In the shadow of Lahore’s centuries-old Badshahi Mosque, Zohaib Hassan plucks at the strings of a sarangi, filling the streets with a distinctive melody. According to AFP report, remarkable for its resemblance to a plaintive human voice, the classical instrument is fading from Pakistan’s music scene – except for a few players dedicated to preserving its place. Difficult to master, expensive to repair, and with little financial reward for professionals, the sarangi’s decline has been difficult to halt, Hassan told the AFP news agency. “We are trying to keep the instrument alive, not even taking into account our miserable financial condition,” he said. For seven generations, his family has mastered the bowed, short-necked instrument and Hassan is well-respected across Pakistan for his abilities, regularly appearing on television, radio and at private parties. He also teaches the instrument at an academy he set up in Lahore. “My family’s craze for the instrument forced me to pursue ...