THREE DECADES ON: WHY FARIHA PERVEZ’S ‘PATANG BAAZ SAJNA SE’ STILL DEFINES BASANT

As Basant returns to Lahore, the city is reaching back to its original soundtrack. At the centre of this revival is *Patang Baaz Sajna Se* — better known as *Bo Kata* — Fariha Pervez’s 1996 hit that has entered its third decade with fresh relevance.

Long seen as Basant’s unofficial anthem, the track is back as kites reappear over Lahore after years of silence. In a time when the Punjab government has banned hundreds of songs over questionable lyrics, *Patang Baaz Sajna Se* endures as a cultural constant: celebratory yet restrained, festive yet emotional. Its appeal stretches beyond Basant to mehndi events, where its themes of love and longing still resonate.

Gen Z may know Pervez from her later work, including Coke Studio, but millennials and boomers remember her peak era, when *Patang Baaz Sajna Se* was more than a song — it was Lahore’s soundtrack to spring. A song that became a Basant anthem Speaking to *Hum News Subha Say Agay*, Fariha Pervez said it feels as if “Bo Kata” has just been rereleased, a sign of how strongly the song still connects across generations. She explained that her distance from music in recent years stemmed from her entrepreneurial commitments, a period she calls “trusting the process”. Even so, *Patang Baaz Sajna Se* stayed closely tied to her public identity and gradually solidified its status as a “Basant anthem”. Cassettes, colour and instant fame Pervez recalled that the track featured on her debut album was conceptualised under an advertising agency. In the cassette era, the album carried “Bo Kata” on one side and *Patang Baaz Sajna Se* on the other — a format that shaped how 1990s audiences listened to music. “That song brought me instant recognition,” she said. It propelled her career and “changed my life completely.” Her bond with Basant is personal as well. Growing up, she flew kites with her brothers and improvised her own by cutting plastic shopping bags when materials were scarce. She added that the song’s visuals — especially the yellow dress and green dupatta — became iconic Basant imagery that remains vivid in public memory. Why Basant still matters Reflecting on the festival’s importance, Pervez lamented the lack of public spaces and events in Pakistan. “We don’t have many parks or festivals, which is why Basant stands out as such a colourful celebration,” she said, calling it an internationally recognised event that should be preserved, not curtailed. On the controversies around Basant, she argued that instead of blaming others, society should have focused on safety. While acknowledging that “the government can only do so much”, she stressed that keeping cultural traditions alive is a shared responsibility.

With kites once again filling Lahore’s skies, Pervez sees the renewed love for *Patang Baaz Sajna Se* as proof of how tightly music and culture are woven together — and of how some songs never truly fade. They simply wait for the wind to lift them again.