New Delhi, Mar 5: 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 here recently.
Parveen, a Pakistani 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 here last evening.
“In Sufism there are no barriers, mine or yours, old and new. It belongs to all and connects hearts and souls. It's 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. “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.
Renowned sarangi maestro Murad Ali Khan and Aakash Daf from India and Karam Hussain (Dholak), Manzoor Hussain (Harmonium) and Nazir Khan (Tabla) from Pakistan performed with Parveen.
Adding to the Sufi Splendour a mesmerizing dance was performed by Zia Nath with Ankur Ballal, Dilip Tambe and Sanatan Chakravarty of Smitalaya.
The performance was a confluence of Odissi temple dances and sufi whirling which was conducted on the music of Omar Farook Tekbelik and Azam Ali and Shafqat Ali Khans Persian ghazal of Hazrat Amir Khusrau.
The 3-day festival presented by Rumi Foundation hosts eminent artistes of the Sufi traditions from across the world and also serves as a platform for emerging singers and practitioners of classical and modern dance with Sufiana music.
The Jahan e Khusrau World Sufi Festival is designed and directed by filmmaker and painter Muzaffar Ali of ‘Umrao Jaan' fame.
This year the festival treated Delhi with performances by Ali Zafar, Hans Raj Hans, Andrea Griminelli, Indira Naik, Vidhi Sharma, Rajesh Pandey, Vidhi Lal, Shivani Varma, Zia Nath and Smitalaya and Murad Ali.
