Faiz Mohammad Faizok (1901 – 6 May 1982) Balochi: فیز محمد فیزوک), was a Balochi
folk musician
Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has be ...
and
folk singer
Folk music is a music genre that includes #Traditional folk music, traditional folk music and the Contemporary folk music, contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be c ...
.
Well known for his unique style of body language and barefooted dancing with his songs. His contribution to
Balochi music
The Baloch or Baluch ( bal, بلۏچ, Balòc) are an Iranian people who live mainly in the Balochistan region, located at the southeasternmost edge of the Iranian plateau, encompassing the countries of Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan. There a ...
is greatly admired by most Baloch people. He introduced the traditional music style of Balochi folk songs all over Pakistan after migrating to
Karachi
Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former cap ...
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
, a region in
Nikshahr
Nik Shahr ( fa, نیکشهر, also Romanized as Nīk Shahr; also known simply as Nīk; formerly, Geh and Keh) is a city in and the capital of Nik Shahr County, Sistan and Baluchestan province, Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic R ...
township in 1901 in the Iranian part of Balochistan, called Sistan and Baluchestan Province, Iran. First his father introduced him to Baloch musical instruments and taught him to sing. Then Master Mallarami formally taught him how to sing and he learned
lute
A lute ( or ) is any plucked string instrument with a neck and a deep round back enclosing a hollow cavity, usually with a sound hole or opening in the body. It may be either fretted or unfretted.
More specifically, the term "lute" can ref ...
and
harp
The harp is a stringed musical instrument that has a number of individual strings running at an angle to its soundboard; the strings are plucked with the fingers. Harps can be made and played in various ways, standing or sitting, and in orche ...
from the musician Allahdad. Master Allahdad belonged to the
Lashar
Lashar is the largest village in the southeastern province Sistan and Baluchestan in Iran.
Most of the people of Lashar are Afro-Iranians, many of whom were taken to the south of Iran by Portuguese as well as Persian and Arab slave traders.
S ...
region in Nikshar township. Faiz decided to move, with his wife and children, to the newly created country Pakistan at the time of
independence of Pakistan
The Pakistan Movement ( ur, , translit=Teḥrīk-e-Pākistān) was a political movement in the first half of the 20th century that aimed for the creation of Pakistan from the Muslim-majority areas of British India. It was connected to the per ...
in 1947. At that time, he was already 46 years old.
In Pakistan, Master Khayr Mohamamd taught him
Sindhi music
Music from Sindh (), is sung and is generally performed in either the "Baits" or "Waee" styles. The Baits style is vocal music in Sanhoon (low voice) or Graham (high voice). Waee instrumental music is performed in a variety of ways using a s ...
. Although Faiz Baloch had lived his early life in Karachi where he had initially settled in
Lyari Town
Lyari Town ( sd, لیاری ٽاؤن , ur, ) is named after the historic locality of Lyari. Lyari Town was the smallest borough (called "town" in Karachi) by area, but also the most densely populated one. Lyari Town was formed in 2001 as par ...
area of Karachi that had a significant Balochi-speaking population. Initially he worked as a labourer during the day and he would entertain the local people with his singing in the evening at street corners and at local wedding events. His singing first became popular among the Baluchi-speaking people of Karachi. In the 1950s, Faiz started to record his songs at
Radio Pakistan
Radio Pakistan serves as the national public broadcaster for radio in Pakistan. Although some local stations predate Radio Pakistan's founding, it is the oldest existing broadcasting network in Pakistan. The network was established on 14 August ...
, Karachi and continued to record his songs in the 1960s also, yet mainstream popularity still eluded him until he got a chance to perform on television.
He later moved on to
Quetta
Quetta (; ur, ; ; ps, کوټه) is the tenth List of cities in Pakistan by population, most populous city in Pakistan with a population of over 1.1 million. It is situated in Geography of Pakistan, south-west of the country close to the ...
,
Balochistan
Balochistan ( ; bal, بلۏچستان; also romanised as Baluchistan and Baluchestan) is a historical region in Western and South Asia, located in the Iranian plateau's far southeast and bordering the Indian Plate and the Arabian Sea coastline. ...
where the establishment of the first
Pakistani television
Television in Pakistan started in 1964 and the first live transmission of Pakistan Television began on 26 November 1964, in Lahore.PTV, Quetta) in 1974 compelled him to move there from Karachi. Faiz's performances included barefooted dancing while singing. So radio broadcasts of his music and singing could not capture the full potential of his performances. Most of his songs and music were upbeat. At Quetta, he then lived most of his remaining life and served the cause of Balochi folk music.
He had a son named Noor Muhammad Baloch. 2022 Miss In died.
Musical career
He composed poems and songs in his mother tongue, Balochi. His works consist of hundreds of songs. He toured and performed in South Korea, Soviet Union, Indonesia, France, United States, Lebanon, and Spain.
His most popular songs are:
*''Laila O' Laila'' (This song's performance on television (PTV) in a 1973 show first earned him nationwide popularity)
*''Biya tara baran saila''
*''Musqat e Mehruk''Faiz Mohammad Baloch's Muscat e Mehruk song on wichaar.com website Retrieved 1 July 2018
*''Bag e Bulbula''
*''Mai Zameen O' Asmaana''
*''Mai-Sharona''
*''Yeh Pakistan Hamara'' ( song in Urdu language)Qawwali music portal (includes Faiz Mohammad Baloch profile) on thewire.co.uk website published June 2015. Retrieved 1 July 2018
Awards and recognition
*
Pride of Performance
The Pride of Performance ( ur, ), officially known as Presidential Pride of Performance, is an award bestowed by the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to recognize people with "notable achievements in the field of art, science, literature, sports, an ...
Award by the
President of Pakistan
The president of Pakistan ( ur, , translit=s̤adr-i Pākiṣṭān), officially the President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is the ceremonial head of state of Pakistan and the commander-in-chief of the Pakistan Armed Forces.Faiz Baloch remembered Pakistan Observer (newspaper), Published 7 May 2016. Retrieved 1 July 2018
Death and legacy
He died in 1982 at
Quetta
Quetta (; ur, ; ; ps, کوټه) is the tenth List of cities in Pakistan by population, most populous city in Pakistan with a population of over 1.1 million. It is situated in Geography of Pakistan, south-west of the country close to the ...
,
Balochistan
Balochistan ( ; bal, بلۏچستان; also romanised as Baluchistan and Baluchestan) is a historical region in Western and South Asia, located in the Iranian plateau's far southeast and bordering the Indian Plate and the Arabian Sea coastline. ...
, when he was over 80 years old. He has a son named Taj Mohammad Tajal Baloch who works as a
Banjo
The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and usually made of plastic, or occasionally animal skin. Early forms of the instrument were fashi ...
player at PTV, Quetta broadcast center.
sons named.