Abida Parveen casts her spell at Sufi festival

The ruins of Humayun Tomb resonated with songs in praise of the legendary poets and saints rendered in the throaty voice of sufi singer Abida Parveen during the sufi music festival that concluded in New Delhi recently. Parveen, a singer of Sindhi descent enthralled the audience with her famous rendition ‘Lal meri pat rakhiyo bhala jhoole laalan’ in praise of God at the end of the Jahan -e-Khusrau world sufi music fest that concluded last evening. “In Sufism there are no barriers, mine or yours, old and new. It belongs to all and connects hearts and souls. Its power unites the singer and listener in a divine communion with the creator,” says Parveen who has been participating in the festival since its inception nine years ago. The event, she says is essentially about spreading the message of Sufism which believes in no border and religion. Talking about her start in the industry, she says: “For me, it all began with ‘Awaaz Aur Andaz’, a 15-series music programme on Pakistan TV in the ’90s. It was a ghazal show, but I would try to include a couple of Sufi songs from different regions each time. Every region in Pakistan had its own learned dervishes and local shaiyars who would write and sing for Khuda, God, and I would sing their kalam or poetry. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, too, popularised Sufi poetry worldwide through his songs.” What kind of challenges did Parveen face in her journey as Sufi singer? Steeped in music and Sufism since she was three, thanks to her father Ustad Ghulam Haider who ran a music school, Parveen later trained under Ustad Salamat Ali Khan of the Sham Chorasia Gharana. Hence, she says she never faced challenges as such. “The challenge for me was, in fact, about how to lose myself in music but once the journey began, there was no stopping,” she adds, joining her palms in gratitude. “Jahan-e-Khusrau is a spiritual call which we all share and join each year to further the message of humanism and brotherhood across the world,” says the performer who sings in many languages including Urdu, Sindhi, Seraiki, Punjabi and Persian. “The festival is unique because it has no nationality or religion and is sacred to all of us,” she adds. Parveen performed with a group of musicians belonging to both India and Pakistan.