PNCA plans reference for folk singer Krishan Lal

Islamabad : As renowned folk singer from Cholistan Krishan Lal Bheel passed away, Pakistan National Council of the Arts has planned to hold a grand Cholistan Folk Night as a special reference for the deceased after the coronavirus crisis is settled.

PNCA director general Dr Fouzia Saeed expressed deep sadness over the death of the singer and declared him a legend.

Dr Fouzia said she had known Krishan Lal for the last 30 years and had a special relationship with his family and community.

She said she had also visited Krishan Lal's home in Cholistan quite a few times.

The PNCA DG said Krishan Lal was always appreciative of the book that she wrote about the ‘Bheel’ community.

She said the folk singer had performed in a number of events in Lok Virsa during her tenure as the organisation's ED, while she interviewed him for a Lok Virsa TV series, Folk Beats.

Dr Fouzia said she had always admired the talents of the deceased and the way he represented the tradition and culture of ‘Bheel’ community.

“It is a very sad day as we lost a pillar of folk singing in Pakistan. He represented a whole tradition of ‘Bheel’ community of Hindu ‘biradari’ and has the credit to introduce many folk artists from South Punjab. He called me ‘maataa jee’ and I always interacted with him and his community as my own family,” she said.

The PNCA DG said she would have gone to Krishan Lal's home right away but it was not possible to do so due to the travel restrictions caused by coronavirus pandemic.

"Krishan Lal was a noble soul and a soulful singer. His illustrious efforts for promoting folk music of Cholistan will always be cherished," she said.