Munir Sarhadi (1931 – May 23, 1980) was a Pashtun-Pakistani instrumentalist, sarinda player and a folk singer. As a musician, he represented Pakistan in several countries.[1][2] In 1978, Munir became the recipient of Pride of Performance, a civil award conferred by the Government of Pakistan.[3][4][5]

Munir Sarhadi
Born1931
Peshawar, Pakistan
OriginKhyber Pakhtunkhwa
DiedMay 23, 1980
Peshawar
NationalityPakistani
AwardsPride of Performance Award by the President of Pakistan in 1978
Occupation(s)Instrumentalist, Folk singer
Instrument(s)Sarinda (Bowed string instrument)
Related to Sarangi
Years active19xx – 1980

Early life and career edit

Munir Sarhadi was born in 1931 at Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He was primarily playing the sarinda despite his parents wishing him to play a non-bowed string instrument. His father refused to teach him the traditional musical instrument in an effort to allow him to play the string instrument besides sarinda. Munir was persistent in his pursuit of sarinda and later became quite good in playing it. He used to perform at many music festivals and music concerts. He was in great demand due to his skills all over Pakistan.[6][1]

Awards and recognition edit

Death edit

Munir Sarhadi was passionate about sarinda musical instrument. He didn't earn much from his profession. His only source of income was his job at a broadcast network Radio Pakistan. The salary which was being offered to him, was inadequate to fulfill his medication requirements, and on May 23, 1980, he died in poverty at Peshawar, but died in a dignified manner.[1][6]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d Aziz, Shaikh (20 January 2002). "SPOT LIGHT: Munir Sarhadi – the sarinda virtuoso". Dawn (newspaper). Archived from the original on 3 November 2007. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  2. ^ اورکزئی, رفعت اللہ (1 June 2017). "کیا پاکستان میں سارندہ خاموش ہورہا ہے؟". BBC News اردو.
  3. ^ Sheikh, M. A. (26 April 2012). Who's who: Music in Pakistan. ISBN 9781469191591.
  4. ^ "Centre urged to recognise work of KP artistes". The Nation (Pakistani newspaper). 19 March 2012. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  5. ^ 50 Years of Lahore Arts Council, Alhamra: An Overview. Sang-e-Meel Publications. 4 March 2000. ISBN 9789693510836 – via Google Books.
  6. ^ a b "Cultural heritage: Last patron of sarinda struggles to keep strings resonating". The Express Tribune (newspaper). 8 February 2013. Retrieved 10 June 2020.

External links edit