The Arts Council of Pakistan on Friday held a condolence reference for singer Sunny Benjamin John, popularly known as SB John, who recently passed away on June 5.
Various artistes and musicologists praised John for his art and lovable disposition. “I first saw SB John on Radio Pakistan and at that time his song ‘Tu jo nahi hai to kuch bhi nahi hai’ had gained massive popularity. He was one of those people with whom I felt close. His sincerity will always be remembered,” said music critic Sultan Arshad.
Arts Council Joint Secretary Asjad Bukhari said in the speech that people loved John as a person just the way they loved his songs. He prayed for the departed soul. Amjad Hussain Shah thanked the Arts Council for organising the condolence event. “SB John was a great artiste who gained international fame,” he said, adding that the mother of Indian film director Mahesh Butt was a fan of John as regularly listened to ‘Tu jo nahi’.
Singer Faisal Lateef was of the view that the late singer’s songs had gained eternal fame and he was an asset for the Pakistani music industry. Recalling the time he had spent with John, Ustad Nafees Khan said the late singer was a senior artiste not only in terms of age but also in terms of his caliber.
PTV producer Zaheer Khan said he was happy to see an event held to pay tribute to John but it would have been better had such an event been organised during his life. John’s son Glenn was also present on the occasion. He said his father was also his teacher and a great friend. “He worked in PTV and Radio Pakistan for a really long time and I can feel my father’s soul and voice there.”