ISLAMABAD: A mystical journey through Sufi music enchanted the audience at the Pakistan National Council of Arts (PNCA). The Sufi Road Show was presented by the Rafi Peer Theatre Workshop in collaboration with the Pakistan Television Corporation and the Ministry of Information, Broadcast and National Heritage.

Featuring renowned musicians - instrumentalists and qawals - Akbar Khamiso Khan, Sain Zahoor, Akhtar Channal Zehri, Krishan Lal Bheel, Shaukat Dholia and Mahboob Mian Meeri, the programme was mesmerising. Despite the typical late start and fidgety small children the ambiance remained true to the Sufi message of love and peace.

The evening began with fusion pieces by Waris Ali Balu and Akbar Khamiso where the performers played classical and traditional Sindhi Sufi folk tunes. Intensely soulful and evocative, Khamiso’s alghoza had great tonal clarity.

Khamiso was immediately followed by the internationally acclaimed Sain Zahoor, the legend who sings as he dances and was named the BBC voice of the year almost a decade ago. Zahoor has devoted his life to singing at Sufi shrines and the ‘ishq’ he has dedicated his talent to was apparent in his selection of Bulleh Shah’s poetry.

Akhtar Channal Zehri’s powerful stage presence dominated the stage as he brought Baloch talent to the event. A performer, who clearly enjoys engaging with the audience, he entered dancing, stopped to recite Baloch Sufi poetry and then rocked Mast Qalandar Jhoolay Laal. Channal then sang his famous rendition of ‘Dana pa Dana’, a folk song made popular nationwide by Shazia Khusk which describes the greatness of the land, mountains and people of Balochistan. Mid-performance the audience kept beat by clapping and stamping their feet and some enthusiastic young people stood up to dance.

Krishan Lal Bheel from Cholistan then drew the audience into a different mood entirely with his performance on the ektara. With an entire entourage of musicians and a trio of dancers, Ustaad Bheel knows how to set the stage. Saffron and bright yellow outfits, turbans and a golden waistcoat for maestro complemented the music.

Shaukat Dholia, the famous drummer from the Shah Jamal Darbar in Lahore, performed with the Qalandri group. The drumming which seems to stem from a trance had the audience equally caught up in the electrifying beat.

The evening culminated in the qawali performance of Mahboob Mian Meeri. Despite the different languages, each song seemed exceedingly familiar and the Sufi sentiments were certainly identical as they propagated messages of peace, harmony and seeking the Divine.

Tahira Abdullah said: “What an enchanting treat, thanks to the Rafi Peer Theatre: the almost forgotten South Asian instruments like alghoza, the soulful melodies, Sain Zahoor singing popular Bulleh Shah verses, Akhtar Zehri’s electrifying performance, Krishan Lal Bheel and company’s dazzling versatility and the ever-popular qawali numbers by the relatively new to Islamabad Mian Meeri Qawals.”

Referring to the delay in starting, she added: “But the beauty of the music, dances, the beloved Sufi lyrics and the peace of Sufi mysticism was marred by the ugliness of PNCA’s clinging to passé VIP culture. When will they learn? What will it take to change entrenched, starched bureaucratic mindsets?”

Published in Dawn, May 19th, 2015

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