Bacha Zareen

Bacha Zareen Jan, who performed under the pen name Bibi Gul, was a multilingual Pakistani singer and musician. Known as the "Queen of Pashto Ghazals," she sang in several languages including Pashto, Persian, Urdu, Punjabi, Hindko and Seraiki.

Early life and education

Zareen was born in 1942 at Kalpanay, Par Hoti, Mardan. Her family originally lived in Calcutta, India, but they moved to Peshawar following the partition of India. She belonged to a musical family. Her father, Ustad Abdur Rahim Khan, was a musician who taught her the basics of music. It is believed that she never saw her father.

She studied Pashto music and ghazal singing from artists such as Gul Pazir Khan and Ghulam Fareed Khan. During her childhood, she sang songs that became prominent in her native area and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas. Her elder sister, Dilbar Jan Balalily, also played a role in teaching her singing.

Career

Zareen debuted in the music industry in 1948 at the age of seven. She performed her first song, "Gila Da Khpalo Keegi," at Radio Pakistan. Her father, a tabla player, introduced her to the Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation for an audition. She later contributed her voice to musical programs on All India Radio.

Between the early 1950s and the late 1970s, she was the only multilingual Pashtun singer performing live concerts. She became a prominent classical ghazal and folk singer in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Zareen wrote more than 200 songs in Urdu and Pashto under her pen name. Her notable tracks include "Alaka Bali Ma Narawa," "Ma Pre Sezi Ze," and "Da Bama Olwegy Che Za."

She participated in the Mehfil-e-Samaa to sing Sufi devotional songs. Through this work, she was recognized as a "spiritual daughter" of Pashto composer Rafiq Shinwari. During the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, she sang patriotic songs. In recognition of her contributions during the 1971 war, President Ayub Khan gave her a sword and a pistol.

Personal life

Zareen had six sisters. She moved from Mardan to Peshawar due to cultural conflicts and social issues. She chose to live her entire life without a marital relationship. This decision followed her observation of the domestic violence her little sister faced from a husband.

Her final years were marked by poverty and failing health. It is reported that she lived in a rented house in Peshawar with her nephew. The provincial cultural department provided her a monthly fund of PKR2,500, but the government later discontinued this. In 2008, state cultural minister Syed Aqil Shah visited her home and gave her PKR3,000. Following news reports of this visit, mortgage lenders reportedly arrived at her home to demand loan recoveries.

She suffered from multiple health ailments before her death. Zareen died of kidney failure in Peshawar on 26 July 2012.

Awards and recognition

The Government of Pakistan awarded her the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz on 23 March 2000. She also received the presidential Pride of Performance for her work in Pashto music. Her musical influence covered the Pashtun diaspora, Balochistan and the FATA provinces.