Tribute to Pashto Singers Zarsanga & Qamar Gulla.

The pencil thin, wheatish and illiterate Zarsanga is so proud of her euphonic and bewitching voice that even in her mid-fifties she challenges the young vocalists to match her in rhythmic frequency.

Zarsanga - Rasha Mama Zoi De Leweney Dey

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4KZjMI06XE&feature=related

Belonging to a gypsy family of Tank, Zarsanga, also known the desert queen of Pashto music, has performed in the USA, UK, Paris, Germany, Belgium, UAE, Iraq and many more countries; but still prefers to live in a tented-house, while at present she is living in a clay-made house in the suburbs of Peshawar. "I love my soil and culture as it gives the fragrance of fraternity, freedom and vanity, the 55-year old Zarsanga, wearing traditional dopata, said.

Zarsanga - Khat Me Zanziree Dey

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAfAnwijHzw&feature=related

Born in a nomadic Pakhtoon family at Tank, Zalubai (jalibi in Urdu), commonly known as Zarsanga, inherited singing from her family who was wooed and taken to altar by her clan fellow Mula Jan of Serai Naurang, Bannu, in 1965. Mula Jan was used to play tabla with Zarsanga's father Tekidar. But many say that Mula Jan had eloped her, also loved by her singing partner Khan Tehsil. "Ours was a love marriage," both admitted while sitting in the Radio Pakistan Peshawar station making rehearsal for Independence programs for Radio.

Zarsanga - Paas Pa Tera Ye Warawena

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1HFDXQu27g&feature=related

"A person named Mustafa had heard me at a wedding ceremony in Lakki Marwat and later on introduced me to Rashid Ali Dehqan, producer in Radio Pakistan Peshawar. In the very first appearance, I won the hearts and appreciation of producers and public as well," Zarsanga recalled. At that time Radio Station was located near Peshawar Central Jail and when she was giving audition, her reverberating voice even agitated the inmates of the nearby prison who demanded for more, an aged radio employee confirmed her claim.

Afghan music Pashto song Zarsanga ow Kamar Gulla

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewTOUOMrol4&feature=related

From that day Zarsanga sang thousands of songs for Radio and TV and performed on stage for hundreds of times. Besides winning appreciation from public, she got many awards including Pride of Performance and Presidential Award from for her contributions. She has also been honoured abroad for her performance. "Once I was singing in an Arab country and some Arab women started dancing on my song without knowing the meaning," she said with a slight smile and vanity. "She is Rishama of Pashtu music," said Laiqzadha Laiq, Radio Producer, adding that once a French woman Mrs Kia who was doing research on Pashtu language and literature here, when heard Zarsanga, was so impressed by her rumbling voice that she used to call herself Zarsanga and arranged a concert of Zarsnaga in Paris where she performed without musical instruments and microphone.

Tapa/Qamar gula

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_RE8MX2jEo&feature=related

Qamar Gula is a popular singer from Afghanistan. Among the female singers from Afghanistan, she is very well known and has fans all across Afghanistan and the Pashtun regions of Pakistan. She is said to have been among the very first female singers who sang for Radio and Television Afghanistan. Qamar Gula was born in Nangarhar Province of Afghanistan. She started her singing career when she was only seven years old . Pa ma mayana stargay de sray de, was the first song she sang on Radio Afghanistan which introduced her to the people of Afghanistan. Qamar Gula is a widow of late Mohammad Din Zakhil. Qamar Gula along with her three daughters and three sons now resides in Ontario, Canada where she continues her music career. [Courtesy: Ms. Shabnam Gul/Wikipedia] - سندرغاړې قمر گل په اوومه سټوډيو کې

د پروگرام وړاندى کوونکى

ولي عبدالله

د خپريدو وخت: 23:41 گرينويچ 2009 ,29 جولاى

http://www.bbc.co.uk/pashto/news/story/2009/07/090728_mmn_s7qamargul-310709.shtml

The Pashtu melody queen Zarsanga is known for her folk songs, desert arias, and mountainous gharhi (a type of Pashtu tapi) and has many popular songs to her credit. "Being illiterate I can not sing ghazals and thus concentrate on gharhi and folk songs which are popular among Pakhtoons that even some solemn and pious women told me that they only listen her songs publicly at their old age, Zarsanga said proudly.

Mermon Qamar gul Po wroo wroo - keda Qadamoona

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzB-4SgDUq4&feature=related

Puffing a low-priced cigarette in front of her husband, Zarsanga said that once she won two packs of cigarettes by winning an informal high-pitched competition at Peshawar PTV center. She had also won an international voice competition in Germany organised by Dr Kabir Stori of Pakhtoon Social Democratic Party. Her 25-year old son Shehzada has adopted the singing profession and besides singing at hujra and stage level, has also performed on TV and radio.

Zarsanga Dawood Hanif Farishta Humayon Lali - Warawy Lasouna

http://youtu.be/ZeVTzCoJ5F8

Zarsanga has six sons and four daughters, two of them married. Zarsanga's father was proud of her daughter's singing profession but his daughter says, "my daughters have been blessed with melodious voices but I am against their singing in public. When asked why she pointed towards her husband that he also did not like it. It is against our family traditions, was the simple answer of Mula Jan.

Shinwaray Lawangeena

http://youtu.be/W16HOGXMaoY

Though not a slight change has occurred in her voice till date but the desert queen considers her this blessing as mirage in a desert, an echo in mountains and a wave in the river, saying that being a mortal-being one day she would lose this asset which is the only source of her income, therefore, she sought restoration of culture scholarship, being stopped to her like dozens of artists for the last one year by the provincial culture department. REFERENCE: Zarsanga - Melody Queen of Pashto Khaled Kheshgihttp://www.khyber.org/people/celebs/Zarsanga-MelodyQueenofPashto.shtml

AND THAT'S HOW WE TREAT NATIONAL ASSET

ریلیف کیمپ اور زرسانگہ کے گیت
آخری وقت اشاعت: بدھ 6 اکتوبر 2010 , 17:01 GMT 22:01 PST

پشتو کی نامور لوک گلوکارہ زرسانگہ بھی سیلاب زدگان میں شامل ہیں، آج کل وہ ایک ریلیف کیمپ میں رہے رہی ہیں، جہاں کبھی کبھی وہ اپنے گیت بھی گنگناتی ہیں۔ رفعت اللہ اورکزئی کی رپورٹ
http://www.bbc.co.uk/urdu/world/2010/10/101006_pasto_singer.shtml
NOWSHERA: Zarsanga, a famous Pashto singer often described as the Queen of Pashto folk music, is living in abject poverty in a tent on the roadside in Azakhel after her house was washed away in the recent floods. Talking to The News, the 65-year-old singer said she had served the country and Pashto music for 45 long years. She said she had performed in Germany, US, France, Russia and Afghanistan but now she had been forgotten by the government. She said the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government had not even provided her a tent, adding that the one sheltering her family was borrowed from someone else. Born in 1946 at Zafar Mamakhel, a small village in Lakki Marwat district, she belongs to a nomadic tribe that used to move to Afghanistan in summers and stay in Lakki Marwat during the winter. She settled in Pirpai town in Nowshera but was displaced when her house was swept away by the recent floods. Zarsanga started her career as a folk singer at the age of 20 and recorded her first song with Radio Pakistan. She also performed on the state-run PTV. The singer said the recent floods had made her a nomad again, but neither the ANP-led provincial government, claiming to represent the Pakhtuns, nor the ministry of culture had done anything for her family.

pa ro ro kida kadamoona ashna

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bh5hKRoUtzU&feature=related

Zarsanga has six sons Shahzada, Babu, Mudir, Muhammad Wali, Mano and Hijran. All are expert at playing different musical instruments. She was awarded the presidential Pride of Performance Award by former president Ghulam Ishaq Khan in recognition of her contribution to Pashto music. Her son Shahzada said their musical instruments were swept away by floods. “We couldn’t afford to buy new ones so we borrowed some from our friends because we want to carry forward the rich legacy of Pashto music,” he argued. He feared a bleak future for Pashto music if the artistes continued to be ignored like his mother. Zarsanga said Afghan President Hamid Karzai had offered her to settle in Afghanistan. “I was offered a house and a car and jobs for my children, but I did not accept the offer. I could not leave my country,” she recalled. She appealed to the federal and provincial governments and the lovers of art to help her family to stand on its feet again. Meanwhile, Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan announced to build a house for the Pashto singer soon after her interview was aired on the Geo News. REFERENCE: Pashto folk singer Zarsanga living a miserable life in tent Mushtaq Paracha Monday, October 04, 2010 Shawwal 24, 1431 A.H. http://www.thenews.com.pk/04-10-2010/peshawar/8114.htm