PESHAWAR: Gulabkhel Afridi, a noted rabab player, launched here on Sunday Gul Rabab Academy (GRA) to teach techniques of the musical instrument to students.

Senior music composer Nazeer Gul Ustad performed the launching ceremony. He said that the academy would prove a great milestone in the field of music education as many young students aspiring to learn rabab playing would benefit from it.

Music lovers and aspiring students attended the launching ceremony.

Gulabkhel Afridi says foreigners, female students can attend online classes

Gulabkhel Afridi said that he had been imparting rabab training informally for the last six years but his recent post regarding launching the academy in Peshawar on social media encouraged him.

He said that the post received good response from people even non-Pakhtuns. He said that female trainees would not need to walk up to the academy as they would get online tuition.

“Mastering rabab is not everybody’s cup of tea as it needs a lot of hard work and close attention on basic tips,” he said.

Mr Afridi said that online classes would be available on Imo and skype for foreign students and local female aspirants. He said that around 100 local and about 20 students from UK, America, Germany, Austria, Australia, Canada, Guatemala, China, UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar had already contacted him for rabab tuition.

“At least two female students, one each from Islamabad and Lahore, have contacted me for admission to my academy. It is a time consuming job. It is on the strong desire of my fans that I decided to launch such an academy. It is the first-ever institution to impart training on rabab in Peshawar,” he claimed.

Nazeer Gul Ustad said that rabab learning was hard compared to learning other musical instruments. “I will assist Afridi in lessons on harmonium and art of singing at the academy,” he added.

He said that the academy would also facilitate nominees of culture directorate in imparting music education.

Shabir Jan, a young student at University of Peshawar, said on the occasion that he along with six classmates would seek admission to the academy. He said that since long he and his friends had been searching for a rabab trainer in Peshawar and the academy would fulfil their desire along with their studies.

Mr Jan said that learning the intricacies of music was necessary if one wanted to adopt it as profession in future. “Even if one does not wish to adopt rabab playing as future career, learning it is still gives one satisfaction to get tuned to life,” he added.

Zahid Khan, another student from Government College Peshawar, said that opportunities for learning music were fewer in the city plagued by extremism and militancy for over several decades. He said that he had sought admission to the academy as he found it convenient to attend it during evening shift.

“I don’t want to pursue rabab playing as future career. I just want to learn playing this wonderful instrument to promote our cultural identity,” he said. Later, Gulabkhel Afridi played a few numbers on his rabab along with tabla and entrained a select-gathering.

Published in Dawn, November 14th, 2016