LAHORE: Iconic Sufi singer Abida Parveen enthralled a large audience at Alhamra Art Centre, The Mall, on Sunday night.

The performance was part of the third International Faiz Festival that will formally kick off on Nov 17.

According to Moneeza Hashmi, a trustee of the Faiz Foundation Trust, Abida’s performance had to be organised before the regular festival because of her availability.

The venue was packed with hundreds of Faiz and Abida admirers. Before the performance, girls from Lahore Grammar School, Johar Town campus beautifully rendered ‘Tajdar-i-Haram’, showing refined singing. The audience expressed their appreciation with a thunderous applause.

Abida was welcomed with a standing ovation. The evening was conducted by TV personality Noorul Hassan. Her performance was interspersed with little conversations with the anchor wherein Hassan sought the singer’s views on Sufi singing, the city of Lahore, her experience and feeling of singing Sufi verses. Commenting on Lahore, Abida said there is no city in the world as diverse and rich as Lahore.

She began with ‘Man Kunto Maula’ followed by ‘Yar Ko Hum Nay Ja Baja Dekha’, the evergreen ‘Jab Say Tu Nay Mujhay Deewna’, ‘Mahi Yar Di Gharoli’, ‘Nahi Nigah Mein Manzil’ among others.

The audience once again gave her a standing ovation at the end.

Published in Dawn, November 14th, 2017