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.
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.
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.
"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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.