughout the world.
Qamro Jan is one of these singers .This vocalist was born in
1944 in Par Hoti. Her father Nawab Khan was a musician and a good Harmonium player.
Qamro Jan was fond of music and
had a beautiful voice since young age. Her first song was broadcasted from Peshawar Radio Station in 1959 and she was only
15 year old at that time. The producer was Rashid Ali Dehqan and the director was Qazi Saeed. This was the song that popularized
the poet Ali Haidar Joshi and the story of Yousaf Khan Sher Bano. The song called "Badala" was a hit and following this Qamro
Jan became a famous artist.
Initially she used to sing on Radio only as there was no television or Pushto movies. She
rented an accommodation in Qissa Khwani and was paid fifty rupees for each recording of the song. Later on she sung on stage
and television.
She received an award for her best performance from Peshawar Radio Station. She sung patriotic songs
and anthems at the time of wars in 1965 and 1971 but she has never been awarded for this by the National, Provincial or the
divisional authorities.
This great singer is still alive. She even does not have her own house. She is living in Par
Hoti in a small house made of mud and clay. She is paying 600 rupees per month to the landlord.
Qamro Jan played her
role to popularize Pushto music and Mardan. Now it's up to the authorities and the people of Mardan to take care of this wonderful
singer. She is passing through the most difficult period of her life.
Song
This song is written by Dr Israr and is sung by the vocalist Haroon Bacha. You can listen
to the song by visiting the following link:
http://www.musafar.com/new_songs/nsp/pushto_new_songs_004.html
Khalak badal shoo, Ka badal shuloo wakhtoona
Jinakay na razi goodar tha
Pakhwa
ba har mazigar, da nazar sel wo-- Mangi pa sar ba junoo, jor karey tel wo--
Da goodar har bootay ba da sar poolel wo--
Wus pake aloozi spera spera badoona
Jinakay na razi goodar tha
Da sa jadoo woka cha, pa kali kor-- Da goodar patey na sho, haghasey
nor
Pa deedanoono bandey, porey sho wor-- Cherta mayeno ta cha wokra azaroona
Jinakay Na Razi Goodar Tha
Hope
you enjoyed the song. And if you have then why not listen to it again.
