Small folk with big dreams: Search for the ‘real’ artist

Talent hunt looks to discover various talented slum dwellers.

ISLAMABAD:

To showcase his vocals, the 26-year-old Shahbaz Masih sees an opportunity of a lifetime in form of the talent hunt competition at Pakistan National Council of the Arts. The artist may be visually-impaired but he does not consider this disability an obstacle for his singing career.

After having performed at a local church for years, his confidence was evident while talking to The Express Tribune. “I’m hopeful about winning this competition,” he said. Mainly a singer of Punjabi folk songs, he is also fascinated by ghazals.

The hunt is a mechanism to give vent to the voices of underprivileged sections of the society, particularly slums. “There are many talented children out there, who are finally being discovered,” a PNCA programme executive told The Express Tribune. He said that the selected children would get musical instruments and assistance to polish their skills. So far, about 40 to 50 such teenagers have been short-listed, whereas a total of 13 children from a group of 30 have made it into the competition. He said that a good percentage of both boys and girls are present in performing arts groups irrespective of social taboos.

The search has been going on for two years now and has helped PNCA discover a number of talented artists. “It’s a whole world out there and we are happy to be exploring it,” said PNCA Programme Coordinator Nafees Fatima.

Meanwhile, an 18-year-old break dancer, Aftab Khan has been practising his moves for the past six to seven years. He believes that such an opportunity will provide a stepping stone for him to go forward. “From here I will go on to bigger stages and make it big someday,” he said.

Another contender for singing glory, Aurangzeb Rasheed is looking for detour from his tailoring profession. He auditioned to try his luck. “I really hope to get selected so that I can pursue a career in singing, which is something I love,” he said.

The competition is going to stretch throughout the year. “PNCA is going to conduct competitions in all the bastis (slums) across the capital for another year and we are looking forward to discover many more talented individuals,” added another official.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 20^th, 2012.