From the kafi to the dhol, Saraiki folk music festivals bring the sounds of the Waseeb to stages across Pakistan.
The Music of the Waseeb
Saraiki folk music centres on the kafi — the Sufi lyric perfected by Khwaja Ghulam Farid — sung to instruments like the dhol, alghoza (double flute), iktara, chimta and harmonium. Legendary voices include Pathanay Khan, Surraiya Multanikar and Attaullah Khan Esakhelvi, whose songs carried the language across the country.
Where the Music Plays
Folk music takes the stage at cultural nights of the Cholistan Desert Festival, at urs gatherings where qawwali and kafi are sung through the night, at arts-council concerts in Multan and Bahawalpur, at national folk showcases such as Lok Virsa’s festivals in Islamabad, and on every stage of Saraiki Culture Day. Jhoomar dance and the dhol are inseparable from these performances.
References
- Saraiki culture — Wikipedia — en.wikipedia.org
- Music of Pakistan — Wikimedia Commons (images) — commons.wikimedia.org