The Music of Pakistan is a fusion of Turko-Persian, Arab, Hindustani, and contemporary Western influences, creating a distinct musical tradition often referred to as "Pakistani Music." The genre has adapted and evolved over time in response to shifting cultural norms and global influences. It has also been deeply shaped by Pakistan's tumultuous political and geopolitical landscape. The Islamization policies of the 1980s, which sought to align Pakistani culture with conservative ideals of Wahhabism, imposed strict censorship on music and musical expression. This period of repression was further fueled by the ongoing Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, during which Wahhabism was aggressively promoted with backing from the United States and Saudi Arabia as part of efforts to counter Soviet influence.
Sindhis are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group, originating from and native to the Sindh region of Pakistan, who share a common Sindhi culture, history and language. The historical homeland of Sindhis is bordered by southeastern Balochistan; the Bahawalpur region of Punjab; the Marwar and Jaisalmer regions of Rajasthan; and the Kutch region of Gujarat.
Abida Parveen is a Pakistani singer, composer, musician of Sufi music, painter and an entrepreneur. Parveen is one of the highest-paid singers in Pakistan. Her singing and music have earned her many accolades, and she has been dubbed the Queen of Sufi music.
The Siddi, also known as the Sheedi, Sidi, or Siddhi, are an ethnic minority group inhabiting Pakistan and India. They are primarily descended from the Bantu peoples of the Zanj coast in Southeast Africa, most of whom came to the Indian subcontinent through the Indian Ocean slave trade. Others arrived as merchants, sailors, indentured servants, and mercenaries.
Sukkur is a city in the Pakistani province of Sindh along the western bank of the Indus River, directly across from the historic city of Rohri. Sukkur is the third largest city in Sindh after Karachi and Hyderabad, and 14th largest city of Pakistan by population. The city was originally founded by the Rai dynasty of Sindh. The modern city was built in the 1840s. New Sukkur was established during the British era alongside the village of Sukkur. Sukkur's hill, along with the hill on the river island of Bukkur, form what is sometimes considered the "Gate of Sindh".
Pakistani folklore encompasses the mythology, poetry, songs, dances and puppetry from Pakistan's various ethnic groups.
Allan Fakir or Allan Faqir, was a Sindhi folk singer from Sindh, Pakistan. He was particularly known for his ecstatic style of performance, marked with devotional rhetoric and Sufi dance-singing.
Sindhi folk music is traditional folk music and singing from Sindh, which is sung and generally performed in 5 genres that originated in Sindh, the first genre "Bait" styles. The Bait style is vocal music in Sanhoon and Graham. Second style "Waee" instrumental music is performed in a variety of ways using a string instrument. Waee, also known as Kafi. Sindhi folk music was popularized by great Sindhi sufi poet Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai.
Umar Marvi is a traditional Sindhi folktale dating back to the 14th century, and first penned by Shah Abdul Karim Bulri in the 16th century. It follows the story of a village girl Marvi, who resists the overtures of a powerful local ruler and the temptation to live in the palace as a queen, preferring to be in a simple rural environment with her own village folk.
Saieen Zahoor Ahmed or Ali Saain Shafiu is a leading Punjabi Sufi musician from Pakistan. He has spent most of his life singing in Sufi shrines, and didn't produce a record until 2006, when he was nominated for the BBC World Music awards based on word of mouth.
The Culture of Sindh has its roots in the Indus Valley civilization. Sindh has been shaped by the largely desert region, the natural resources it has available, and continuous foreign influence. The Indus or Sindhu River, which passes through the land, and the Arabian Sea also supported the seafaring traditions among the local people. The local climate also reflects why the Sindhis have a language, folklore, traditions, customs, and lifestyle that are so different from the neighbouring regions. The Sindhi culture is also practised by the Sindhi diaspora.
Pakistani folk music refers to the local genre of folk music that originates from Pakistan.
Saif Samejo is a musician and founder, lead vocalist and songwriter of the Pakistani Sufi folk band The Sketches. In May 2014 he opened the first music Aashram (School) in Hyderabad, Sindh named as "Lahooti Music Aashram". He composed music for Dastan-e Momal Rano on the show Coke Studio.
Mai Dhai مائي ڏاھي is a Pakistani classical singer hailing from Tharparkar, Sindh. She formed a folk-band called Mai Dhai Band composed of Jamal Shab, a harmonium player and dhol player, Muhammad Fakir. Mai and herhas performed in US at SXSW Music 2015, where her music style was met with extravagant positive response. She rose to prominence on national television after appearing as a featured artist in eight season of music series Coke Studio.
Jalal Chandio was a Sindhi folk singer. He was born in 1944 in the village of Harpal Jo Hat, Misri Wah, near Phul Naushahro Feroze District. He was the only expert of yaktara & Chapri at the time, and his singing style made him popular among Sindh and all of Pakistan. He died on 10 January 2001 due to kidney failure. He got lot of respect in all over Sindh as folk singer due to distinct style of playing folk music and singing.
Ustad Manzoor Ali Khan was a Pakistani singer belonging to the Gwalior gharana singing style, one of the oldest singing traditions in Hindustani classical music. Born in Shikarpur, Sindh, Pakistan, he was the first classical musician of the twentieth century who knew about the regional music of Sindh.
Sindhi Cultural Day is a popular Sindhi cultural festival. It is celebrated with traditional enthusiasm to highlight the centuries-old rich culture of Sindh. The day is celebrated each year in the first week of December on the Sunday. It's widely celebrated all over Sindh, and amongst the Sindhi diaspora population around the world. Sindhis celebrate this day to demonstrate the peaceful identity of Sindhi culture and acquire the attention of the world towards their rich heritage.
Kamla Keswani was an Indian folk and playback singer. She was one of the popular Sindhi language singers of India.
Folk dances of Sindh are the traditional dances of the Sindhi people, which are indigenous to Sindh region which is now in Pakistan. These dances are performed at various events including marriages, ceremonies, special occasions, on birth of a child and for cultural purposes.
