It’s been a year since Junaid Jamshed lost his life due to a plane crash while he was flying from Chitral to Islamabad. He was among the 48 people who were killed during the incident that took place on December 7, 2016, leaving his fans, the industry and the entire nation in a state of shock and grief.
InMemory
One year after Junaid Jamshed’s death, his eldest son talks about life without him.
It’s been a year since Junaid Jamshed lost his life due to a plane crash while he was flying from Chitral to Islamabad. He was among the 48 people who were killed during the incident that took place on December 7, 2016, leaving his fans, the industry and the entire nation in a state of shock and grief.
Jamshed lived a life not everybody is accustomed to. He first shot to fame with his soulful music and won millions of hearts as the front-man of the pioneering music group Vital Signs. He went onto release three solo albums before turning to religion.
On account of his first death anniversary (yesterday), his eldest son Taimur Junaid reflects on how he coped with the incident and wishes to carry his father’s legacy forward.
“I have to show a brave face every time I wake up,” he admitted in a recent interview. “I haven’t really recovered from the whole incident but life has to go on… It’s almost like every day I put a mask on, I go out and try to move on. I don’t want the impact of all his hard work to end.”
Though Taimur was completely shattered at the time of his death, he later decided to follow his father’s footsteps. A month or two after Junaid Jamshed’s death, he went to The Footpath School near Abdullah Shah Ghazi to start an initiative with Jafaria Disaster Cell (JDC) and distribute stationary to the children there. Once he visited multiple schools and universities, he decided to work on his vocals. After a lot of practice, he wrote a reply to his father’s naat, ‘Muhammad Ka Roza’, which was launched in Ramazan.
Speaking about the experience and participating in Ramazan transmissions, Taimur shared, “I used to think that what my dad did was very easy, as beyaan was second nature to him and he did it on a daily basis, but when I tried to fit into his shoes, I realised there was no way I could even come 0.0001% close to the man that he was. His experience was more than my age, and this wasn’t just an interest for him – it was his passion.”
Given that Taimur is the eldest son, he also took charge of the family and stepped into his father’s shoes. “Listen, I’m always away on tableegh or on tour, so you’re basically the head of the family so I want you to be responsible at home,” he recalled his father’s word who had been preparing him for the role for the last two years. From that moment, Taimur’s life has become a roller coaster ride as if someone has “pressed the fast forward button on my life”.
However he regrets that he didn’t learn enough from his father.
“I didn’t learn enough from him; I regret this every day of my life,” Taimur observed. “I would’ve loved to learn about his experience with music and composition. I would’ve loved for him to give me tips on what would suit my voice more, because he was a composer, not just a vocalist. I’d also want tips on being a father.”
Taimur also spoke about Junaid Jamshed’s transition from singing to preaching, sharing his father’s concerns before taking this step. “His first thought was that he sings really well, so after his transition, he won’t be able to sing. The second was that he gets to go on stage and have so many people listen to him – he won’t have that crowd of listeners anymore, and thirdly, he may lose all his fame after the transition.”
Taimur recounts his father as saying that after his transition, “He got to use his voice to praise Allah, crowds of people still listened to him, and lastly, his fame stayed and with it, came respect. Honestly, he was so passionate about music. He controlled his nafs and gave it up all for Allah.”
On a parting note, Taimur said, “I know I can’t become him but I am taking his teachings and implementing them in my life, and I am doing whatever work I can do to take his legacy forward.”
