LAHORE: Tahseen Sakina, a singer known for singing Sufi songs and poetry, is set to launch a seven-track album.

In a recent talk with Dawn, Sakina says: “I have recently performed in the United Kingdom and before that in Norway. Wherever I go, people find resemblance of my singing with Abida Parveen Ji. She is a great singer and I always want to touch her feet”.

She said her upcoming performances scheduled for the USA and Canada would be exciting as she would also do fusion with some foreign artistes during the tour.

The lyrics of the seven songs in her album have been written by different poets and composed by different musicians. “It would have a great launch after Muharram,” Sakina hopes.

She says Sufi singing is immensely popular not only in Pakistan but also abroad.

“I stepped into Sufi singing when I was four years old. My father, Safdar Ghauri, a scholar and a Sufi singer, is my mentor in singing”.

Sakina says the way forward to her singing career was a competition of Heer singing at the mausoleum of Jandiala Sher Khan, Sheikhupura, where she bagged the first prize.

She says different private TV channels and the PTV have played a key role in promoting the Sufi music and that she first stepped into the PTV station for a performance back in 2016.

To this question about an offer she got to perform in some of the production of Gurdas Maan from India, Sakina confirms that she did have the offer but the project could not materialise due to visa issues. Talking about the Punjabi legendary singer Gurdas Maan, she says he is very much into Sufi music and fond of poetry of Waris Shah and Bulleh Shah.

About her striking similarity with Abida Parveen not only through her looks but also her singing also, Tahseen Sakina says, “Of all the Sufi singers, I am highly inspired by Abida Parveen for she is a treasure when it comes to Sufi singing. Perhaps this is the reason that I follow her style and try to sing in her way. But I can only attempt to do that as she is iconic and legendary”.

To another question about her long standing association with Rafi Peer Theatre Workshop, Sakina says she has been performing from the Rafi Peer Theatre platform as she performs every Thursday at their Cultural Complex on the Raiwind Road. The response of the audience there has always been great as Sufi music lovers gather in big numbers there for the Sufi Night every Thursday.

Published in Dawn, August 28th, 2022