A Lahore archive initiative

A Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation report dated 20 August 2022 describes an official visit to Lahore concerning Awaz Khazana, which it said had been dormant for five years. The director-general prioritised classical-music archives and an upgrade to the Classical Music Research Cell. His directions covered instruments, rare photographs of musicians and singers, and recordings, as well as digitising music records produced by Radio Pakistan. The report therefore places recorded sound within a larger collection of objects and images connected with musical work. It also identifies institutional maintenance as part of the archive’s history: a collection can require renewed organisation and support. The account presents the broadcaster as custodian of a national audio archive. The document records plans and instructions at that moment, rather than demonstrating that the announced work was subsequently finished.[1]

A particular Radio Pakistan item

CREM-CNRS catalogues an item titled Folk songs: Punjabi under identifier CNRSMH_I_1952_001_001_01. It credits Radio Pakistan as collector and gives the reference Radio Pakistan SH28. The entry also preserves older catalogue codes and identifies Punjab as the cultural area. Its broad recording-date range runs from 1930 to 25 January 1952. That range leaves the date of a particular broadcast uncertain; it should travel with the record rather than being replaced by a guessed year.[2]

Collection and broadcast reuse

Desi Radio’s undated music-library description provides a community-broadcasting example from Southall. It reports digitising more than 30,000 Panjabi songs for broadcast and continuing to collect material donated or loaned by the community. Records, cassettes and CDs all appear in its invitation for contributions. The description connects household-held recordings with an organised library and subsequent radio use. Its collection size is the station’s own account, while the range of formats identifies some of the material through which listeners’ musical pasts can enter a broadcast collection.[3]

Sources & notes

Source records include access dates and, where known, limits on what was examined. Checks used AI assistance; independent human or specialist review has not been completed.

  1. Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation/Radio Pakistan. DG PBC lauds Radio Pakistan’s role for promotion of Pakistani culture, heritage ↗primary broadcaster report · Source date: 2022-08-20 · Locator: Main report dated 20 August 2022, paragraphs on the Lahore visit, Awaz Khazana dormancy, Classical Music Research Cell and directions concerning instruments, photographs, recordings and digitisation. Accessed 2026-11-01.The complete dated main report was inspected. Directions to revive or upgrade facilities are distinguished from completed work. The dynamic page clock is not used as a publication date.Return to A Lahore archive initiative, paragraph 1 ↑
  2. CREM-CNRS / Musée de l’Homme; catalogue credits Radio Pakistan as collector. Folk songs: Punjabi — Radio Pakistan SH28 ↗institutional sound-archive catalogue record · Source date: publication date not established · Locator: Complete item metadata for CNRSMH_I_1952_001_001_01, including original codes, Radio Pakistan SH28 reference, collector, Punjab cultural area and broad recording-date range; modification 16 July 2018. Accessed 2026-11-01.Actual item metadata, original codes and collector reference inspected. The broad date range is not treated as a particular broadcast date. No performer identity, song words or sound description is inferred; no audio was auditioned.Return to A particular Radio Pakistan item, paragraph 1 ↑
  3. Desi Radio/Panjabi Centre, Southall. Panjabi Music Library ↗primary community broadcaster description · Source date: publication date not established · Locator: Complete short Panjabi Music Library description: digitisation, collection size, broadcast use and community donations/loans of records, cassettes and CDs. Accessed 2026-11-01.The complete short library description was inspected on 1 November. Repeat access on 2 November returned 403/timeouts. Its collection count is an undated institutional self-report. No inventory audit or recording audition was performed.Return to Collection and broadcast reuse, paragraph 1 ↑
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Record PH-CUL-0072 · English edition · human review not performed