While walking on the streets of Tariq Road, I had an experience that was a bit disturbing and made me wonder where we, as in ‘Pakistani’s are heading for?
Amidst the crowded streets, one can easily spot small and big stalls loaded with flags, batches, and so many accessories in all shades of green. For people of my generation and generations older to me the festivities of 14th August were the most awaited moments in a year, unfortunately our priorities are different now.
Coming back to what I observed, it is something many would find normal but for a patriot like me, it was painful.
On a flags stall that carried batches of the Quaid e Azam and and Allama Iqbal and other freedom leaders, the famous number from a recent bollywood flick Tum Hi howas being played in full volume.
As I launched my protest, the stall wala a young chap in his 20’s presented a strange excuse. He said he is out of options, his frineds do not allow him to play the classic milli naghma’s and there is a dearth of good new ones . This was a shocking discovery for me. Only when I returned home and thought of his reply again did I realise that the boy did not present a lame excuse, in fact he had unknowingly made a correct point.
Do we have any thing close to Mehdi Hassan’s Ye Watan Tumhara Hai or Amant Ali Khan’s Aye Watan Pyare Watan ? I don’t think so.
The rich and melodious legacy of Pakistani National Songs met their decline gradually. Over the past decade for example, I can confidently say that not a single milli naghma has surfaced that can be proudly considered an addition to our heritage of patriotic music.
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