Payback needed

The absence of an organisation tending to the specific needs of ailing and aging artists or sportsmen has robbed several of our more illustrious citizens — who once brought honour and fame for the country — of the kind of treatment they so richly deserve. Notwithstanding their stature these honourable citizens have often discovered that their descent into oblivion is filled with incredible suffering and loneliness. Heartbreaking accounts of their plight appear regularly in the media accompanied by appeals for financial help or material assistance to meet daily needs and cover medical costs. Be it Olympians, yesteryear cricketers, hockey players or entertainment industry artists, the indifference of the successive governments and society to the plight of those who served the country well is shocking.

Senior Pashto poet Akmal Lewaney is one among many such individuals awaiting assistance for his arthritis treatment that would cost him a sum as meagre as Rs60,000-80,000. In spite of being unable to finish his schooling due to his humble family background, Akmal made a name for himself with the exceptional quality of his work in poetry and mimicry. Lewaney now intends to set up a book stall and promote the culture of poetry in the country.

Providing senior ailing artists with the resources to avail a required medical treatment or to maintain a lifestyle with dignity is the responsibility of the state. Further, the culture of art and entertainment can only flourish when due prospects of a secure future are incentivised to the artists. The concerned authority should set up a fund to assist such artists.

Pakistani artists are valued for their work across the borders, late ghazal maestro Mehdi Hasan was offered medical assistance by the Rajasthan state government from India. The government here too must earmark funds for the wellbeing of its artists.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 2^nd, 2018.

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