KARACHI: No matter how hard one tries, words cannot do justice to the way the greatest Sufi and folk singer of our time Abida Parveen engaged music lovers in a soul-stirring performance on Saturday evening.

It would be an understatement to say that it was a mesmerising experience. As she sang, her inimitable voice sounded completely in synch with her heart.

Her heartfelt rendition moved the audience all through the five pitch-perfect compositions.

The occasion was the launch of ‘Shah Jo Raag’, a complete musical anthology (11 CDs) in the voice of Abida Parveen, organised by the Endowment Fund Trust (EFT) for Preservation of the Heritage of Sindh, Mohatta Palace Museum and the Dawn Media Group in the lawns of the Mohatta Palace Museum.

It was such a delight to see Shah Ke Faqir sitting on the left of the stage in their typical black dresses. They usually do not step out of Shah Latif’s shrine to perform.

Abida Parveen was in the middle, accompanied by the very talented vocalists Humaira Channa, Sanam Marvi, Jamaluddin, Mazhar, Zulfiqar, Dilshad Mirza, Jumman Shah, Fahim Alan, Sarwar Ghafoor, the song faqirs and the dhamal faqirs of Qalandar Laal Shahbaz. The rest of the musicians with their instruments were perched behind them.

It was befitting that Shah Ke Faqir set the tone for the concert by performing a form of zikr. The singer’s haunting voice, extending a note and ending it with a sudden, meaningful break, made music buffs immediately realise it’s not just singing; it’s an act of devotion steeped in musical notes.

Abida Parveen began her stint with Shah’s ‘Yaar Sajan’. Again, it was the faqirs who started off the performance; and when the percussions joined in, Abida Parveen sang Shah’s verses with effortless ease and unmatched dedication. The sound of the dhol was pulsating and recurring, imparting the atmosphere a spiritual touch. The backup vocalists’ solo renditions in between Abida’s major act were no less striking.The rendition of sur rano transported the audience into a different realm. Abida Parveen, through her singing, made the audience ‘feel’ that the magic of the composition lay in the idea that for a Sufi it’s the longing for the beloved which sometimes assumes more significance than the visaal or milan (meeting). It was wonderful to hear Sufi, classical and traditional forms of music fused into one, creating a sound that’s indescribably beautiful.

Then came the story of Mansoor Hallaj by virtue of the famous ‘Arey Logo Tumhara Kya’. Abida Parveen sensitively drew the audience into the ‘mood’ of the rendition by reading out some poignant couplets in Urdu and Persian as part of the buildup to the song. And once the beat took over, the hands were raised, the eyes were closed and the bodies were swaying.

‘Tere Ishq Nachaya’ seemed liked a natural follow-up number increasing the tempo of the concert a notch up. After that, the final act: ‘Laal Meri Pat’. It was received with rapturous applause and the audience clapped and danced to the famous Sufi song, enjoying and imbibing its essence.

Earlier, CEO Dawn Media Group Hameed Haroon delivered an impassioned speech. He talked about the golden period of Sindh’s Sufi music and argued that it would be wrong to suggest that Sufi music was in safe hands. He recalled the time when he used to regularly visit Bhit Shah along with some friends and termed it ‘the heart of Sufi music in Sindh’. He informed the audience that it all began in Bhit Shah 250 years ago when Shah Latif, sitting on a mound, composed poems in the name of raags. The variation of the dhrupad style unique to Shah was called the vai, he said.

Mr Haroon pointed out that in the past there were more than 15 schools of music in the region but today two or three survived. He took many names that over the years made a substantial and valuable contribution to preserving and loving Sufi music and wholeheartedly lauded their efforts. He especially mentioned the names of Abdul Hamid Akhund and Abida Parveen and profusely praised their efforts. He said Mr Akhund’s services in the field of art, music and culture had not been recognised at the national level. With regard to Abida Parveen, he remarked that she had sat at the feet of great musicians and learned from them as well as from herself.

Chairman EFT Jahangir Siddiqui said the box-set of CDs was an attempt at preserving Sufi traditions for posterity.

Mohatta Palace Museum’s Nasreen Askari said Abida Parveen was a nightingale, one of her kind, and a Sufi to the core. She apprised the audience about the different individuals whose hard work had had a big role to play in the Shah Jo Raag project. She told them that the booklet with the CDs included translations of Shah’s kalaam in English and Urdu.

Abdul Hamid Akhund nicely conducted the event.