Adil Najam
Today, April 28, there is a folk music program being organized in Kot Addu to mark teh 7th death anniversary of Pathana Khan. This is not the type of event that people talk about. But they should.
I remember, back in March 2006, when I heard that Pathanay Khan had died, my eyes had swelled up.
Maybe its because I am the emotional type. Or maybe it was because Pathanay Khan had introduced me to the beauty of Saraiki sufiana kalam and there are very few things, if any, that even remotely resembles the spiritual and musical power and prowess of Pathanay Khan singing ‘menda ishq vi toun, menda yaar vi toun‘ or ‘mera Ranjan hunn koi hour.’
I suspect, however, that it was the conditions in which he died that really got to me. Some years ago, the eqully spell-binding Muhammad Jumman (of the ‘yaar daadi aatish ishq nay lai aye‘ fame) had reportedly died in rotting conditions in the corridors of a Karachi hospital. A nation that should have been in awe of him had been unaware and uninterested in the conditions of the maestro. Pathanay Khan’s death came in a similar state of personal impoverishment and national neglect.
I was reminded of all of this when a reader sent me this news item from Dawn about the event today in Kot Addu:
Awards of Pathaney Khan to be auctioned
MUZAFFARGARH, April 25: Iqbal Pathaney Khan braves a scorching day going about from one office to another, one person to another, to give cards for the April 28 death anniversary of his father Pathaney Khan. Iqbal Pathaney
Khan has arranged a folk music programme in his home town, Kot Addu, in which local singers will sing kafis and song of Pathaney Khan to pay homage to the great Seraiki singer. “This time at the music function, I will announce a date for auction of the awards because my family is facing poverty and we never know what we will eat tomorrow.�
“A few people give me some money for the programme and think they are giving me a charity,� Iqbal told Dawn in an exclusive interview. “I never demand any money from the fans of Pathaney Khan. This is what I have learned from my father. “Actually my father died a pauper and left nothing for his four sons and three daughters except this six-marla house, fame as 79 awards.�
“Every year I hold kafi programme to mark his death anniversary, but no MNA, MPA, senator or senior bureaucrat has ever attended the programme,� the son laments. Iqbal accused the PTV and Radio Pakistan of doling out laughable sums to his father. He had harsh words for firms marketing CDs and cassettes as well. The awards include the Pride of Performance President Award (1979), PTV Millennium Award, Khawaja Ghulam Farid Award, Rohi Award, Thal Award, etc.
But the singer’s son finds them of no use.
All of this leaves me sad and rather angry, without really anyone to be angry at. Why do we do this to those who bring us so much joy, I wonder.
As we remember Pathanay Khan I listen to this song clip (scroll forward to where the narration ends, if you want) which, more than any other, is his most famous rendition.
Further Reading: Dr. Manzur Ejaz’s “The Flower of Rohi.”
Dawn reports on auction of Pathanay khan’s belongings by his son on Aug 14, 2007 infront of PTV Lahore:
http://www.dawn.com/2007/05/01/nat12.htm
Its very sad indeed. Pathanay Khan was a great singer and so was Muhammad Jumman. May Allah SWT rest their souls in peace, Ameen.
Pathana Khan’s mera ishq we tou is very inspiring. Even though I do not understand the language always, it si sung so nicely that it has a great impact on me everytime I hear it.
So sad, this has been going on for a long time: neglecting our folk artists.
I must add one more name and that is Alan Faqir who also died in miserable conditions and there are lot more.
Actually what I ve understood is that they were true artists and hail from rural areas so they always settle for less and since they only want to display there art to the people, they did not have that commercial thinking.
One can easily imagine how the distributors, PTV and other marketing people made the money out of these humble people.
Thank you for writing about Phathanay Khan Sahib, his music and his humanity still lives in my heart. He was an exceptional artist and a very decent man. Please let your readers know how help or start a foundation for Artists with awards and no means to survive.
Shabbir