Dr. Mohammad Sadiq Fitrat, born Sadiq Fitrat Habibi, (
Pashto/
Dari: ), known professionally as Nashenas (
Pashto/
Dari: ), is one of the oldest surviving
musicians from
Afghanistan. His fame began in the late 1950s, and since then he has produced many albums consisting of Pashto, Dari, and
Urdu songs. He is known as "the Afghan
Saigal".
Background
Nashenas was born in
Kandahar,
Afghanistan to an ethnic
Pashtun family. He belongs to the famous Habibi family who are
Kakar by tribe. This is a religious family which descends from Habibullah Kakar, or Habibullah Akhundzada. His primary education was in Kandahar.
After his father was appointed by the National Bank of Karachi, he moved to
British India where he lived without his mother. He encountered
classical Indian music, which deeply moved and influenced him.
Zakir Husain
Zakir Husain Khan (8 February 1897 – 3 May 1969) was an Indian educationist and politician who served as the third president of India from 13 May 1967 until his death on 3 May 1969.
Born in Hyderabad in a Afridi Pashtun family, Husain ...
taught him
calligraphy
Calligraphy (from el, link=y, καλλιγραφία) is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instrument. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "t ...
,
Persian and Urdu.
While staying in
Chaman, near the border of Afghanistan, he went to a school where he experienced an important moment in his musical awakening. Students were celebrating the establishment of their school. Kids used tables as drums while Nashenas sang. He was called to the principal's office. Thinking that he would get punished, he decided to deny that he was singing. On the contrary, he found that school appreciated his talents and encouraged him to perform. He received a medal and five volumes of religious texts.
[
In 1948 he returned to Afghanistan. Starting from 1953 he begins to sing on Afghan radio and becomes known under his pseudonym "Nashenas". His family stressed to him the importance of religion as he hailed from the religious elite of the city of Kandahar. In the early 1970s, Nashenas traveled to the Soviet Union where he obtained his doctorate in ]Pashto Literature
Pashto literature ( ps, ) refers to literature and poetry in Pashto language. The history of Pashto literature spreads over five thousands years having its roots in the oral tradition of tapa. However, the first recorded period begins in 7th cen ...
from Moscow State University.
Since the 90s he lives in London.[
Nashenas is still popular in Afghanistan, including in the Pashto-speaking areas of Pakistan. He made one song about Muhammad Iqbal.
]
Discography
:Note: This list is not comprehensive and does not include albums released in Afghanistan during the 1970s and 1980s. Due to the Soviet–Afghan War in the 1980s and the Taliban ban on music in late the 1990s, all his original music clips and videos from the 1970s and early 1980s have been destroyed. It is claimed that the ones being heard today are mostly copies of the original and the quality is not as good.
* ''Kharabat e -Moghaan''
* ''Qandahar''
* ''Sokhan-e-Zamana''
* ''Nashinas Live In New York'' (DVD)
References
External links
* Www.Nashenasmusic.com
* https://nashenas.org/
{{Authority control
1935 births
Living people
Pashtun singers
Afghan musicians
Afghan male singers
People from Kandahar
Pashto-language singers
Persian-language singers
20th-century Afghan male singers