KHAIRPUR: The seventh death anniversary of great Sufi singer Sohrab Faqeer was observed at his native village, Talpur Wadda, in Faiz Ganj taluka, 98 kilometres from here on Friday.

Late Faqeer’s two sons, disciples and fellow singers laid a floral wreath on his grave to formally start the anniversary programme which they had organised on their own without any help from any literary organisation or the culture department.

It began with a literary conference late on Thursday night in which Sufi singers and poets paid tribute to their late colleague and teacher, followed by an award distribution ceremony and ended with a musical programme, which continued throughout the night and concluded early on Friday morning.

Sufi singer Shafi Faqeer said at the conference that Sufi music was highly valued in Sindh. Whatever peace and tranquility there was in the world was because of Sufi music but in recent times, the music being produced in Sindh had become more of a cause for destroying peace, he remarked. He expressed concern over the fact that the original Sindhi Bhairvi (a raga) was being presented as Multani Bhairvi nowadays. Late Faqeer was a true lover of Sindh who used to sing songs of Sindhi poets till his last. The singers who did not have any knowledge of raga did not deserve to be called true singers, he said.

Poet Amar Iqbal said the department of culture and other departments working for art and wellbeing of artists should have honoured the late Faqeer by building a tomb on his grave but it appeared they worked only for vested interests.

Mir Sobdar Saeed, Shahan Simang, Rajib Sohrab and others also spoke at the conference.

A lifetime achievement award was given posthumously to renowned scholar late Dr Tanveer Abbasi and Sufi singer Jamaluddin Faqeer at the award distribution ceremony.

Shafi Faqeer, Jinsar Ali Samoon, Barkat Jamal Faqeer, Salamat Sohrab Faqeer and others presented Sufi raga including famous songs of late Faqeer at the musical programmed.

Published in Dawn, August 13th, 2016