Shah Madar has a wish. He desires someone to step forward and take charge of preserving his artwork.
"Someone should come and take the sculptures I made and preserve them so that my art is retained, and the name of Pukhtuns remains illustrious. I hope they won't become mere sights in the rain after I am gone."
The 75-old Shah Madar from Swabi reveals that sculpting came to him naturally, providing him with peace of mind. He recalls developing this hobby in childhood, crafting sculptures of sheep, goats, and birds while tending to sheep in the village.
"When I entered school at the age of eight or ten, I started making statues of boys and girls there."
After completing matriculation in 1965, Shah Madar secured a job at Tarbela Dam and created a clay statue of Axion. Subsequently, he was appointed as a surveyor, retiring in that position.
Lamenting the lack of encouragement for his art, Shah Madar says, "I made statues of many officers in my department, but no one appreciated my art. At every exhibition or competition I participate in, there is no one to compete with me."
Addressing the criticism and societal challenges he faces for crafting statues, Shah Madar acknowledges the existence of problems. People often attack his work, questioning the creation of 'idols.'
In response to the question of what he plans to do with the statues after his passing, Shah Madar expresses a wish that people would come and take them away for safekeeping, preventing rain from destroying these works of art.
Despite his family's lack of appreciation for his hobby, Shah Madar remains undeterred. "I will continue to make sculptures until I die because my life is incomplete without it."