NEW DELHI, Mar 23:
Eminent Sufi singers from Pakistan along with their Indian counterparts came together to celebrate the rich culture of Sufism with their soulful renditions at the Sindhi Sufi festival here.
The two-day festival, which began on March 22, is an effort to bring together Sufi artists from Pakistan and India and keep alive the dying Sindhi language, according to organisers of Sindhi Academy under the Delhi Government.
Sindh is the place from where Sufism and Sindhi language has emerged from.
“Sufism is one genre of music which has stood the test of time. And I think India has a very rich culture of Sufism. This is the second time I am invited to the festival and I am feeling wonderful here,” Pakistani Sufi singer Tufail Sanjrani said.
“Such efforts by India boost bilateral ties and should be held more often. Music has no language…No boundaries. It unites everything and everybody,” Tufail said.
The first day of the festival, saw the release of a music Album with Sufi kalams composed by Pandit Bhajan Sopori.
“The land of Sindh is the birth place of Sufism. The shared heritage of Sufism and Sindhi language finds resonance on both sides of the border and are among the few things that unite Indians and Pakistanis,” Secretary of Sindhi Academy, Sindhu Mishra said.
Among the Indian singers, Shanti Hiranand, Dushyant Ahuja, Uma Lalla, Ghansham Vawani, Sadhna Bhatia, Kajal Chandiramani and Veena Shringi presented their Sufi Kalams.
“India and Pakistan share a beautiful cultural legacy of Sufi poets. The legacy of mystics like Shah Abdul Latif, and Amir Khusro are cited in our shared traditions,” she said.
“Through this festival we also want to highlight the rich legacy of Sindhi language in India that is not celebrated as much as it should have been. As the Secretary of Sindhi Academy, it is my job to keep alive Sindhi language and its rich culture and literature. We hope such festivals will revive an interest in a language and culture that gave us some beautiful symbols like Dama Dam Mast Qalandar,” she adds.
About other such initiatives to revive Sindhi language, Mishra said they have been organising workshops involving children to instill in them the rich heritage of Sindhi.
“We hold workshops with Children, adults and try to train them in Sindhi language, its art and culture,” she said.
As part of the festival, an exhibition on Sindhi culture and heritage showcasing the traditions of Sindh is also being displayed.
Books on Sindhi literature, traditional Sindhi costumes, denoting the richness of the Sindhi culture, were on display at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGCNA).
The venue had tight security with policemen patrolling the area yesterday as organisers said they had received threats from certain groups who threatened to protest against the performance of Pakistani artists.
“Politics should not be mixed with music and culture. These kinds of initiative boost and promote friendly relations between neighbouring countries,” singer Kajal Chandiramani said.
“Some people do all these to seek publicity when elections are round the corner. It is nothing but cheap publicity. Last year also, they tried to disrupt the festival but before they could do anything the police overpowered them,” Mishra said. (PTI)
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