Dawood Sarkhosh
Encyclopedia
Dawood Sarkhosh (also spelled as Daud Sarkhosh) is an Afghan poet
, singer, and musician
.
An ethnic Hazara, Dawood Sarkhosh was born in 1971 in the Daikundi region of Uruzgan province in Central Afghanistan
. Sarkhosh started writing poetry
at the age of nine; his inspiration came from his elder brother, Sarwar Sarkhosh, who was a prominent artist in the region. Sarkhosh learned from him and started playing dumbura
and singing at seventeen. At the time musicians were deeply discriminated against.
His brother was killed when Sarkhosh was in his twenties, and his family fled, first to Peshawar
and finally to Quetta
, Pakistan
. Sarkhosh revived his skills by singing and composing songs inspired by a sense of nationalism
and suffering in exile. He didn't sing for commercial gain, but out of nostalgia and to convey the feelings about refugee
life as experienced by refugees of Afghanistan dispersed throughout the world. They went to his concerts in their thousands, marking Sarkhosh's rise as a singer. It was in Quetta that he mastered the harmonium
under the Pakistani composer Arbab Ali Khan.
Sarkhosh currently lives in Austria
. He is married to Kubra Nekzad Sarkhosh; they have three children: Saboor, Zulfiqar, and Yasir..
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
, singer, and musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
.
An ethnic Hazara, Dawood Sarkhosh was born in 1971 in the Daikundi region of Uruzgan province in Central Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
. Sarkhosh started writing poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
at the age of nine; his inspiration came from his elder brother, Sarwar Sarkhosh, who was a prominent artist in the region. Sarkhosh learned from him and started playing dumbura
Pandura
The pandura is an ancient Greek string instrument from the Mediterranean basin.It is derived from pandur, a Sumerian term for long-necked lutes...
and singing at seventeen. At the time musicians were deeply discriminated against.
His brother was killed when Sarkhosh was in his twenties, and his family fled, first to Peshawar
Peshawar
Peshawar is the capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and the administrative center and central economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan....
and finally to Quetta
Quetta
is the largest city and the provincial capital of the Balochistan Province of Pakistan. Known as the "Fruit Garden of Pakistan" due to the diversity of its plant and animal wildlife, Quetta is home to the Hazarganji Chiltan National Park, which contains some of the rarest species of wildlife in the...
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. Sarkhosh revived his skills by singing and composing songs inspired by a sense of nationalism
Nationalism
Nationalism is a political ideology that involves a strong identification of a group of individuals with a political entity defined in national terms, i.e. a nation. In the 'modernist' image of the nation, it is nationalism that creates national identity. There are various definitions for what...
and suffering in exile. He didn't sing for commercial gain, but out of nostalgia and to convey the feelings about refugee
Refugee
A refugee is a person who outside her country of origin or habitual residence because she has suffered persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or because she is a member of a persecuted 'social group'. Such a person may be referred to as an 'asylum seeker' until...
life as experienced by refugees of Afghanistan dispersed throughout the world. They went to his concerts in their thousands, marking Sarkhosh's rise as a singer. It was in Quetta that he mastered the harmonium
Harmonium
A harmonium is a free-standing keyboard instrument similar to a reed organ. Sound is produced by air being blown through sets of free reeds, resulting in a sound similar to that of an accordion...
under the Pakistani composer Arbab Ali Khan.
Sarkhosh currently lives in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
. He is married to Kubra Nekzad Sarkhosh; they have three children: Saboor, Zulfiqar, and Yasir..
Discography
- 1998: Sarzamin-e-Man (My Homeland)
- 2000: Parijo (Fairy)
- 2004: Sepid -o-Siah (Black and White)
- 2005: Khana e Geeli (Mud House)
- 2007: Oslo Concert
- 2008: Maryam
- 2010: Bazi