PESHAWAR: Young Pashto singers kept the audience spellbound during a musical concert held here on Thursday evening in connection with centenary celebrations of legendary Pashto poet Ghani Khan.

Amjad Shehzad, a poet and an amateur singer, opened the musical evening with famous rhymes of Ghani Khan: ‘na saz shu na sor shu/bs hasay jwand tamaam shu (life went to waste without tune and rhythm).

The Pakhtunkhwa Adabi Kalturi Tolana (PAKT), a literary cum cultural organisation, arranged the show in collaboration with directorate of culture and information, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Social Participatory Organisation (SPO).

Singers Amjad Shehzad, Zafar Iqrar, Sail Khan and Rashid Khan kept the audience glued to their seats till late night.

The famous songs orchestrated with traditional Pashto music included ‘Aey Che Nun berband Bachee staa da Khurak pa kashala dee/Staa da laas maanry walarray pa delee pa bangala dee (Today your naked children are craving for food, while your hand built villas that could be seen in Delhi and Bangla), Da seend da speenu shagu na me jor karu Yuew mahal/Dy tol Khargee jahan warta hairan hairan katal (I raised a palace out of sands, the world was struck with awe looking at it), and Raza che okhaandu che okhaandee Ghani hum/ Warla khwand na warkawee zaan la Khaanda (let’s smile all together, because Ghani doesn’t like smiling alone).

Addressing the gathering, Professor Aseer Mengal, poet and PAKT president, said a year ago, his colleagues founded the literary cum cultural organisation to bring Pashto poets and musicians together as they were inseparable from each other. “Another objective was to highlight contribution of Ghani Khan to Pashto literature and culture,” he added.

Mr Mengal said young singers must communicate Ghani Khan’s message of peace, love and universal brotherhood to masses.

He said that Pashtuns were facing numerous issues, including a literary and cultural crisis, and asked the Pashto poets, singers and artists to put their acts together to fight militancy and extremism and to fill the literary and cultural gap. He said Ghani Khan was the only figure among his community who not only contributed to development of poetry and music, but also did painting and sculpturing.

Mr Mengal said that Ghani Khan played sitar and arranged musical concerts to keep traditional Pashto music alive.

“Ghani Khan was an avid music buff and would never let any evening pass without poetry sessions and musical concerts at his residence,” he recalled.

Unfortunately, poets and musicians think they are different from each other, but in fact both have commonalties when it comes to rhythm, melody and soothing effect. Both poetry and music contribute to our cultural identity which is under threat and, therefore, needs to be safeguarded and preserved, said Mr Mengal.

On the occasion, Rashid Khattak, poet and PAKT general secretary, said that about 400 literary and cultural organisations were separately operating in KP and Fata to bring poets and artists at one platform with a view to protect, preserve and promote local literature, art and music.

Mr Khattak said that PAKT had also arranged a grand Pashto mushaira in Peshawar a few months ago to give an opportunity to poets from Afghanistan, Balochistan, Fata and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to interact. “Now we are taking singers and artists on board to work together for protecting art, music and poetry,” he added.

Fans of Ghani Khan -- Amjad Shehzad, Irfan Khalil, Dilwar Khan Shinwari and Abdur Rauf -- shared fond memories of the legendary poet with the audience. They said that company with Ghani Khan used to be full of humour and satire drenched in his deep wisdom.

On the occasion, the PAKT also launched a beautiful calendar carrying Ghani Khan’s inspiring Pashto couplets. According to the organisers the revenue generated from selling of the calendar (worth Rs300) would be used for arranging literary events on Ghani Khan in future.