Ashiq Hussain hangs out his shirt on the clothes line as he watches his grandson playing in the dirt next to a big pile of rubbish.
An all too familiar beat comes wafting out from the shanty next door. Ashiq strains to hear; somebody is listening to his brainchild “Dama dam mast qalandar” on the radio. He wonders about the city people who interviewed him and told him that he was a great maestro suffering an immense injustice.
“Oh well” he thinks, shaking himself out of his reverie, “I hope Ali beta can earn a few rupees today so we can have dinner before going to sleep.”
Ashiq Hussain, the man behind the melody “Dama dam mast qalandar” that has been sung by famous singers of the Indian subcontinent; today resides in a slum near Bhaati Gate, Lahore.
This story has been written for the Friday Fictioneers. For details see the link below:
http://rochellewisofffields.wordpress.com/2014/04/23/25-april-2014/
Wow. Amazing story, made all the more amazing by the fact that it is real (I assume, by the note/youtube link). Thank you for bringing it to us. And good writing too!
Thank you for taking time to read it and comment. Yes it’s a bit of a sad story, we don’t recognize the immense talent we have in my country.
Ah, the everyday injustice we encounter.
Yes so many wrong things happening in this world. Where do we start to fix them?
Lovely story. Thank you for enlightening us about the injustice (and having a man hang up laundry.) It seems sad that someone who came up with such a beautiful song gets no credit.
Thank you so much for reading. (I laughed at your comment about the laundry!).
So often we worship the art forgetting the artiste – nice piece of reality presented there Zainab.
Thank you so much. Yes unfortunately the artiste often remains forgotten.
I read Ashiq Hussain’s story and the passing away of his son Ali. You’ve captured the pathos of his life and the dark side of showbiz where many stars have faded away after having ruled the roost, forgotten by the same fans that once worshipped them.
Ok this is a bit surreal. I didn’t know anything about his son and just made up that last bit in the story. Did he really have a son called Ali???
Zainab read this and watch the video interview here http://www.dawn.com/news/1100498/dama-dam-mast-qalandar-the-man-behind-the-melody
You might tear up at the end of the interview. As i said before this is the dark side of life after the fans go away. There are so many stories from Bollywood about legends who died in penury.
Yes it is indeed so sad. I wish it were not like that and people would be recognized and paid for their talents. Thanks for the link.
I’m in a place where I can’t listen to the music, but your story of a man of talent not being able to support his family is a sad one.
janet
Thank you Janet for reading, yes it is indeed a sad state of affairs.
Are you travelling?
Not traveling, although that would be great. Just where I couldn’t have music playing and I didn’t have my earphones with me.
You did a great job on this story, and it has an important message. Also, thank you for introducing me to this song !
You’re most welcome, I’m thrilled that you listened to the song. This is a very popular song, it’s been sung by many famous singers and is commonly sung on weddings in my country.
Dear Zainab,
Every week I look forward to my portion of Indian culture you bring to the table. A sad story. Too many of them like that all over the world.
Shalom,
Rochelle
Thank you Rochelle, you do mean Pakistani culture, although it is very similar to Indian culture because we were all one country before the British divided us. Yes it’s sad that talent has to suffer this way.
Thank you for clarifying, Zainab. Ignorance on my part. 😉
Dear Znjavid, interesting story. I listened to the music video but I didn’t know what he was singing about. I enjoyed your story, and sorry if he’s living in squalor now. If the picture across your banner is your son, he is growing up. 2 of my sons spent time in India and loved it, the people were so nice, the scenery (they sent us pictures galore) and they enjoyed the friends they met – all computer engineers and extremely fun! Thanks for the story, the music/video, and the fun! Nan 🙂
Hi Nan, I’m so happy you took out time to hear the song (I apologize for putting such a long clip with the very long intro, that was all I could find). It’s song that many singers from India and Pakistan (I belong to Pakistan) have sung and it is a popular song on weddings. Yes the picture is of my son, he’s my inspiration for a lot of what I write. Thank you for your comment and sharing your story with me. Best wishes, Zainab
Such a sad story, at least you have done him some justice by acknowledging himself and his music
Thank you. I fear I have done nothing.