Khyber was basically the first proper channel for Pashto music in the South Asian diaspora specifically that of Pashto speaking belt and mostly people of Afghan Origins.
Background
There have been many other small TV channels with the likes of PTV National which used to air TV shows in local languages including Pashto. There used to be news, TV Dramas, music shows, the current affair shows in Pashto but none of them was particularly focused on revolutionizing or modernizing Pashto language info/entertainment in general. With the Inception of AVT in 2004, it became a platform to all of the people who are missing out very stage for their creative and aesthetic inputs and with that came proper means of expressing themselves.
Pashtu Music in Older Times
Talking about music in Olden times, we used to have genre specific or what we call the Classic stuff including local instruments like rabab, tabla, sitar or sarangi etc. The genres coined by the likes of Sadar Ali Takkar, Zarsanga. In the beginning, production values weren’t defined properly as there was not enough good equipment or sets etc. The broadcasts tables was basic equipment and there wasn’t any access to high tech modern studio and recording support. When AVT Khyber came along there was a Paradigm shift from the classical and analogue stuff to more of a digital medium which was also very gradual part of the process but with that came a leap in the entertainment industry particularly music. Local artists or people who were relying solely on their DVD releases or audio cassette releases with the launch of language exclusive platform, the artists got a chance to reach their audiences and in turn made name for themselves. This also meant the modernization of the music that included pop Rock even evolving and moving on rap and hip-hop and a conscious incorporation of the modernizing genres.
Pashtu Music and Social Media
Social media also was a game changer as content became the key to the running of every digital and modern operation and Pashto musicians also started adopting modern instruments and trends that included the introduction of electronic music/instruments like guitars, keyboards, drums etc. With the help of social media the term viral became associated with this kind of music production and nowadays most of the content that is circulated around comes from those times or even is produced still. This also meant access to a worldwide viewership and maintaining it by coming up with more and more commercial content.
The rise in use of Tiktok and other social media apps like YouTube or Facebook and Instagram, we see the work of those artists making rounds and their music is being kept alive but nevertheless, the original platform did everything initially itself which is a statement that it was a Revolutionary platform that offered these artists something in the form of a channel itself.
The quality of music production was going up and up with the introduction of traditional poetry in the mix that with the likes of Ghani khan, Hamza Shinwari… which was blended with modern renditions and techniques to give them a more soulful outlook.
People also saw a revival of their works in form of modern music and brought attention in mainstream media to them and helping people know what they have been missing out on and people did respond positively. Yet again, growth is only continuous and AVT Khyber gives the growth a platform with worldwide access for the exclusive art form of Pashtun Music to touch greater and higher standards.
