Music that transcends national boundaries

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Kajal Chandiramani performing at the Sindhi Sufi Music Festival—ASIAN AGE

Be it a cricket match or a music festival, when it comes to India versus Pakistan, no controversy can stop enthusiasts from watching it. So when a few Sufi singers from Pakistan and India came together for a musical concert in Delhi, people came out in huge numbers to witness the show.

The Sindhi Sufi Music Festival, organised by the Delhi government’s department of art, culture and languages and the Sindhi Academy at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts, saw singers like Sanam Marvi from Pakistan, Ghansham Vaswani from Mumbai, Uma Lalla from Delhi sharing the same stage and entertaining people with some brilliant Sufi numbers.
The two-day event was intended not only for lovers of the Sufi tradition, but also to appeal to lovers of Sindhi, the ancient language of Sindh.
The first day of the festival saw performances by Marvi, Vaswani, Lalla and a Delhi-based Kathak dancer Namrata Pamnani.
Delhi-born Lalla has kept alive the traditions and culture of the Sindhi people in the national capital. She is one of the rare vocalists in Delhi, who not only sings Sindhi Sufi songs, but also Sindhi folk songs, which now face the threat of fading into oblivion.
She has performed in a number of live concerts all over the country and abroad, like the US, Dubai and Pakistan. “These concerts must happen more frequently so that Sufi music spreads to every nook and corner of the world and people become aware about the music,” says Lalla.
Stating that music has no boundaries, she adds, “Music is not Hindustani or Pakistani…It is a way to meet God.”
Disheartened by the way some people tried to stop the concert, Uma says, “Whenever I visit Pakistan, I find people wanting to put an end to this hatred and spread love between both the countries. Like us, they also believe, that music will help bridge this gap between the two nations. So we should not stop such concerts from happening, instead, we must encourage them.”
Vaswani inherited music from his father, Shri Santoo Vaswani, a well-known singer of Sindhi folk. Gifted with a melodious voice, Vaswani was trained extensively by Ustad Aaftaab Ahmed Khan, Pandit Ajay Pohankar, Dr Sushila Pohankar, Pandit Rajaram Shukla and the late Jagjit Singh.
“It is the poetry and philosophy that attracts me to Sufi music. Moreover, the rhythm and melody in Sufi music, has a special place in my heart,” he says.
Being a disciple of late ghazal singer Jagjit Singh, Vaswani also sings ghazals and has also given music to some of his albums.
Speaking about the depth and reach of Sufi music, he says, “Sufi music is something, which propagates secularism. Even Ramakrishna Param-ahamsa propagated Sufism when he said that God manifests in a human being.”
On the second day, Tufail Sanjrani from Pakistan and Kajal Chandiramani from India brought alive the evening, endearing many to the idea of communion with the ultimate being.
“Sufi poetry has a very strong history and tradition. In fact, the ever-popular Qawwali song Dama Dam Mast Galandar had origins in Sindh and its spirituality. It is unfortunate that Sindhis in India are not aware of their rich legacy. Through this event we want to revive an interest in the language and provide a platform to nurture its culture,” says Sindhu Mishra Bhagia, secretary of the Sindhi Academy.