“My beloved cut off the roots of my heart

I whirled to the ground

Like a pine tree”

This is what the Pashto folk song Karan Khan is humming roughly translates to. Khan says the city has lost its splendour because of environmental degradation.

“This Peshawar bears little resemblance to the Peshawar of old times, a city that was the muse of many poets and featured in their prose and verse,” he says.

“Now there is pollution. The air we are breathing in isn’t clean. Then, there’s noise. The city has changed –for the worse. I dream of Peshawar like it was in the old days – with lush hills, clean air and flowers,” he says.

“My goal is to sing a song regarding climate change in all languages spoken in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” says the young folk artist who recently hit headlines on social media when he celebrated the success of a tree plantation campaign he had launched in his home town Mingora, Swat, three years ago.

Karan Khan is known for his unique style and innovative ideas. He comes up with thematic songs to raise awareness regarding environmental and social issues. “Climate change has an overwhelming adverse impact on every aspect of our life,” says Khan.

Karan Khan has a large fan following.His fan club has more than 2 million members. He believes that folk poets, folk artists and social media influencers have a responsibility to contribute to the cause of the environment. “It is an issue that directly affects us. It also has to do with our history. References to the environment and naturist poetry feature in many of our folk songs. Songs like ‘Shah Laila wana da badamwana da chinar,’ speak of nature and its connection with humans.

Karan Khan had drawn inspiration from Czech-based Pashto folk singer Haroon Bachawho sang Khalaq Badal ShuKa Badalshulu Wakhtuna (Either people or times have changed) and Nar RaziGudar ta Jeenakai (women, do not show up at the water well).

“A treasure of vocabulary related to agriculture, local crops, seasons and expressions reflective of a typical Pakhtun life have been lost over the last few decades. Take for instance the word gudar, which means water well. It is seldom used these days,” says the young singer.

“Khushal Khan Khattak and Rahman Baba, the 17th Century literary giants, glorified flora and fauna, asking the people to adore natural beauty. Local birds and animals alongside tall trees and aromatic flowers find a fine description in their writings,” says Karan Khan.

Khan’s albums, in Pashto and Urdu, attractfans’ attention toa significant theme of climate change urging teachers, students, artists and writers to contribute a tree each spring season and be a part of the tree plantation drive in their towns, cities, mountains and plains.

“A Pashto tappa is a three liner that describes what our mountains and plains were like when they were adorned with tall trees, crystal clear water, snow-capped mountain peaks.Our cities, including Peshawar, used to be flooded with a variety of flowers. All the fairy tales are gone with the devastating climate change,”Khan says.

Karan Khan says he wants to use his singing talent to raise awareness and sensitise people, especially the youth, towards the cause of clean and green environment. “Pashto folk literature is a good medium for this.We find references to nature in many poems,” he says.

“Unfortunately, some of our poets and singers today glorify drugs and gun culture in their songs, registering a negative impact on the minds of youth. Why not change that and try the opposite? I began organising a tree plantation drive and singing about it,” says Khan.

Karan Khan picked up inspirational Pashto songs urging the general public to save the environment by planting at least one tree each and taking care of it for a year.

“Swat and Peshawar valleys had been home to ancient civilisations. Gandhara literally means fragrance. Climate change has wrought havoc on our beautiful north as flash floods, earthquakes and irregular cycles of rains, coupled with unabated deforestation,have left our once tree-filled mountains, snow-clad peaks and waterfalls in disarray.”

Karan Khan says he paid a visit to his hometown last week and found a small forest where he had planted some trees.He was convinced that his efforts had borne fruit and that he should continue to compose songs focusing on themes for contributing to reducing hazardous environmental pollution.

“Recently thre have been reports regarding the ever-worsening air quality in Peshawar, once known as the City of Flowers. People should turn to Pashto folklore which is replete with songs, lyrics and rhymes glorying indigenous plants, birds and groves of trees,” he says.

The writer is a Peshawar-based journalist. He mostly writes on art, culture, education, youth and minorities. He tweets @Shinwar-9