Legendary folk singer Krishan Lal Bheel, who delighted millions of people with renditions in a variety of languages, passed away in Rahim Yar Khan on Thursday after living a life devoted to celebration of music and culture.
Hailed widely as the voice of Cholistan, Bheel had been admitted to a hospital five days ago after suffering from a serious kidney illness.
The state recognized his enormous contributions of Bheel by conferring upon him the President’s Pride of Performance Award.
Bheel was known for his performances in the folk festival ‘Lok Mela’ at National Institute of Folk and Traditional Heritage (Lok Virsa). He had also performed at annual Daachi festival many times.
Another son of the Soil a pure folk artist of Cholistan Saraiki Region Krishan Lal Bheel is no more fighting against poverty 💔 pic.twitter.com/pgfndECFW7
— Shahzad Shafi (@ShahzadShafi007) May 7, 2020
His fans cherished the folk singer’s performances in his local language Marwari. But he was at ease in singing in several other regional languages including Hindi, Sindhi, Punjabi, Urdu, Saraiki, Registani and Rajasthani.
But Bheel like many of his fellow artists struggled financially. The singer had urged the government on severeal occasions, to restore the monthly financial assistance, as he and other artists had spent their whole lives in promoting art and culture of Pakistan.
In a recent interview with the Associated Press of Pakistan, Bheel had said he wanted to pass his art to the next generations.
“My wife also performs in the troupe despite the fact that women from our tribe are not generally allowed to do so,” he said.
He had said that he started singing in 1970 and had performed in Norway, Germany, Dubai and Turkmenistan as well.
Pakistan’s legendary folk artist Krishan Lal Bheel passed away in Rahimyarkhan this morning. He was considered to be an embodiment of the musical traditions of Cholistan. pic.twitter.com/18zrfJMBg2
— Cultural Maverick (@CulturalMaverik) May 7, 2020
Sadaan Pirzada the CEO of Rafi Pir Group, while paying tribute to the folk singer, recalled how Bheel was one of the main attractions of the Rafi Pir Puppet festival.
“I can say that he was my singer as I did around one hundred concerts with him across the country. He was the name of an era and his death is a big loss for the whole country and no one can fill his gap.”
“I believe that in Cholistan region no singer can highlight the local culture the way Kishan Laal did. He told the world about the area’s culture, music, and rich traditions.”
“He was a diamond and most dominated folk singer of his era and I pay tribute to his music services,” Pirzada said.
Artists and music lovers paid tribute to his memory. Several commented on the social media to praise his legacy and versatile talents.
Many people remembered his performances of the Sufi spiritual kalam, and said his songs will remain a treasure of Cholistani culture for ages to come.
Muhammad Luqman is Associate Editor at Views News Now. He writes on wide-ranging issues including economy, South Asia, the Middle East, agriculture, economy and innovation. Luqman has worked some of the leading news organizations and won acclaim for his original and research-based works.
