Keeping qawwali alive

Published May 21, 2011

Rains may come later to this blistering hot city but Farid Ayaz and Abu Mohammad qawwal brought a breath of fresh and lively air for the beleaguered Karachites through their performance of traditional Sufi works. The two sons of the legendary qawwal Munshi Raziuddin had organized this event on the eighth death anniversary of their father. Farid Ayaz and Abu Mohammad have revived this form of recitation of Sufi literature over the last few decades and are keeping the art alive by preparing their younger generation to take the stage when their time comes. The event, held Friday night, started with a performance by a group of teenage children, who left the audience in a rapturous applause. The two qawwal maestros then captivated the listeners, and the evening ended with a documentary based on Munshi Raziuddin’s interview and samples of his par-excellence performances. – Text by Nuzhat Rehman and photos by Tahir Jamal/ White Star

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