My ears couldn’t help but pick the word Mirasi, as I sat listening to Atif Aslam narrate his life story, mainly because it was being spoken again and again.

Being a Punjabi, I had heard the word several times during the course of my life without giving much attention to it.

I always thought it to be just one of the derogatory terms, coined by some Punjabis in the past, to mock loud people who go around singing for no reason. Nobody, around me, had ever tried giving it much thought either, except that almost each of them viewed mirasis as those lowly people who sing at weddings for a few rupees. However, after listening to Atif Aslam tell the host that he had been called the same when he started his career by those who were close to him, made me delve into what the word meant in actuality.

The word mirasi is actually an Arabic word which means heritage or inheritance.

The word has nothing to do with being loud or even music, to begin with. It is said that mirasi is not one particular caste, rather any group of people that carry on the legacies of their families in the fields of poetry, history, genealogy, entertainment, dance, music and music playing formulate the mirasi clan at any particular period of time.

However, there are several versions of the story regarding their origin. In the past, these carriers or the inheritors of such rich culture were mostly considered a part of “elite” families. Learning music and dance was a luxury back then, that only a few could afford. Their presence would automatically adorn the darbars of the Mughal rulers, they would marry their kids within their own community in order to preserve their talent and would be lavished by gifts and money from art lovers.

Most of such people in Pakistan are known to be Muslim converts from the Hindu caste of the same name. It is said that the conversions were done at the hands of Amir Khusrow, the subcontinent’s most celebrated sufi musician, poet and scholar. They became to be known as the Nasab Khawan – a title that was considered very respectable.

However, with the passage of time, the social and political dynamics of the Subcontinent began to change.

Muslims became rigid when it came to what constitutes being a Muslim and amidst all the chaos, mirasis got entirely sidelined. Some of them tried hard to preserve their culture however, the world is cruel and works heavily in favor of those who conform to changing times. As a result, the marginalized mirasis began to marry their kids outside of their own communities while some of them gave up their heritage and opted for other professions. Some of them even changed their names because apparently, having mirasi in their names made them lowly in the eyes of their fellow countrymen.

Today, anyone with long hair or possessing the habit of chewing on pan is called a mirasi. The distinct music gharanas (household) that were formulated by their ancestors when the rulers used to patronize their varied talents, are now shrinking with every passing day. Zia-ul-Haq and his policies further aggravated their sorry plight and today, being a mirasi is considered to be the lowliest of professions.

Amidst this bedlam, however, some of them still hold on to their profession. Maybe there are different ways to be brave.

Cover Image Via: Dawn.com