Born in 1935, Ghazi Siyal is the famous Pashto poet and popularly named the father of the song (Da Sandaray Baba) as he is writer of a number of popular Pashto songs.
Talking to The Frontier Post while sitting in shop of Iqbal Hasrat in Bannu he strongly criticized the Pashtu films being shown in the cinema houses for the last few years.
“There are no Pashto Films now-a-days. All you see is vulgarity and obscenity in the name of Pashto films,” Siyal said while adding that the people behind this low quality films were deliberately destroying the image of to Pakhtoon culture.
“Films like Orbal, Yousaf Yousaf Khan Sherbano, Adam Khan Durkhani, Jwargar, Da Pakhtun Toora and Hujra are the films which showed the real Pakhtun culture,” Ghazi said while blaming the new film makers for forgetting the real Pakhtun culture.
He said the unity among the Pakhtuns was need of the hour to revive the original Pashtu film industry that should be run by the Pakhtoons and not by the non-Pakhtuns as is done today.
Speaking about his book ‘Man and Music’ he said my sons had requested me not to bring the book to the market as they though some of the writings in the book were in clash with Islamic teachings. “So I also left the idea to publish it. But may be some time, someone will publish it after me,” Siyal said.
He advised the Pakhtuns to get education, develop the sense of brotherhood among them and keep unity among their ranks.
When asked about the current Pashtu music he said it was not Pashto music at all. “It is just Western music while instruments like dholl, rabab, shpelay, harmonium and banju etc are part and parcels of Pashto music which are missing in the new music,” Ghazi added.
He said that the youth must learn from the work of Rafiq Shinwari, Ustad Sherafgan and other such legendary Pashtu musicians as they had presented the Pashtu music in a way it should be presented.
Ghazi Siyal has authored about 12 books and his writings include prose, Pashto folk songs, Pashto Navels and biographies etc. One of his novels ‘BANZAI’ or The Step son is taught at the MA level after being included in Pashto department syllabus. Some of his books have earned him the recognition at the highest level and have also won the Pride of Performance Award.
He had written hundreds of songs for Radion Pakistan which not only got fame in Pakistan but in Afghanistan also. The latest book of Ghazi Siyal ‘The songs that are not folk’ has also arrived in the market recently. His fresh edition in Pashto literature is highly appreciated literary circles. Ghazi Siyal opined that in spite of very limited resources and projection, Pashtu poets were doing an excellent job. “I hope the future would be more glorious and shining as far as Pashtu poetry is concerned.
He said he had written his first poem when he was studying in a religious seminary.
