Sain Zahoor
Encyclopedia
Saieen Zahoor or Saeen Zahur Ahmad (born circa 1937) is a leading 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.
He emerged as the "best BBC voice of the year 2006", Sain is not his first name but a Sindhi honorific title
and is also spelt Saeen or Saiyan, and Zahoor may be spelt Zahur. He is known for his "magical" voice which is claimed to put some listeners into a trance .
district of the Sahiwal
region in the province of Punjab
, Pakistan
, Zahoor was the youngest child in a rural peasant family. He is said to have started singing at the age of five, and from that early age, he had dreamt of a hand beckoning him towards a shrine. He left home at the age of thirteen, roaming the Sufi shrines of Sindh
, Punjab, and Azad Kashmir
, making a living through singing. Zahoor claims that as he was walking past a small shrine in the south Punjab town of Uch Sharif (known for its Sufi traditions), when "someone waved at me with his hand, inviting me in, and I suddenly realised that it was this hand which I saw in my dream."
For some time, he studied music under Raunka Ali of Patiala Gharana
, whom he met at Bulleh Shah
's dargah
(shrine), and who became his first teacher for Sufi verses. He also studied music with other Uch Sharif-based musicians.
Although Zahoor is illiterate he is known for his memory of song lyrics; mostly he sings compositions of the major Sufi poets, Bulleh Shah
, Shah Badakhshi, Muhammad Qadiri
others.
s (Sufi tombs/shrines) and festivals, and in the streets. He adopted the folk instrument Ektara
(ek= one, tar = string), in its three-stringed version called Tumbi
, as his main instrument. Like some traditions of Sufi music, he has a passionate, high-energy style of singing, often dancing in a frenzied style with the tassels on his instrument whirling around him. His typical costume includes embroidered (kurta
), beads, tightly bound turban, as well as ghungroo
s (anklet-bells worn by dancers). His voice has an earthy tone, almost cracking at the edges, but capable of a wide vocal and emotional range.
In 1989 he performed on a concert stage for the first time at the All Pakistan Music Conference, which brought him into musical prominence. Subsequently he has emerged as a leading performer in Pakistan, frequently appearing on TV and in concerts. Zahoor has also given concerts in UK, Japan, Ireland and India.
Sufi singing is focused on poetry with themes of devotional love, which shares much with Persian
mystic poets like Rumi and with other South Asia
n traditions such as the Bhakti
cult. Sufi traditions highlight a softer, multi-cultural aspect of Islam, and are seen as a countering "the extremism of the mullahs who use the mosques to spread ill-will" against other cultural groups, according to some organizers of Saieen Zahoor's concerts.
In 2006 Zahoor released an album titledAwazay ("Sounds") through Matteela Records. In 2007 he helped produce the soundtrack to the Pakistani film Khuda Ke Liye
.
He sang an ost in 2011 for West Is West a British comedy-drama film, which is a sequel to the 1999 comedy East Is East. He also acted and appeared in the film.
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. 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
World music (Awards)
Various awards have been presented in recent years to musical artists for their contributions to the genre of world music. This article provides a partial list of these awards and their recipients.- BBC Radio 3 Awards for World Music :...
based on word of mouth.
He emerged as the "best BBC voice of the year 2006", Sain is not his first name but a Sindhi honorific title
Honorific title
Honorific title may refer to one of the following:*Honorific, a form of addressing.*Title of honor, a title which is an award....
and is also spelt Saeen or Saiyan, and Zahoor may be spelt Zahur. He is known for his "magical" voice which is claimed to put some listeners into a trance .
Life
Born in the OkaraOkara, Pakistan
Okara is the capital city of Okara District in the Punjab province of Pakistan. The name Okara is derived from Okaan, a name of a tree, the city is located south-west to the city of Lahore and is famous for its agriculture-based economy and cotton mills...
district of the Sahiwal
Sahiwal
Sahiwal is a city in Punjab, Pakistan. It is the administrative centre of Sahiwal District and Sahiwal Division. Sahiwal is approximately 180 km from the major city Lahore and is the city between Lahore and Multan...
region in the province of Punjab
Punjab (Pakistan)
Punjab is the most populous province of Pakistan, with approximately 45% of the country's total population. Forming most of the Punjab region, the province is bordered by Kashmir to the north-east, the Indian states of Punjab and Rajasthan to the east, the Pakistani province of Sindh to the...
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, Zahoor was the youngest child in a rural peasant family. He is said to have started singing at the age of five, and from that early age, he had dreamt of a hand beckoning him towards a shrine. He left home at the age of thirteen, roaming the Sufi shrines of Sindh
Sindh
Sindh historically referred to as Ba'ab-ul-Islam , is one of the four provinces of Pakistan and historically is home to the Sindhi people. It is also locally known as the "Mehran". Though Muslims form the largest religious group in Sindh, a good number of Christians, Zoroastrians and Hindus can...
, Punjab, and Azad Kashmir
Azad Kashmir
Azad Jammu and Kashmir or Azad Kashmir for short, is the southernmost political entity within the Pakistani-administered part of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir...
, making a living through singing. Zahoor claims that as he was walking past a small shrine in the south Punjab town of Uch Sharif (known for its Sufi traditions), when "someone waved at me with his hand, inviting me in, and I suddenly realised that it was this hand which I saw in my dream."
For some time, he studied music under Raunka Ali of Patiala Gharana
Patiala Gharana
The Patiala gharana is one of the most prominent gharanas of vocal Hindustani classical music. It was initially sponsored by the Maharaja of Patiala, Punjab, which was famous for ghazal, thumri, and khyal.-History:...
, whom he met at Bulleh Shah
Bulleh Shah
Bulleh Shah was a Punjabi Sufi poet, a humanist and philosopher.-Early life:Bulleh Shah is believed to have been born in 1680, in the small village of Uch, Bahawalpur, Punjab, in present day Pakistan. His father, Shah Muhammad Darwaish, was a teacher and preacher in a village mosque...
's dargah
Dargah
A Dargah is a Sufi shrine built over the grave of a revered religious figure, often a Sufi saint. Local Muslims visit the shrine known as . Dargahs are often associated with Sufi meeting rooms and hostels, known as khanqah...
(shrine), and who became his first teacher for Sufi verses. He also studied music with other Uch Sharif-based musicians.
Although Zahoor is illiterate he is known for his memory of song lyrics; mostly he sings compositions of the major Sufi poets, Bulleh Shah
Bulleh Shah
Bulleh Shah was a Punjabi Sufi poet, a humanist and philosopher.-Early life:Bulleh Shah is believed to have been born in 1680, in the small village of Uch, Bahawalpur, Punjab, in present day Pakistan. His father, Shah Muhammad Darwaish, was a teacher and preacher in a village mosque...
, Shah Badakhshi, Muhammad Qadiri
Muhammad Qadiri
Hadhrat Haji Syed Muhammad Naushah Ganj Bakhsh, a scholar, saint and preacher of Islam in the South Asia, was the founder of the Naushahia branch of the Qadri order. He preached Islam in the ninth and tenth centuries Hijri and brought non-Muslims into the fold of Islam. He loved Muhammad and...
others.
Musical style
For most of his life Zahoor performed mainly in dargahDargah
A Dargah is a Sufi shrine built over the grave of a revered religious figure, often a Sufi saint. Local Muslims visit the shrine known as . Dargahs are often associated with Sufi meeting rooms and hostels, known as khanqah...
s (Sufi tombs/shrines) and festivals, and in the streets. He adopted the folk instrument Ektara
Ektara
Ektara is a one-string instrument used in Bangladesh, India, Egypt, and Pakistan.thumb||EktaraIn origin the ektara was a regular string instrument of wandering bards and minstrels from India and is plucked with one finger...
(ek= one, tar = string), in its three-stringed version called Tumbi
Tumbi
The Tumbi or Toombi is a traditional North Indian instrument from Punjab. The tumbi was invented and popularized by the renowned folk-singer of Punjab "Lal Chand Yamla Jatt". In the 1960s, 70s and 80s most of the Punjabi singers used the Tumbi...
, as his main instrument. Like some traditions of Sufi music, he has a passionate, high-energy style of singing, often dancing in a frenzied style with the tassels on his instrument whirling around him. His typical costume includes embroidered (kurta
Kurta
A kurta is a traditional item of clothing worn in Afghanistan, Pakistan , Nepal, India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. It is a loose shirt falling either just above or somewhere below the knees of the wearer, and is worn by both men and women...
), beads, tightly bound turban, as well as ghungroo
Ghungroo
A Ghungroo, also known as Ghunghroo or Ghunghru or Salangai is one of many small metallic bells strung together to form Ghungroos, a musical anklet tied to the feet of classical Indian dancers. The sounds produced by Ghungroos vary greatly in pitch depending on their metallic composition and size...
s (anklet-bells worn by dancers). His voice has an earthy tone, almost cracking at the edges, but capable of a wide vocal and emotional range.
In 1989 he performed on a concert stage for the first time at the All Pakistan Music Conference, which brought him into musical prominence. Subsequently he has emerged as a leading performer in Pakistan, frequently appearing on TV and in concerts. Zahoor has also given concerts in UK, Japan, Ireland and India.
Sufi singing is focused on poetry with themes of devotional love, which shares much with Persian
Persian people
The Persian people are part of the Iranian peoples who speak the modern Persian language and closely akin Iranian dialects and languages. The origin of the ethnic Iranian/Persian peoples are traced to the Ancient Iranian peoples, who were part of the ancient Indo-Iranians and themselves part of...
mystic poets like Rumi and with other South Asia
South Asia
South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east...
n traditions such as the Bhakti
Bhakti
In Hinduism Bhakti is religious devotion in the form of active involvement of a devotee in worship of the divine.Within monotheistic Hinduism, it is the love felt by the worshipper towards the personal God, a concept expressed in Hindu theology as Svayam Bhagavan.Bhakti can be used of either...
cult. Sufi traditions highlight a softer, multi-cultural aspect of Islam, and are seen as a countering "the extremism of the mullahs who use the mosques to spread ill-will" against other cultural groups, according to some organizers of Saieen Zahoor's concerts.
In 2006 Zahoor released an album titledAwazay ("Sounds") through Matteela Records. In 2007 he helped produce the soundtrack to the Pakistani film Khuda Ke Liye
Khuda Ke Liye
Khuda Kay Liye is a 2007 Pakistani Urdu-language drama film written, directed and produced by Shoaib Mansoor, starring Shaan, Iman Ali, Fawad Afzal Khan and Hameed Sheikh...
.
He sang an ost in 2011 for West Is West a British comedy-drama film, which is a sequel to the 1999 comedy East Is East. He also acted and appeared in the film.