Street artists entertaining Islooites on main avenues

Islamabad : Street artists, ‘golden man’ and ‘silver man’, known for their striking costumes, are entertaining passers-by on the main avenues of the capital.

The trend of these artists has declined in recent years as most of them changed their line of professions due to losing the interest of people in goldman’s art.

Muhammad Ishtiaq, who modified himself as a ‘golden man’ costume, basically belongs to Gujranwala and has been performing the art of ‘golden man’ for over the last two years as he got inspiration from one of his acquaintances who performed a similar art form.

“I am inspired by one of his acquaintances who performed this art, but now he is bedridden due to several health issues,” Ishtiaq said.

He gained enough popularity and motivation in this profession as people stopped and took pictures with him.

He has also introduced her 10-year-old, sister Uzma to this profession; she was supporting her brother in this art that was also the source of their income.

“This art is costly as this art demands daily application and removal of costume,” ‘goldman’ said.

Talking to APP, he said that he was unable to get education due to poverty, and also because of that reason, he failed to find a suitable source of earning, adding that one of his relatives was already performing this art that paved the way for me to enter into this profession.

He also commented on the public reaction and said, “People around us appreciate their art, which we consider as feedback that further boosts our energy.”

“We usually prefer the areas or sectors where educated and broadminded people reside around as it is easy to get their attention; on the other hand, they also appreciate and motivate us,” he said.

He also showed his concern over the people who chanted the wrong word as some called them beggars, etc.

On the question of income, he said that it depends on the luck of that day; sometimes they earned more than they had expected and sometimes below expectations; however, he revealed an average daily income of Rs1,500 to 2,500 per day.

Surprisingly, a ten-year-old boy was witnessed in the costume of ‘golden man’ named Hassan.

He revealed that he was performing this art to support his family, as his father’s income is not enough to cover the daily kitchen expenses.