Ustad Yousuf Phulani, who tugged heartstrings with his banjo, passes away

He used to encourage young people to hone their musical skills during their free time.

KARACHI: Ustad Yousuf Phulani, a community singer whose music soothed Karachi’s ears after rounds of unsettling gunfire, passed away on Friday morning after protracted illness. He was 63 years old.

He leaves behind a widow, a daughter, two sons, a legion of admirers and a number of students who will carry on his legacy by enthralling people with their mastery over musical instruments.

Yousuf was known as ‘Ustad’ in Lyari, Malir, Bin Qasim, Gadap and Keamari town where people would eagerly invite him to sing at community events. Though he played a lot of instruments, the banjo was his favourite. He also set up a small music school in Ibrahim Hyderi - a small space in a large city starved of spots where young people could showcase their talent and practice their skills.

But mastery over musical instruments was not Yousuf’s only gift: he knew how to hold a note, compose tunes and even act. He composed several songs for popular Sindhi films during the 1970s. They included ‘Ghatoo Ghar na Aya’, ‘Vechari Mau’ and ‘Majboor Insan’ - films which centered on the lives of fishermen.

Perhaps this was because Yousuf himself was born to a fisherman, Mohammed Hussain, who lived in Ibrahim Hyderi. At an early age, he tried his luck with his vocal chords, but his mentors advised him to concentrate on the ones on his banjo instead. The result: a marvelous banjo player adored by many residents of coastal communities.



When he was young, his father got him enrolled in a school but he showed little interest in studies. “Education is not necessary for composing songs and playing musical instruments. It depends on how well you practice your skills,” he used to tell the young people who aspired to be like him.

Yousuf’s father also tried to entice him into the family business, keeping him busy bargaining with other fishermen and selling catch to vendors at the city’s markets. But Yousuf was so passionate about music that he performed and taught music along with helping out with his family business.

Yousuf was a shy man. He avoided crowds, though he could have pulled them easily if he liked. Instead of performing at large gatherings, he focused his talent and energy on training young people interested in music. Though it seemed as if he could produce soothing music effortlessly, he never stopped practicing.

He would never pass up a chance to perform for his friends and members of coastal communities - not even when his life was drawing to a close.

Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum’s (PFF) chairperson, Mohammed Ali Shah, was very saddened by the news of Yousuf’s death. “He had inspired hundreds of young people to utilise their free time by learning music, a forgotten skill in the city’s coastal communities.”

He also introduced plays with themes portraying the issues faced by people living in coastal communities, said Shah. Yousuf was also famous for his generosity and felt obliged to perform any time someone from the community would ask him to play at an event.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 20^th, 2013.