By Najwa Baloch
Ghulam Sarwar (Kamanchar), the name echoed in every corner of balochistan, basically hails from the Jalalabad area Mand, Balochistan. A place where he kept his longlasting feet and walked on its soft soil and embraced it like a sepoy embraces death calling it sacred land. He was born in November 25, 1998 in the house of Muhammad Anwar in Malir, Karachi. He was just a kid when his father passed away, he was the only son of his father and the only brother of his sisters.
To begin his journey, he discovered his love for photography as a teenager; he first began photography by a Nokia mobile phone, capturing the photos of animals, and the nature including trees and flowers, covered the laughter of kids, and gave beauty to rain from his camera. He got basic education from Mand, later he moved to Karachi and got admission in Shaheed Benazir University where he began his journey as a BS English literature student, but afterwards, he left education and pursue his interest and began photography. During his journey as a young photographer, noticing his passion for photography, He was gifted a camera by a well-known , brave and political figure of Baloch nation, daughter of the soil Banuk Kareema for the purpose to motivate kamanchar for more to continue his interest and show the everlasting beauty of balochistan to the world.
Being born on a land and an area backward in Balochistan, he never knew that he could get such a fame and his name would be uttered in each words when the term photography is discussed. Especially, the photography of Balochistan, he never dissolved an opportunity to Frame the humiliation and ongoing suffering of Balochistan. Where heart bled and scarves snatched his camera did justice and covered it, keeping it as an evidence of colonial impact.
From Mand to Koh e sulaiman, he hugged all the beauty of the land and showed it to the entire Baloch nation living far from the land and struggling for its prosperity, scent of flowers, colors of sky, waves of sea, light of moon and stars, grave of beloved lover of Shay mureed-Hani in Sibbi Daadar, thirst for water of people of Dera Bugti, the seven guardian ( haft wali ) place where seven walis are graved, Nako Mayaar and his grief filled eyes all showed and covered by Kamanchar to protect heir of baloch and show the humiliation, Baloch are going through.
In one of his visit in Dera Bugti during the crisis of water in 2023, an old aged man folded his hands before him and asked for water to bury his grandchild, died because of drinking contaminated water, kamancher could not help but captured his fatigued eyes and folded hands and posted on Instagram and melted the hearts of thousand of Baloch living across Balochitan; it was an insane and melancholic moment that Kamanchar covered it to show how people living in the backward areas, suffering for a drop of water, they don’t even have a bucket of water to wash their corpses.
Similarly, he covered the harsh issues of people of Gwadar and framed their thirst for water desire for life, he covered all the teary eyes, scream of children, mournful hearts of mothers and their love for each other haunted by abduction and slavery. Where he covered the voice of Mahrang Baloch and her every fellow Baloch. Every photo he captured tells a story of hunger, resistance, homelessness, abduction, slavery, amidst all this wretchedness a hope that he expressed through the beauty of Koh-e-sulaiman, prince’s of hope, yellowish sunset and raindrops to heal the shattered hearts and boost hope for a new sunrise, more glittering and beautifying.
Unfortunately, Kamanchar baloch became ill and for the purpose of his treatment he announced to sell his frame in the name of “Blochistan in Frame” he conducted four successful exhibitions. However, the first exhibition of his photography was conducted in Malir Karachi, the second exhibition was conducted in Shaal, (Quetta) the city of mountains, the third exhibition was conducted in Kech, Turbat and last one was conducted in Bahrain. He visited Bahrain for the second time in 2024, first time he went there for the pupose of his sister’s marriage, later he went there in order to sell his frames. Baloch club Bahrain conducted the program, people in Arab Emirate applaused him for this initiative and showed him love and deep respect. Even today, he is not here but the mountains and its people echo his name and honor him. Sadly, He lost his life in rainy days of April in Karachi in 2024 and buried in the wet soil of Mand. Leaving the legacy incomplete and continuing a fame everlasting. Eventually, He dedicated all his life to capturing the essence of Balochistan’s beauty, culture, landscapes, oceans, vast sky and mournful people. What remained; is his Name and Camera.
