PESHAWAR: A private Pashto TV channel has launched a show to revive traditional Pashto music by presenting a tribute to popular folksingers of their time, both living and dead.

Directed and produced by Fahmeed Khan, the 70-mintue Pashto musical show will inspire the upcoming singers. “The basic objective of the show is to revive old Pashto music, which has been affected badly by commercialism over the last two decades,” Mr Khan told this scribe.

He said that digitalisation also robbed traditional Pashto music of its originality. “Some Shows have already been put on air while the rest are in pipeline,” he added.

The list of the legendary Pashto folksingers include Ustad Abdullah Jan, Ustad Awal Mir, Sabz Ali Khan, Sobat Khan, Abdur Rahman Owr, Ahmad Khan, Fazal Rabi, Fida Hussain, Moen Ali, Badshah Zareen Jan, Bakht Zameena, Ayub, Nashanas, Shakeela Naz, Rahim Ghamzada, Shah Wali, Qamar Gula, Khan Tahsil, Zarsanga, Gulnar Begum, Kishwar Sultana, Aqal Meena, Akbar Hussain, Khial Mohammad, Mah Jabeen Qazalbash, Rafiq Shinwari, Hidayatullah and Gulraiz Tabassum.

They were the most popular singers of the yore days and contributed immensely to traditional Pashto music with their inborn talent and penchant for the art of singing. They used to take training from their music teacher to further hone their skill.

No electronic musical instrument is used in the show. Only simple orchestra comprising traditional musical instruments like rabab, tabla, harmonium and clarinet are used to maintain the originality of the old Pashto music.

Young rising stars Zafar Iqrar, Nazia Iqbal, Ashraf Gulzar, Irfan Kamal, Dilraj, Shaukat Mahmood, Humaira Naz, Gul Panra and skilled maestros Ahmad Gul, Sardar Ali Banusai, Master Rahim Gul and Anwar Khial are performing in the show. Their voices are matching with those singers of the old good times of Pashto music.

Senior music composer Master Ali Haider said that best music went with best poetry. “If one is compatible with the other, its impact on the listeners will be far-reaching and positive. Music, I believe, should soothe not whisk us,” he added.

Mr Haider said that there was repetition in the digital music while traditional music had abundance of variations in sound. According to him, traditional music touches the heart due to its everlasting effect on the ears but CD singers are short-lived.

“For me it was a great challenge to sing out like Ustad Awal Mir or any other Ustad of traditional Pashto folk music because it needed extra efforts to be totally depended on your pitch of sound rather than the computer tuner,” said young singer Zafar Iqrar.

Ustad Nazeer Gul said that young singers and music buffs would learn a lot about tremendous contributions of old music Pashto maestros. “My advice to the upcoming singers is to learn music properly from an Ustad and also shun away too much dependence on computer tuner because technology cannot give you a sweet natural voice but a perfect Ustad (music composer) can help you identify your talent and polish it,” he added. As per the format of the show, a singer sings popular numbers already sung by an old legend singer while an expert throws light on the art and contributions of that particular singer. The show goes on air every Wednesday night.