Singer of Tales: Story of a Baloch Minstrel how he was discovered in his early age as a future epic singer

Until the late 20th century Balochistan had a class of minstrels, called Pahlawan (lit. “singer of heroic deeds”), who used to go around and sing verse narratives, called shayr. They mostly came from the dependent social class but had a unique place in Baloch society as they were considered as the custodians of Baloch history and code of behavior. Many such minstrels were related to prominent figures and tribal chiefs while others were itinerary minstrels who earned a living by singing at wedding ceremonies or visiting villages after harvests. Although minstrelsy was not a family profession, there were families who passed it on from father to son. In the majority of cases, the profession was started during the early age of a person and continued until the end of one’s days. Now that the socio-economic conditions have changed, minstrelsy has become a dying art with no or very few new ones learning the art. Among the living minstrels, Pahlawan Mazar is one of the most prominent names. This paper is based on his life experience and discusses how he entered the profession, who were his teachers, how much time he spent before becoming an independent singer of epics and so on.