ISLAMABAD The cultural authorities and organisations in the government and the non-government sectors displayed indifferent attitude on the 10th death anniversary of Allan Faqir, one of the most celebrated folk singers from Sindh. Allan Faqir - the singer of 'Humma Humma (Allah allah kar bhyyia), a fusion of pop and folk singing, not only took Pakistan to the centre of the world music arena but also led to his co-singer Muhammad Ali Shehki to new heights of popularity in the late 1980s. The recipient of Pakistan governments coveted medal 'Presidents Pride of Performance in 1987 for his excellence in his chosen field of music. Allan Faqir died on July 4, 2000, in a very miserable condition. His death revealed, once again, the criminal negligence of the Government functionaries, both at federal and provincial level, towards the folk artists and intangible cultural heritage. The sorry state of affairs continues at the government functionaries mandated to promote folklore and cultural heritage even after Allan Faqirs death and the other departed souls of folk singers. No information is available about our folk singers and their work on the websites of Lok Virsa (the Institute of Folk and Cultural Heritage), Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA). Allan Faqir, whose real name was Ali Bakhsh. He was one of the most admired folk singer of the country in his life and even after death. The last days of his life were extremely miserable. No one turned up to offer adequate medical or financial assistance. After his death we could preserve the intangible folk singing he left behind. Unfortunately, we forgot to remember him on the day when his soul departed, and we could not collect and save the footprints of his life and achievements for the generations to come. Allan Faqir belonged to the clan of distinguished Faqir singers, who had specialised in the rendition of kafis, waees and doheeras of Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai. He was known for his typical Faqir style of dance singing, which brought Sindhi traditional music into the mainstream. His songs are mostly in Sindhi language except a few in Urdu, usually revolve around Sufism and the devotional philosophy. But the characteristic which, distinguishes him from other folk singers like Mai Bhaghai, Fouzia Soomro, Zarina Baloch, Jalal Chandio, is the depth of his feelings, which is very expressive in all his songs. In his death, Pakistan has lost one of its accomplished folk and devotional singers. Allan Faqirs knowledge of traditional devotional music and the depth of feeling he put into his performances will be difficult to be replaced for a long time. No performance of his was complete until it was interspersed with his typical style of dancing and distinctively pleasing facial expressions marked by a broad smile. He brought to his singing a rare quality of emotion and depth of feeling. He is no more but will be long remembered by those who understood, listened and enjoyed the Faqir music-dances of Sindh of which Allan was an accomplished exponent. He won laurels for Pakistan and kudos for his performing skill when his famous duet with pop singer Mohammed Ali Shehki was held in Singapore in the late 1980s. The impact of the duet - 'Teray Ishq Mein Jo Bhi Doob Gaya, 'Allah Allah Kar Bhahiyya, - on the audience was simply great. At the same time by combining his artfully choreographed performances with that of popular singers of the time, as in Humma humma, he crossed the cultural and generation gaps to appeal to a larger and younger audience. He was an enigmatic figure who promoted the richness of Sindhi tradition in his singing, but could rise to the heights of patriotism as in jeevan sager main tu ne Pakistan diya. His sufi music helped in transporting the lissteners, and worked its way to ecstatic peaks with the help of driving rhythms and concise refrains. His voice had a raw, impassioned tone. He created music that united virtuosity, devotion and aplomb.