Afghan Traditional Dance Attan (“Atanrh”) - [Courtesy: Virtual Afghans]

Attan is a traditional Afghan dance; It's origin lies in the Afghan Pashtoon tribes pagan yester-years and usually involved men performing a ritual dance. This was later modified into a Muslim dance of soldiers to allow the dancers to get 'closer to God' before they advanced on their missions. It was noted by the Moghuls of the period and is unique only amongst Afghans living in and around southern borders of Afghanistan.

ATTAN

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSaKvav6OJU

It is performed usually with a Dhol, which is a double-headed barrel drum that has a very deep and low resonance sound. Other instruments can include a single barreled Dhol, Tablas, the 18-stringed Robab, Surnai flute (aka shanai-India, zurna - Central Asia and Turkey, and zurla Macedonia), or wooden flute known as a Toola. The technique behind the Attan has changed much for over centuries, but its base has not changed. Its a circular dance ranging from two to over a hundred people, and the performers will follow each other going round and round in a circle to the beat as the rhythm and beats faster.

ATTAN

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tF3EUrIZI10&feature=related

More complex Attans involve an Attan troup leader who begins the attan slowly using a variation of styles and techniques, and the ultimate spin is performed after the leader gives the signal, either by placing his hand on the floor or raising it in the air. The musicians perform the music at the technique of the leader and is fully dependent on the attan leader for guidance. The dance can be anywhere from 5 minute to 30 minutes long. The attan will end when no dancer is left standing on the dance floor. It is not uncommon for a dancer to faint during the performance as it is very physically intensive. The dance has become very popular throughout Afghanistan and can be performed year-round in all festive occasions. In Afghanistan each valley has its own unique style.

Attan ( De Wardago zwanano attan )

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-Z1-PqJGFI

There are many different kinds of Attan in Afghanistan, Kabuli, Wardaki, Logari, Khosti/Paktia, Herati, Kochyano, Khattak, Pashayi (played with Surnai flute), and Nuristani.

Attan Styles and Types

Below are list of main and known styles of Attan in Afghanistan. All these different styles may be practiced and mixed by Afghans in other valleys, and its not uncommon to see Afghans of one province being better at a different regions' style.

Dawood Hanif - 'Expert Attan Maestro' Born in Kabul, Daud Haneef is currently considered Afghanistan's best Attan music artist.

Daud Hanif Attan

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHk8wTjG6YI

Shinwari Lawangina - Daud Hanif

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16wrPL-Hb4A&feature=related

Kabuli Attan

In this dance, the dancers perform to the beat of the musician. This dance typically performed by men & women. It involves 2-5 steps, ending with a clap given while facing the center, after which the process is repeated again. The hip and arms are put in a sequential movement including left and right tilts, with the wrists twisting in sequence, with ultimately a hand is projected outward and brought in a 'scoop-like' fashion towards the center where the other hand meets it for a clap. This dance is typically performed with the musician dictating the duration and speed.

Wardaki

Wardaki consists of body movements no clapping and lots of turns and twists, and Spotting, as well as handkerchiefs in their hands to accentuate their spins. The men usually boast wild mustaches, including hair that is greased as to accentuate the spotting and give more weight to the hair during turns. This dance is performed either with the beat of the musician or the musician tuning the beat the technique of the performers.

Logari

Logari dancers have always been known for their shyness and also for their rythmic interruptions & spins during their local dance. Their attan also has the trademark spins of the Logari style, uses the clapping and the full twists in place as arms are usually in the air and come together medially during the circular dance with one or two claps in the center. It is not uncommon to see one ore two circles in one. This dance typically performed by men and/or women or even young boys and/or girls. The men occasionally wear Turbans and they are taken off usually during the end of the dance when the beats get faster.

The sweat on their heads from wearing the Turban, puts added weight to their hair. This dance is performed either with the beat of the musician or the musician tuning the beat the technique of the performers.

Paktia/Khosti

Paktia/Khosti is typically a 5-7 step and can be longer. It is also interesting because of the head movements the head is snapped left & right as their long jet black hair fling through the air, and eventually ends with the dancers turned medially and squatting with arms to their sides towards the center. This dance is performed with the musician tuning the beat to the technique of the performers.

Kochyano/Kuchi

Kochyano Attan or literally Attan of the Kuchi. Women usually perform this attan during their own occasions, such as child birth or new years (nou rooz) and coming of spring. The men usually perform with long hair, almost to shoulder length and cut straight across the back, and some may sport a very wild mustache or beard. It is usually performed with Handkerchiefs, and involves lots of spotting movements, with multiple twists and squatting. This dance can be up to 10 steps, and also involve men walking with their knees or standing erect and snapping their head in random directions to the beat of the Dhol. The depth and complexity of their Attan may be because of the wide range of valleys they trek, and it may have been influenced by many other forms. This dance is performed with the musician tuning the beat to the technique of the performers.

Khattak

Khattak style is deeply routed during the Moghul period where men performed this dance with their weapons in their hands. A Khattak dancer performs with the zeal of a hero, displaying his physical fitness through body movements, while holding one, two or even three swords at a time. Each sword weighs about one-and-a-half kilograms. The dance is a 5 step routine involving spins, with the swords crossed over their backs and elbows outward, or it can be performed with the swords out to the sides and typical attan half spin in place leading to a full spin. Depending on the rythm of the beat, this spin can be completely reversed in full synchrocity. This dance is performed with the musician tuning the beat to the technique of the performers.

Khattak attan


URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVO9uSD3NYI&feature=related

Nuristani

Nuristani Attan is a relatively new attan performed by Nuristanis and involves the use of their own local musical instruments including their own style of drum shown above, and stringed instrument, known as the Wunz, and also the Sarani. This dance was performed by both men and women. The women usually hold hands together or are shoulder to shoulder and came closer to the circle during the central beat. Another version performed across the border in Chitral consists of a dancer stepping in the middle and starting to dance. They will dance very slowly taking small steps and arms spread wide. Gradually, the steps increase speed and finally he will spin round and round encouraged by the clapping of the hands and enthusiastic shouts made by the audience. It is also very focused upon the movement of the shoulders and the elegant moves of the wrists. [COURTESY: VirtualAfghans.com Presents: A full guide and information page on the traditional dance of Attan (pronounced “Atanrh”). http://www.virtualafghans.com/attan/

Tribute to Late. Maestro Munir Sarhadi - Sarinda [Courtesy: Shaikh Aziz Dawn]

A music concert is on, continuing till the wee hours of the morning. Many vocalists and instrumentalists are showing their skills. Every performer thinks that his was the best performance on the stage. One girl in the audience is overwhelmed by the performance of an instrumentalist and becomes such an admirer that she falls in love with him. Cupid’s arrow has done it’s work and one fine day they tie the nuptial knot.Incidentally, this happened in Delhi, a little before Independence. The artist was Munir Sarhadi, the sarinda virtuoso who won laurels in the country and abroad, and the girl was Banu Begum, who attended a concert in Delhi, filled with a galaxy of vocalists and instrumentalists from all over the subcontinent. A young Munir had gone there with his illustrious father, Ustad Pazeer Khan, who was employed by the All India Radio at that time.

Muneer Sarhadi - Pa Sarinda Naghma

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wP38VVT29rU
Courtesy: DaPashtoSazAwaz | April 24, 2010 Sarinda Player - Muneer Sarhadi

Sarinda, folk fiddle of Afghanistan, Pakistan, and northern India. The deep wood shell has a skin belly up to its narrow waist but is open thereafter on both sides of the fretless fingerboard; the body is commonly shaped like a pouch or bag. The three melodic strings are gut or horsehair. Some versions have sympathetic strings like those of the sarangi. Courtesy: Encyclopaedia Britannica http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/524344/sarinda

As usual our bureaucratic clique, societies and the so-called organizations meant for the promotion of art, remained unmoved while the maestro was on his deathbed. His only source of living, the radio salary was not enough to provide him the medicines. On May 23, 1980 he died in abject poverty

Muneer Sarhadi - Pa Sarinda Naghma

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gu8fbLFvk1w

Munir Sarhadi, the Peshawar-born musician, later rose to fame not only in Pakistan but also won laurels abroad. A winner of the Pride of Performance, the legendary instrumentalist was perhaps the only artist after his father who achieved that recognition in playing the traditional instrument. Paradoxically, his death in 1980, was marked by utter poverty and neglect — an end most of our artists often meet.

Muneer Sarhadi - Pa Sarinda Naghma [Janan me Talay Dey, Ma Rabalalay Dey]

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0bojLHO5zg

Munir was born in 1922. His father was the great scion of sarinda players of Pushto music. In his childhood he showed no interest in learning the instrument which was not liked by some of his family elders. His father left for Delhi where he had gotten a job at the All India Radio. His uncle and custodian, Khushmir Khan tried to persuade him to learn the music but all in vain. One day, a dejected Munir left Peshawar and travelled to his father’s city. His father did not want to teach him and took him to Ustad Afzal Hussain, one of his colleagues at the radio. There Munir began learning vocal music.

Muneer Sarhadi - Pa Sarinda Naghma [Halak naray Chinar dey, Jenai Da gulo wana]

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co3s73xBDj0

It is then that the young boy developed interest in sarinda. When his father left for work everyday, he would pick up the sarinda and start practising it. This continued for quite some time. One day his father came a bit earlier than his scheduled time and was stunned to see that Munir was playing the instrument with great skill. Ustad Pazeer Khan was so overjoyed that he gave his own sarinda to Munir and then began teaching him the intricacies of music and sarinda playing. With the skill he saw in his son, Ustad Pazeer Khan knew what lay ahead for Munir.

Muneer Sarhadi - Pa Sarinda Naghma [Pa ro ro kayda qadamona Ashna]

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8S95WhAyhDI

Soon after, the father and son decided to visit Peshawar for a vacation. It was also a family reunion and obviously in a family of musicians there had to be music. Munir’s family was astonished to see him pick up the sarinda and play it. The masterly handling of the bow and strings produced such scintillating compositions that everybody was enthralled. To see the young lad, who was not interested in music, playing like a wizard, was no less than a miracle.

Muneer Sarhadi - Pa Sarinda Naghma

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNR8MRjJb1M

After a short stay at Peshawar, both the father and son went back to Delhi where they played the instruments and also sang thumries and ghazals at various concerts, to supplement the earning. At one concert when Munir began playing the sarinda everybody in the audience was taken over by its magic. One veiled girl was simply mesmerised. She began attending every concert of Munir and ultimately both tied the knot.

Muneer Sarhadi - Pa Sarinda Naghma [Tappay]

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvvUhNKkUaI

When Independence took place Delhi became a hotbed of violence, and with the help of a friend in the army the family managed to reach Pakistan safely and decided to settle in Lahore. Finding no place at Radio Pakistan, Lahore and roaming jobless for quite some time, they finally moved to Peshawar in very poor conditions.

Muneer Sarhadi - Pa Sarinda Naghma [Da Sta Pa Stargo Kay ba Su Patay shi]

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdggCJfkyxk

Here the father and son were able to get jobs in Radio Pakistan. In 1949 Ustad Pazeer Khan died of respiratory disorder and it was now Munir Sarhadi who had to advance the tradition of sarinda playing. Munir, through his strenuous riyaz and able guidance of the father, had become a master of sarinda and was in great demand all over Pakistan. He attended almost all the concerts and music festivals that used to be held at various centres. The PIA Academy, which was established to promote art and culture of the country, took him to various parts of the world including China as member of the troupe where his performance was highly applauded.

Muneer Sarhai - Pa sarinda naghma

URL: http://www.youtube.com/user/DaPashtoSazAwaz

Munir Sarhadi’s technique was very imaginative. He played every raga and folk composition with masterly ease. Sarinda, the fretless stringed instrument, is comparatively a difficult instrument in the string family as it has little space between the bridge and knobs, and requires extra ability to produce the three octaves. Munir, through his extra effort, easily acquired this skill and played classical taans to folk lehra as an accomplished performer. He had the ability to sing, play and also compose music. He was so engrossed in the music and sarinda that he hardly passed a day without playing it after he decided to learn it and make it a living. While his father excelled in folk tunes and classical music, Munir created a fusion of the two. This is evident from the films Dara-i-Khyber, Baghi and some other films of which he composed the music. He blended classical music with some variations from Pushto music and vice versa. For his services towards the promotion of music, he was awarded the Pride of Performance.

Muneer Sarhadi - Pa Sarinda Naghma

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wV3SGqbEeE
Muneer Sarhai - Pa sarinda naghma

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Q0RmBmIXnk

Personally he was a simple, hard working and dedicated person. He had no greed for money and worldly comforts. Throughout his life his main concern was music. He longed for the company of the learned. Perhaps this was the reason that in the last days of his life he lived a miserable life. As usual, our bureaucratic clique, societies and the so-called organizations meant for the promotion of art remained unmoved, while the maestro was on his deathbed. His only source of living, the radio salary was not enough to provide him the medicines and on May 23, 1980 he died in abject poverty, yet with honour and dignity, leaving behind an invaluable contribution towards music. After his death only one of his sons, Aijaz Sarhadi has kept up the family tradition of sarinda playing and is known well in the Pakistani music world. REFERENCE: SPOT LIGHT: Munir Sarhadi — the sarinda virtuoso By Shaikh Aziz January 20, 2002 http://www.dawn.com/weekly/images/archive/020120/images8.htm

North Indian Classical Music Archive http://sarangi.info/sarangi/sarhadi/

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

The Very Best of Pashto & Urdu Classics by Javed Akhtar.

Pashtoon is a unique nation. The Pashtoons are a romantic people and extremely love music but don't like musicians. This seems very strange on their part, but there is a background to this. The musicians would belong to lower cast of the society and they adopted music as their profession for livelihood, while Pashtoons are warrior people and like manly professions. The other reason may be the soft and delicate nature of this profession, which is considered among the Pashtoons to be the job of women folk. If we look at the history of nation, they are rough tough people. They have their own taste of aesthetics. They are fond of music and have very romantic approach towards it. The disliking for musicians has some grounds. The musicians earning through music is thought to be against Pashtoon character. The Pashtoons only like the profession of soldiery and agriculture. They have less patience for all other professions.

If we look through ages the Pashtoons have promoted music indirectly by generously spending on it rather lavishly by giving too much money to the musicians for their performance. This way the Pashto music has developed. The Pashto music has very rich traditions though so far not written in notation locally, but by tradition it transfers from one generation to the other. Very little is written about it in the past. However, some of the notations and symphonies have survived, other are created and being transferred practically. Before the coming of radio, the mullahs sternly opposed the music but Pashtoon would carryon their musical ceremonies.

Apart from the professionals the staunch Pashtoon would practice music in his hujras and love to play 'Rabab' or 'Sitar" with the beating of 'Mangay' (water pot) as a drum. He would like to sing folk songs but not as profession. So the Pashto music has not written but has a long history and tradition. Pashto music has its own terminology for teaching, but professional musicians have been using the Indian musical terminology. The use of Indian terminology is common because the rich music of India has influenced the Pashto music due to interaction of both the cultures. The reason is that the professional musicians used to come from the sub-continent of India. Besides this the Pashtoon would practice his original music non-professionally in the privacy. So we have a history of our own nature of Pashto music, which started like other nations from folklore. In folklore the Pashto has a very rich history. The Pashto doesn't have in writing its own mode of music. Much of the and antes have been taken from Indian 'Ragas' for harmonizing the Pashto tunes. From so many 'Ragas' of India only Bhairvien Raga is popular among the Pashtoons because of its evergreen melodious composition fit for all seasons, times and geographical conditions. The same raga was first of all adopted for the composition of Pashto 'Tappa' an evergreen and most popular folk genre of the Pashto folk poetry. Then all the Pashto songs were based on this unique genre.

The music of the Pashtoons are a product of the unique social and cultural life of the Pashtoons. The inhospitable terrain of their homeland has had an impact on their diverse musical heritage. Rich in content, it has a reflective style rooted in the history and ideals of the people. Pashto music has two distinct aspects:

The Classical

The Traditional

But both retain the basic Pashto style.

Classical

The classical music amongst the Pashtoons has its origin in the historical movements that affected every part of the sub continent. Being a volatile region which suffered the brunt of every invasion, no alien music could take roots here. Hence there is not the slightest trace of classical music before the end of the eighteenth century. It was at the beginning of the nineteenth century that some of the classical vocalists, who were uprooted from their homes, settled here and founded the classical music amongst the Pashtoons.

Among them, Baba Sindhi was the first vocalist to come from Kapoorthala. He was a grandmaster and it was his school from where classical music flourished and reached out to other areas. His son Ustad Abdul Karim Sindhi, grandsons and a large number of students, introduced classical music to the other Pashtoons – even to the court of the Kabul rulers. The pioneers included the Ustad’s son Fazal Ilahi and the eminent percussionist Faqir Qadir Bakhsh Peshawari, who migrated from Lahore. Ustad Abdullah Jan was another great vocalist who participated in music festivals all over India. Others who became very popular were Ustad Muhammad Khan known as Ustad Mehmanda, Bailal Chela; who came from Patiala, and Professor Miran Bakhsh.

The beginning of theatre gave a boost to music. Though many of the classicists were not attracted to theatre, Mian Karim Sindhi composed and conducted music for the plays staged by New Albert Theatrical Company and Moon Theatrical Company of Peshawar. He also acted in some plays. His son Fazal also composed and sang for All India Radio.

Among others, Ustad Ghulam Hussain was a great name. His popularity extended to Afghanistan to the extent that he became known as Ustad Ghulam Hussain Kabuli. He also opened a school of music in Kabul and composed music for Radio Kabul. Akbar Jan Peshawari was a superb performer who also participated in many films.

Many vocalists and instrumentalists have made a name for themselves in the Frontier and Beyond. Even today there are many who are keeping the classical tradition alive in Pashto music despite the current trend towards fusion. They include Mahjabeen Qizilbash, Zarsanga, Javed Akhtar, Rahim Shah, Gulzar Alam, Haroon Bacha, Siyal Ahmad, Khyal Muhammad, Naghma and Wagma.

Traditional

Like all traditional societies, the Pashtoons too have a great and rich treasure of folk music. The songs are characteristically dance songs. Others are performed in solo as well as in chorus.

Among them, are the Tappa, Charbeta, Neemkai, Loba, Shaan, Saakhmani, Badala, Ghazal, Rubayi, etc. These are explained below.

Tappa

Tappa is the oldest and most popular genre of the Pashto poetry. It is liked very much by the Pushtoons of all ages irrespective of their age and sex. Countless Tappas have been added by unknown poets and are sung with unsurpassed popularity. Lyrically, the Tappa is a composition of two unequal meters, in which the first line is shorter than the succeeding one, yet it reflects all human feelings and aspirations elegantly. Be it laborers, peasants, or women, everyone’s sentiments find expression in the Tappa.

It is also common among the Pashtoons that a boy of school would sing it, the elders in their hujrahs, the women in their home and Godar alike. It is the only song sung in the time of grief and on the occasion of marriage. In music it is sung with the traditional Pashto musical instrument 'Rabab' and 'Mangay'. Tappa has upto 16 different models of harmony. Nowaday it is being sung with full orchestra. Tappa is the song, which used to be sung without musical instruments but musicians have composed different compositions for it. In mountains and in the deserts, it is still sung without some instruments. In these places, some times is sung with the melody of flute. In hujrah it's sung with Rabab and Sittar and the beating of a water pot. Among the different tunes of Tappa, the tone of teerah, Peshawar, Bannu and Qandahar is popular. A new tone has recently been created by the famous Pashto singer. Haroon Badshah. A part from the Indian notation, it has its own Pashto andante-- Mughalai.

More description of the Tappas can be found here.

Charbeta

Charbetta is another popular Folklore genre, which comes after the Tappa. This tone is most popular form of Pashto Poetry and is a source of pride for the Pashtoons. It is unique in its form. It is epic poem with special rhythm. There are four kinds of Charbetta regarding its genre. Normally, it is a poem of four lines but might also have six or eight lines. All aspects of life are discussed in it. That includes the heroic deeds and heroism by legendary figures. Sometime it expresses the romantic feelings. It has a very fast music and is sung by two or more singers as part of a chorus in which ones singer reads the first line while the others follow the remaining. The music and singing of Charbetta used to be called TANG TAKORE. The term Tang Takore later on became the form for musical concert in Pashto. Traditionally Charbetta is started just after the finishing of Tappa. Two three Charbetta's have been notated in the raga Bheirvein and is therefore written.

Neemakai

Is another popular Folk song. It has a different kind of form normally the women compose it. It is simple in form and has 1,1/2 lines sometime 2,3 lines. The first lines are repeated in the middle of the song. Pashto Tappa is added according to the subject and circumstances. It is the real kind of Pashto songs. There are Nemakai, which can be sung without adding of Tappa, because some form of it has two and half lines of poetry in it-self. Most of these songs in Pashtoon culture have been expressed in different areas about the local -or romances. Other subjects are also there for example the love affairs and daily life. Some of the Nemakais have been notated in the different Indian ragas.

Loba

Lobah is another popular genre of the Pashto folk songs. It too has been very popular among the masses. Sometimes Lobahs are added with Tappas. But as the of genre is play, so the form of this song is sung oftenly in chorus and two sides of singer reply to each other in singing. These two sides are usually the lover and the beloved. Some Lobahs have a drama like structure and poetic dialogues are sung in it. Commonly all the folk songs are called Lobas. Lobah in structure is very near to Neemakai. But both are different from songs.

Shaan

Shaan is a song of happiness. It is sung on occasions such as that of marriages and childbirths. These can be sung in private congregations and social gatherings.

Badala

Badala is too a popular folk genre. But is sing by the professional singers only. Because Badala is like an epic poem or a ballad. Badala has a -composition of music. It is sung with Rabab, Harmonium, Drums and Tabla. In Badala, tribal traditions are the main theme. Heroism and other Tragedies and comic stories are expressed in this form. Badala is the folk form of classical mathnavi. Badala means variation because each couplet is varied in rhythms from other. It is sung traditionally in the midnight, which is suitable tone for its music and enjoyment. Almost all the Pashto romances have been narrated in this form of poetry.

Rubayi

Rubaee is the famous name of a kind of Pashto Ghazal. It is different from the classical genre of Rubaee. Actually it is Ghazal but in a particular composition of music it has become famous as rubaee. The Rubaees of Rehman Baba are popular among the masses. It is sung in a special composition of music before the starting of Badala or any other folk song. The name is given by the folk, other wise Ghazal of 12 syllables of meter can be sung in a rubaee. Along with the Ghazal, the Rubayi have come from Arabic and Persian Poetry and is very much influenced by it.

Ghazala

Ghazal is the classical genre of poetry. It was popularized by the musicians. It has come very late to the Pashto music and only educated class of Pashtoons like it. Who are familiar with Urdu or Hindi Ghazals and have developed a taste for it. The masses don't like it very much because of its slow music and rhythm. Reference: Pashto Music Prof. Dr. Raj Wali Shah Khattak Excerpts from Sheikh Aziz's 'The Richness of It All' http://www.khyber.org/culture/music/pashtomusic.shtml

Classic Folk Pashtu Tappa (Song) by Maestro Sardar Ali Takkar

Pakistani Pashtun Folk Maestro Sardar Ali Takkar

Pakistani Pashtun Folk Maestro Sardar Ali Takkar

SARDAR ALI TAKKAR ENDEAVORING TO RAISE PASHTO MUSIC TO NEW HEIGHTS By: Zafar Ali Usafzai

Takkar, a small village in District Mardan, may be known to many of the Historians because of the Tragic War that took place between the British Army and the Villagers and which resulted in a mass bloodshed of the innocent villagers. But almost every Pakhtun around the world knew Takkar because of a veteran personality, which opened her eyes in this village. Long ago in the decade of 1960’s, when this child used to play in the streets of his village, perhaps none of the villager would have thought that this child would become the identity of their village, all over the world. This child when grew, decided to adopt singing, not as a profession but as a challenge to serve the Pashto music and raise it to new heights.

Today the world knows this personality with the name of Sardar Ali Takkar. A veteran of the Pashto singing scene, Takkar is practically a household name almost all over the country among the Pakhtuns. Every Pakhtun feels pride on having his cassette with himself. He has been plying his trade since early 1980s, and has earned his big break by singing a veteran poets like Rahman Baba, Khushal Khan khattak, Khatir Afridi, Hamza Shinwari and of course the great Ghani Khan. Like a wild flower, which sprouts from the virgin soil and blossoms to full ambience untended, he became one of the most sought after Pashto singer. Born in 1956 at Takkar village (Thakt Bahi) Mardan, he passed his metric examination from his village school and did his F.Sc. from Government College Mardan. He completed his graduation in Mechanical Engineering from University of Engineering and Technology, Peshawar. Aside from this he has also attended special courses in U.K and Canada.

From the very beginning, he had developed a flavor for music. Takkar had a natural flair for singing. He used to take part in Naat, Qirat and singing competitions during his school time. When he was in class 8th, he played mouth organ on the stage for the first time. He used to play different musical instrument stealthily at that time. He often used to play “Sitar” (a musical instrument) at one of the peasants home, namely Anwar Khan in the nearby village. Because of the social and political affiliations of his family, it was very difficult to play these musical instruments in the traditional Hujra. While in college, he started fiddling with the rabab, another stringed instrument.

At university level, when Takkar was away from his family’s norms and values, he started giving full intention to this art. As a first step he joined the Abaseen Arts Council for formal musical training. Here he learnt playing different instruments like Rabab, Harmonium from Sardar Ustad. He also learnt from some of the great masters of the period: Khalid Haider Malik and Sultani Sahib.

His University life provided him more chances to exhibit his hidden talent. Initially he used to present his skills before his friends, in different musical programme in the university. But it was in 1982 when Yar Muhammad Maghmum, a professor at the historic Edward College Peshawar, wanted to celebrate an evening with the great legendry and dynamic philosopher Ghani Khan, but was unable to find a singer who was ready to meet the challenge of putting Ghani’s poetry in music. When Takkar became aware of the situation, he agreed to sing in that programme. Some people also recorded this programme on audiocassette, which got so prominence that even the music stores started selling it on regular basis. In this way, his debut album (solely based on Ghani khan’s poetry) touched the market, so incidentally. It was in those days when a programme for youths named “Zalmey Kool” (Young Generation) used to broadcast from the Radio Pakistan. Takkar for the first time not only played different instruments but also sang two ghazals in that programme. After that, he also had the opportunity to record a programme at the Peshawar Center of Pakistan Television Vision (PTV). In 1984, Takkar left for Afghanistan. His stay in Afghanistan helped him in a way that he became able to sing poetry of those poets who were banned in Pakistan and his singing from Afghanistan also brought him prominence back at home.

Kundan Lal Sehgal (1904-1947) had remained a great source of inspiration for Takkar. The sphere of K.L. Sehgal’s recorded music was very vast, as he had sung in Hindi, Urdu, Pashto, Punjabi, Bengali and Tamil. Takkar was so much inspired by Sehgal that at very young age he used to listen a music programme comprising of one of the Sehgal’s song, which was broadcasted from the radio daily in the morning. Such was the power and mystique of Sehgal's singing that Takkar too started his career singing in the 'Sehgal style' before etching out his own identity. Aside from Sehgal, he also got inspired from Jugjeth Singh, Punkaj Udhas and Mehdi Hassan.

The major feature, which became the hallmark of his singing, was the selection of Ghani Khan’s poetry. From the very beginning, Takkar had an inclination towards Philosophy and used to read the Poet of the East i.e. “Allama Mohammad Iqbal” when he was in class 8th at his village school. After that he had also studied the poetry of Rahman Baba and Khushal Khan Khattak, but when he read Ghani Khan he felt him as the one whom he was searching for. This is due to the reason that in Ghani Khan’s poetry, he had found so many shades -- ranging from freedom, love of God, land and people, nationalism, fate, the mysteries of life and death, the joys of communion, and the woes of separation to beauty. Ghani khan was a true poet of modernism who was at home in variety of subjects like mysticism, romanticism, nationalism, skepticism, aestheticism, and philosophy.

Terming his stance and love towards Ghani Khan, he often narrates an interesting story. He recalls that one day while roaming in the hostel at University, he got a verse of Ghani Khan written on one of the door. Which was

Che Da Taqwa Zaar Sajde She Jama, Da Ishq Yo Saat Thre Jor She.”

[One thousand prostrations (bows) when combined, give birth to a lone moment of love]

Seeing this verse gave birth to a motion and zeal in him, compelling him to search out for Ghani Khan’s poetry. As in those days, the government had banned Ghani Khan, therefore Takkar found it difficult to get any book comprising of his poetry. But this did not force him to stop there and he continued his search. At last, he succeeded in finding a book of Ghani Khan in the library of Area Study Center, University of Peshawar. Although this gave an extreme happiness to him, but to his sheer disappointment he was not allowed to borrow that book, being a reference book. For this Takkar had a novel solution, he used to stay till evenings in the library, noting down Ghani’s Poetry in his diary.

Takkar is the first well-educated Pashto singer. Before him, the sphere of Pashto music listeners was very limited in which the educated class was next to none but it was Sardar Ali Takkar who not only compelled the educated people to listen Pashto music, but also paved the way for educated ones who wanted to adopt Pashto singing. The main reason for which is that before him, the Pashto singers were mostly uneducated who did not paid much heed towards the selection of poetry for songs. They used to sing in those few traditional styles, which were prevalent from centuries. They also did not tried to expose the great poets to general masses through music, which resulted in the immature and bad taste for Pashto music. Contrary to them, Takkar having inclination towards literature, selected genre like philosophy and mysticism and that too were presented in an innovative style that is why these trends were acknowledged by the masses immediately. They started listening him, not only for his melodious voice but also for his selection of the best poetry. Takkar had always focused on the content of poetry along with music, as he believed that quality poetry is must for quality music. Takkar has strived in almost all the genre of Pashto poetry, which include ghazal, rubayi, charbeta, tappa, nemake and badala.

Takkar has also strived hard in selection and singing of ghazals, which has a special place in the literary universe. He has got a matchless style for presenting rubayi, which is developed by him lonely. His rubayi style had remained a striking force in shooting his fame.

But the most laudable and inimitable aspect of Takkar singing is “Azad Nazam” which he put in the musical tones. Although Azad Nazam has proved too difficult to be understand but it was Takkar’s tireless efforts, which resulted in recognition of Azad Nazam in the general public. Regarding “Azad Nazam”, Takkar opines that until the singer gets over the original message contained in it, it is impossible to sing it. All it need is great willpower and mindset. In his opinion, the singer must strive to put his mind behind each word he renders. Even now when the moment he sings Azad Nazam, the clamor in the surrounding gives way to complete silence. After almost stumbling into a singing career, Takkar quickly touched the apex of success and his soulfully rendered Pashto rubahis and specially Azad Nazams of the great Ghani Khan, touched responsive chords among music buffs in the province. The mellifluous quality and timbre of his natural voice have a special appeal for the serious folks and students specially.

In the beginning, Takkar was very selective regarding his selection of poetry and mostly serious people enjoyed it, but when in one of the TV programme, he sang tappe, majority of the common folk also liked him and wished him to continue singing for common folk also. It is pertinent to mention here that tappa is the lone genre of Pashto poetry, which does not exist in any other language. He had also attributed to the great singers of the past whose aura and charisma still remains intact including Muzaffar Khan, Gulnar Begum, Rafiq Shinwari etc by remixing their legendry songs.

Being, himself a candidate of mysticism, it credits for Takkar who not only went for Rahman Baba’s mystic poetry but also acknowledged the elegant mysticism of Ghani Khan. Of the two, he terms the poetry of the later as the best regarding mysticism, which according to him is nothing but the acquaintance to the GOD Almighty. Regarding services for music, Takkar does not seem happy with most of the past singer who although bestowed with melodious voice, left singing but did not tried to serve their language in real meaning. He also feels uneasy with the present day Pashto music, prevailing in the market place, where by no heed is given to the selection of poetry and mostly substandard poetry is selected for singing. He considers it a serious threat to the Pashto music, which instead of promotion is causing huge loss to it.

Looking in to the history of Pashto music, it become obvious that up till now none of the singer worked with proper planning for the development of Pashto language and music i.e. most of them have not taken this profession as a mission. They adopted it merely as their source of income. But when it comes to Takkar, he kept on doing new experiments in the Pashto music. He has intentionally tried to add the musical flavors of different languages in to the Pashto music. He has added the Arabic, Turkish, Spanish and African beat to his compositions. At the same time, Takkar’s outwit is that he has kept the identity of Pashto music intact.

Takkar keeps on doing new experiments in the Pashto music with a missionary zeal. For instance he has recently come up with a new album (No.81) containing classical Pashto songs. The most interesting part is that he developed different tones (Raygs) and presented the poetry of the great mystic Rahman Baba in it. These raygs consists of Darbari, Shankara, beharwi, Meaig, Peelo Tumri, Classical Tarana and Istahani Antyra. It was his these efforts which led a Denmark based organization to confer him a special award for singing Rahman Baba’s poetry. In order to produce a quality music and carry forward his musical skills to the new generation, Takkar has established a studio named “Takkar Rhythms” where he keeps on doing new experiments regarding music. Presently he also participates in the “Khyber Beats- Classic” (a musical programme) of the lone private Pashto TV Channel. He also has intends to establish a video studio for making videos of songs. In his opinion, the videos, which are prepared presently, are not in conformity with what the singer sings. The singer sings something while the video comprises of totally different thing. According to him, a successful video is the one, which is made according to the urgency and spirit of “subjective music”.

Unassuming, friendly and down-to-earth Takkar is a born and self-taught vocalist whose vocal resources have equipped him to also fluently render songs in languages other than Pashto like Farsi and Urdu. He had also held concerts not only in Pakistan, but also in Dubai, Britain, Canada, Germany and Afghanistan. In recognition of his unforgettable services to Pashto Music, the government of Pakistan awarded him with the Pride of Performance. He is also a recipient of numerous awards and certificates from a number of cultural organizations.

Courtesy: Khyber Watch

URL: http://www.khyberwatch.com/interviews/Takar.htm

Courtesy: shafi1990

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJQnxlv1aHc&feature=related

Courtesy: CarterKhan

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vu9n7JqWtvw&feature=related

Homayun Sakhi: The art of the Afghan Rubâb

Homayun Sakhi The art of the Afghan Rubâb by SalimJanMazari Courtesy: kushall1972

URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1a2HETp8xQ4&feature=related

Rabab or Rebab - Afghanistan

The rabab is the national instrument of Afghanistan used in ancient court music, as well as modern day art and entertainment music. It has three main strings and a number of sympathetic strings over a hollow neck and a goat-skin resonator. It has a very deep body making it a bit awkward to hold. Rababs come in different sizes depending on the region they are found. The Afghan rabab is also found in northern India and Pakistan, probably due to the Afghan rule in those regions in the 18th Century. The rabab was the precursor to the Indian sarod, which is regarded as one of India's most important instruments. Country: Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kashmir Region: Central and South Asia Type: rebab Collection: Randy Raine-Reusch - Courtesy http://www.asza.com/afganreb.shtml

Homayun’s artistry demonstrates how an imaginative musician working within a traditional musical idiom can enrich and expand its expressive power.

Homayun Sakhi is the outstanding Afghan rubâb player of his generation, a brilliant virtuoso endowed with a charismatic musical presence and personality. During Afghanistan’s long years of armed conflict, when music was heavily controlled, censored, repressed, and, finally, totally banned, the classical rubâb style to which Homayun has devoted his career not only survived but reached new creative heights.

Homayun’s artistry demonstrates how an imaginative musician working within a traditional musical idiom can enrich and expand its expressive power while respecting the taste and sensibility passed down from master musicians of the past. Moreover, Homayun’s personal story illustrates the extraordinarily challenging conditions under which he and his fellow Afghan musicians have pursued their art.

The art music tradition of the Afghan rubâb featured on these recordings is very much a hybrid creation. Indeed, Afghan music represents a confluence of cultural influences whose sources lie to the east, north, and west of present-day Afghanistan, in the great historical empires of Persia, Central Asia, and India. Each region has contributed instruments, genres, and performance styles to Afghanistan’s diverse musical landscape. The rubâb itself is of Central Asian origin - one of a family of double-chambered lutes that includes, among others, the Iranian târ, Tibetan danyen, and Pamir rubâb. While rooted in the raga tradition of North India, the cultivated art music performed on the Afghan rubâb also has strong stylistic links to Iran. The tabla, the pair of drums that accompany the rubâb and express the music’s sophisticated rhythmic element, is indisputably Indian, but its creators seem to have drawn inspiration from older forms of Central and West Asian kettle and goblet drums. Finally, Homayun’s performance style has been shaped not only by the musical traditions to which Afghan music is geographically and historically linked, but by his lively interest in contemporary music from around the world.

Homayun Sakhi was born in Kabul in 1976 into one of Afghanistan’s leading musical families. From the age of ten, he studied rubâb with his father, Ghulam Sakhi, in the traditional form of apprenticeship known as ustâd-shâgird (Persian: “masterapprentice”).

Ghulam Sakhi was a disciple and, later, brother-in-law, of Ustâd Mohammad Omar (d. 1980), the much-revered heir to a musical lineage that began in the 1860s, when the ruler of Kabul, Amir Sher Ali Khan, brought a number of classically trained musicians from India to perform at his court. He gave them residences in a section of the old city adjacent to the royal palace so that they could be easily summoned to court when needed, and this area, known as Kucheh Kharabat, became the musicians’ quarter of Kabul. Over the next hundred years, Indian musicians thrived there, and Kabul became a provincial center for the performance of North Indian classical music. The royal patrons of this music were Afghans who were at ease with Persian culture as well as Indian and loved classical Persian poetry. To please their patrons, the Kharabat musicians created a distinctive form of vocal art that combined elements of Persian and Indian music. One of the principal Persian verse forms is the ghazal, constructed from a series of couplets that follow a
particular rhyme scheme. Ghazals provided the texts for the new style of Afghan vocal music, while the music itself was based on the melodic modes (raga) and metrical cycles (tala) of Indian music. The Kabuli style of ghazal singing later spread to other Afghan cities. Musicians in Kabul also cultivated the art of playing the rubâb, which was prominent in regional folk music. Today the rubâb is regarded with great pride by the people of Afghanistan as their national instrument.

Homayun’s study of the rubâb was interrupted in 1992, when his entire family moved to the Pakistani city of Peshawar, a place of refuge for many Afghans from the political chaos and violence that enveloped their country in the years following the Soviet invasion of 1979. In Peshawar, Homayun quickly became a popular entertainer. “I played a mixture of ragas and songs,” Homayun recalled, “and I earned a good income from music. I played on television and on the radio. Peshawar has a lot of popular singers, and I often played with these singers.”

The unofficial headquarters of Afghanistan’s émigré music community in Peshawar was Khalil House, a modern apartment building where between thirty and forty bands established offices. The building’s apartments - each one essentially a single large room - became the headquarters of a group of musicians to which potential clients came to arrange for the musicians’ participation in wedding parties and other musical events. For several years, Khalil House was a hotbed of musical activity for Afghan musicians in exile. Some musicians ran their own music schools, and informal jam sessions where young musicians competed to show off their virtuosity and technical skills were common.

Long hours and a spirit of camaraderie in Khalil House enabled the musicians from Kabul to maintain and further develop key musical skills.

Homayun rented a room in Khalil House and opened a small music school. “The people of Peshawar - the way they play the rubâb is different,” Homayun explained. “I introduced a Kabul style to them. For example, traditionally, rubâb players didn’t touch the instrument’s sympathetic strings, but I used them a lot, in addition to the melody strings. Before, players just picked down with the plectrum, but I picked both up and down. I thought these things up. I listened to violin music from different places, and to guitar and sitar music, and symphonic music. I listened to a lot of different things that I found on cassettes, and I wondered, why couldn’t I play with these kinds of techniques on the rubâb? And I started to try them. I understood that the rubâb isn’t just an instrument for backing up a singer. I worked hard and played for long hours every day to create more of a style - a complex picking style that uses rhythmic syncopation and playing off the beat.”

After the fall of the Taliban in 2001, many Afghan musicians in Peshawar returned to Kabul, but by this time, Homayun was on his way to Fremont, California. He brought with him the sophisticated and original rubâb style that he had developed during his years in Pakistan, but little else. Fremont, a city of some 200,000 that lies southeast of San Francisco, claims the largest concentration of Afghans in the United States. Afghans flocked to Fremont and nearby Hayward and Union City in the 1980s, joining an older community of émigrés from the Asian subcontinent. In Fremont, just as in Peshawar, Homayun quickly established himself as a leader of the local musical community. He opened a school to teach Afghan music to children, recorded compact discs of popular Afghan songs, and became a sought-after performer, appearing together with Toryalai Hashimi, a tabla player and well-known exponent of Afghan music who had also grown up in Kabul. But while continuing his community activities, Homayun devotes as much as eight hours a day to practicing the rubâb. His exceptional talent and unswerving dedication to his art have brought him success on the concert stage, and he maintains an active performance schedule that takes him to cities around the world. Yet Homayun never appears satisfied with his own performances. He rejected the honorific title of ustâd (master) that his fellow Afghan musicians proposed to confer on him, claiming that his abilities represented “only a drop in the vast sea of music and musical knowledge.” Asked to comment on his own music-making, Homayun says, “I am grateful to God for helping me through every step of my life, and to Him I owe whatever success I’ve achieved in performing on my instrument and developing the art of rubâb.” COURTESY: Homayun Sakhi: The art of the Afghan Rubâb http://www.akdn.org/aktc_music_homayun.asp