CONTRARY to other areas, Pakistan was bestowed with a lion's share of high quality classical and ghazal singers and musicians at the time of partition of the subcontinent in 1947. Those artistes had dominated the music scene in the 1950s and 60s, and music lovers had no dearth of quality entertainment, both on the radio and on the stage.

People would throng music programmes organised at the open-air theatre in Lahore or at various gymkhanas' in Karachi and would sit the whole night listening to outstanding performances of the maestros.

Amongst classical singers were Roshan Ara Begum, Ustad Nazakat and Salamat Ali Khan, Ustad Fateh Ali and Amanat Ali Khan, Ustad Ramzan Khan, Bhai Lal Mohammad, Chotay Ghulam Ali, Umeed Ali Khan, Umrao Bundu Khan, Ustad Barkat Ali Khan, who also sang ghazals in his unique style and Ustad Mashooq Ali Khan.

* Classical instrumentalists who rose to fame were Ustad Bundu Khan in sarangi, Sharif Khan Poonchwaley in sitar, Ustad Khursheed Ali Khan and Shaukat Hussain Khan in tabla, Habib Ali Khan beenkar, Pazeer Khan from the NWFP in sarinda and Saeen Marna who had invented a one-string instrument called ektara and would play on it various ragas with absolute mastery.

The ace sarangi player of the subcontinent, Ustad Bundu Khan of Delhi Gharana, was attached with Maharaja of Indore and migrated to Pakistan after the partition.

In the genre of ghazal singing, there were Mehdi Hasan, Farida Khanum, Iqbal Bano, Malika Pukhraj and Habib Wali Muhammad, to name a few.

Even the shattered film industry, which was build up almost from scratch, got music composers such as Khawaja Khursheed Anwer, Rasheed Attrey and Master Ghulam Haider, who had already made a name for themselves in Bombay.

Madame Noor Jehan, who was the top female film singer of the subcontinent, preferred to migrate to Pakistan just for the love of the country. With the advent of television in 1964, producers of music programmes would allow only those amateur singers to perform on television who possessed individual singing style and would be fully conversant with the norms of singing.

With the passing away of these stalwarts, their places have not been filled in even by their sons or daughters, who are banking on singing pop music for monetary considerations, the base for which has been derived from the West.

Those amongst them who have learnt classical music are still conscious not to lose track of melody ,which is the most important ingredient and requirement of our traditional singing.

Music programmes telecast by a number of channels are also pathetic and lack quality. Amateur singers given a chance to sing on these channels have idolised and try to emulate Indian playback singers of yesteryear such as Muhammad Rafi, Lata Mangeshkar, Kishore Kumar, Aisha Bhonsley, Mukesh and even K.L. Saigol.

Since these singers do not devote time to daily practice, nor have any tutelage in singing, they are not bothered about the tune, presentation and mood of the song and play havoc with their renderings.

TV channels should stop churning out this trash called music programmes, pay heed to quality and allow only those singers to perform who have proper knowledge and grooming in singing and are capable of entertaining the audience. At present they are doing great disservice to the music lovers and making a mockery of the immortal songs of the singing legends.

PARVEZ RAHIM

Karachi