Fankar is a Persian/Urdu word, which translates to a person having a lot of expertise in a certain form of art. This title is primarily used for people who have acquired a great degree of skills in performing arts like theatre,acting, film making, music, or other mainstream lifestyle activities. And yet, you will find that Fankaar is not a title that can be used as a prefix to names like most other titles like Mr and Mrs.
Master of Ceremonies introducing people as Fankar
If you go to a music performance in parts of Asia, especially in India and Pakistan, and to a certain extent in the Middle East, you will find the use of the title - Fankar. You will also find a peculiar observation - When an artist is introduced to as Fankar, the introduction is related to the art form in which he specializes in. And yet, you will find the name of the form of art not finding a mention anywhere in the introduction.
Ustad Zakir Hussain,
the famous tabla player from India recently got introduced as the "Famous Fankar from India", in one of the functions where he performed. Quite obviously, the word fankar was a degree of respect bestowed upon Ustad Zakir Hussain. Yet, you will not find this title being summoned on every artist. Only those artists, who have achieved some degree of public acclaim or popularity in their stream of art, get introduced as Fankars.
The difference in Fankar and Kalakar as Fankar
Kalakar,
by Persian terminology means an artist. Conferring the title of Kalakar to an artist does not mean anything to his expertise. It simply means that he is an artist of the relevant art form. For example, Ustad Ghulam Ali, the famous Ghazal singer from Pakistan, is known as a Kalakar in the field of Ghazals. But in functions, you will hardly see him getting addressed as a Kalakar. You will find the master of the function addressing him as a Fankar.
What does Fankar mean to the artist itself?
For starters,
the artist feels that he has achieved something when someone calls him a Fankar. Now, the title Fankar is not an officially recognized one, and thus is entirely based on people's discretion whether they wish to call the artist a Fankar or not. For example, I had the opportunity of witnessing a dance performance of Mr Amitabh Bachchan and his troupe when they had come to London, the MC of the function did not address to Mr Bachchan as a Fankar. Basically, Mr Bachchan is known worldwide for his acting skills, and is a revered veteran of the Bollywood industry. In spite of the huge Asian presence in the audience, the title of Fankar was not addressed to him.
Can Fankar really apply to different cultures of the world?
Of course it can, especially when you consider that art does not remain constricted by any boundaries at all. But, there is again a glitch here - This word can be used only for an Asian audience. The important things is the artist who is introduced as Fankar should be in a position to understand what Fankar means. It is definitely an Asian word, and needs to be explained the meaning. That being said, people who know the meaning of the word Fankar, and especially the artists, take pride in being called as one.Art has to be valued, and especially if you have a person in front of you who specializes in some form of art, it is time you take cognizance of the fact that he indeed has done a lot of things for the art form. By using the word Fankar, you are bestowing ultimate honor on the artist, which really is the best way to go about.
