Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s studio to be demolished for Orange Line train

Punjab govt muscles up to tear down walls of music icon’s retreat to make way for project

LAHORE:

Along with the proverbial understanding of what development really is, the burning question that is largely overlooked is: Development, yes, but at whose cost? Punjab government’s newest romance – the Orange Line train – has become a strange initiative. Wherever the ‘weapon of mass transition’ tries to make room, naysayers are ready to pounce.

However, Big Brother is smarter than what he comes across as. He knows what he’s doing and is determined to somehow make this work. The latest casualty on the road to acquiring the urban spectacle is Sargam Studio situated at Scheme More Chowk in Allama Iqbal Town.



Bulldozers have been summoned and the decision to tear down walls of the retreat where this man, who called himself Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, used to make music is final and irrevocable. Good money has been offered to the place’s current owner Raza Shah in return; Rs2 million isn’t that bad a price, is it?



However, the interesting part is yet to come. What does one do of the victim, who despite knowing everything, still feeds the slayer? When Big Brother was looking for some place to record an anthem for the train, Sargam Studio offered its services; ironically, it seems Jiyo Shaira, Jiyo Shaira will inevitably be the studio’s dying words. Shah is in no mood to let go; he refuses to believe that Nusrat’s Sargam is not as significant as Presley’s Graceland or Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch or, for that matter, Hotel Ambos Mundos’ Room 511 that Hemingway made famous.



Back in the day, Shah was a regular visitor of the place. “I have myself seen Nusrat produce classics like Ali Da Malang and Jogi De Naal here,” he tells The Express Tribune.

Nusrat established the space back in 1983 and some of his most memorable hymns were pieced together behind its very walls. This is the place where Nusrat spent his lonely nights and busy days. His items of personal use, his instruments are still present at Sargam, crying in protest. When Nusrat died, his body was first brought to the studio before burial. After his passing away, many of his adherents who went on to become giants of the region’s music made several pilgrimages to the place over the years. “They would kiss the doorway before stepping in, carrying their footwear in their hands,” Shah recollects.

Sargam also served as Nusrat’s office where famous personalities like Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan used to seek his company. Shah had purchased the entire place as is, in a bid to safeguard the memories of Nusrat.



But all that resides in the past. What resides in the present is a notice issued by the government to bring the place down.

It is pertinent to note that an earlier Lahore High Court decision had forced the government to rework the route. While sites like Chauburji and Shalimar Gardens might just be able to escape the wrath of the oncoming train, Sargam lies tied to the track, waiting to be run over by the government’s conviction.

“People from around the world approached me to purchase Sargam and many of the instruments kept here. I always told them it is out of the question.”

The ruling party’s representatives themselves are unhappy over the move. Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Cultural Wing Vice President Altaf Bajwa says it really is a shame. “I am the place’s co-owner. Jiyo Shaira, Jiyo Shaira was written by me only,” he says, adding, “As a worker of PML-N, I urge the government to not do this.”

On the other hand, project in-charge Khawaja Ahmad Hasan maintains Orange Line is for the welfare of the people. “We will also secure our heritage and renovate the studio, rest assured,” he says.


Published in The Express Tribune, February 8^th,  2016.

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