SWAT: Far off in the midst of the Hindukush range, amid lofty peaks and ancient cedar trees, an enigmatic figure sits on a log, holding a staff. Encircled by the wildlife of the mountains, he sings mesmerising ancient songs in a tongue known only to the high peak dwellers, the song passed down through the ages, from father to son, carried on the wind like a sacred whisper.

Much like Wordsworth’s ‘Solitary Reaper’ where a lady sings an ancient melody in a mountain field, this scene captures the timelessness and ethereal beauty of tradition preserved in song.

Nizamud Din, a guy of 16, raised in the highlands of Bahrain tehsil, tends to animals like a shepherd. Fluent only in Torwali, the native tongue of Bahrain tehsil, he remains untouched by formal education, computers and internet. His primary pastime is singing ancient songs of mountains, melodies that echo the hills, waters, trees, snow and animals of his homeland.

Living a pure life, he has never visited a city, remaining blissfully unaware of its hustle and bustle, smoke, noise pollution and the heat of modern vehicles. His experience is limited to the natural beauty of his homeland, framed by blue skies, serenity, calmness, cool breezes and freshwater.

Nizam sings unwritten ancient songs of Torwali language

According to locals, these are their songs, locally known as Zho, which they used to sing in their celebrations. Nizam and some other guys have kept them alive by still singing these ancient songs during their celebrations. Nizam has never had the opportunity to leave the meadow.

He came to limelight when Coke Studio Pakistan found him through a Facebook post. Locals visiting the meadow recorded his song and he was featured in the “Magical Journey of Mehmaan” programme.

Local activists, who first discovered the shepherd, said they did not know that Nizam would gain such abrupt fame and would be featured in Coke Studio Pakistan. “During the Covid-19 period, we got an opportunity to explore our own Bahrain valley. We came to Tap C Baan with some foreigners. We were amazed to see the pristine beauty of the area and locals were surprised to see us, as it was after 14 years that foreign tourists visited the area,” Malak Abrar, a lawyer by profession but a peace and tourism activist, told Dawn.

He said that they were still under the spell of serenity and natural beauty. They were mesmerised once they heard a young guy singing a song in the local language. “The song had a magical effect; it was the sweetest voice with the purity and simplicity of the local Torwali language,” he said, adding that they immediately captured his video and uploaded it on their campaign page, from where Coke Studio Pakistan heard him and the producer contacted them.

“Initially he did not want to leave the meadow. However, after motivating him, we took him to Karachi for the recording, which was his first-ever trip outside of Tap C Baan,” he said.

Mr Abrar said when his song was released on Coke Studio Pakistan, luckily it trended as the sweet melody of the boy from the mountains travelled the world through digital waves and became famous. “The Torwali and Kohistani communities in Swat are proud to hear their language and their ancient song internationally,” he said proudly.

Nizam told Dawn that he heard the Zho from his elders, especially from old people. “Local poets compose the poetry, which is not in written form. When I heard Zho from an old person, it attracted me. I started learning it by heart. Then once I sang it, everyone praised my voice, which encouraged me,” he said, adding that since then, he sang it in his friends’ company, at weddings and during other celebrations.

He said that he had never thought that his voice and the song would take him to Coke Studio and that he would gain so much fame.

Published in Dawn, July 8th, 2024