WITH the death on Sunday of folk singer Reshma, Pakistan has reason to reflect once again on the passing on of a generation of music legends whose likes may not be seen in the country again. Famous for her renditions of songs such as Dam Mast Qalander, Hai O Rabba Nahion Lagda Dil Mera and Lambi Judai (used in the Indian film Hero), Reshma was amongst the most popular folk artists in the country and sang to packed audiences here and abroad. Remarkably, the singer’s unassuming attitude was left uncorrupted by a career spanning several decades of richly deserved fame, even though many hold that her talent equalled the likes of giants such as Pathanay Khan or Malika Pukhraj. She had been diagnosed with cancer several years ago and she spent the last month of her life in coma. While she is now at peace, for thousands of her admirers there can only be sadness for a golden voice stilled, for songs that remain now only in memory.

Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of Reshma’s work is the fact that she was musically untrained, and ‘discovered’ only through happenstance. She was 12 years old when a television and radio producer heard her singing at the Hazrat Lal Shahbaz Qalandar shrine in Sehwan, and he arranged for her to record Laal Meri for Pakistan Radio. The song was an instant hit and subsequent years saw Reshma appear regularly on radio and PTV. She also received the Sitara-i-Imtiaz award. Her example is instructive of the wealth of talent that must remain un-mined in the country and the role that the state-owned media can play in these days of rampant media commercialism to provide a platform for those who deserve it but lack the access.