The living legend of Pashto folk music and the uncrowned king of light ghazal singing, Khayal Mohammad, is forced to live in penury after spending what he calls hard-earned money on his treatment. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governor’s symbolic financial assistance of Rs50,000 followed by issuance of Rs100,000 aid by the culture minister could neither fill the gap nor could it help the ghazal maestro cover his expenses.

Mr Niamat Wali, a young ANP activist and fan of Khayal Mohammad, regretted that giving a meagre amount to a great artist of the soil was no more than a joke with the art.

He said the ANP government had given Rs1 million to ‘Lala’ besides providing handsome financial assistance to almost all deserving artists, singers and writers of the province but the current PTI-led government in the province was making fun of Pashtun culture.

“If I’d refused to take the donated amount which I thought was a goodwill gesture towards an artist who had devoted his life to Pashto music, then they would blame me for being an ungrateful person. Until now, I have spent around Rs500,000 on my treatment.

I have an extended family and enjoy a large circle of diehard fans, who visit me everyday. Being a Pashtun, I’m supposed to be hospitable to them. Maybe, I’ll beg due to extreme poverty,” the folk singer told Dawn at his residence in Peshawar’s Sattar Shah Bacha Colony with misty eyes while sitting on a wheelchair.

Khayal Mohammad insisted it’s not the matter of giving less or more money to artists and singers and rather, it’s the mindset and attitude, which mattered.

According to him, it’s not only the government’s responsibility to help artists and singers, especially those in need of financial aid, but also affluent artists should come up with an endowment fund to ease the misery of fellow artists for once and all.

He asked why artists always look up to the government’s institutions for financial support and why not the civil society makes strategies to promote art and sartists.

“They should set up a fund to help artists in the time of permanent illness or financial constraints,” he suggested.

Wisal Khial, younger son of Khayal Mohammad, said his father was under treatment but many fans and music lovers visited him daily.

He said being a down-to-earth person, his father had never asked anyone for financial help even when his health was good.

“Now, bad days have fell on him shrinking his resources. I am proud of my father, who has served Pashtuns for more than four decades and advised us to contribute to our country selflessly,” he said.

The Ghazal maestro’s son, however said the question remained why such great sons of the land were not respected and honoured in their lifetime.

He said he didn’t have any complaints against anyone not even against the provincial government.

“Unfortunately, every time we try to prove right what Ghani Khan had written somewhere in one of his books that Pashtuns love music but hate musicians,” he said.

Hameed Jan, a lover of Pashto music, said despite being in power for one year, provincial government hadn’t announced a cultural policy.

An official at the provincial culture directorate told Dawn that the relevant officials were in contact with Khayal Mohammad’s family for assistance.

He said the directorate was committed to offering any service required to the folk singer.

“We are in contact with family members of Khayal Lala and are quite ready to extend any assistance he requires,” he said.

Published in Dawn, June 8th, 2014