Forgotten Singers of Sindh: Master Muhammad Ibrahim

Sindhi man with traditional 'topi'

Tonight I post the second in this series of ‘forgotten’ heroes of Sindhi music.  Master Muhammad Ibrahim is in the spotlight tonight and I must say it is a dim spotlight indeed. I know absolutely nothing about this artist except that his name figures in several lists of Sindhi artists on the internet. 

Is he still alive?

This collection came from the same Sindhi bureaucrat who gifted me Suleman Shah’s music. He was a funny guy. He had a dignified air about him. Even as the Scotch flowed into the late night he never lost his senses, and neither did he let his collar down. Figuratively or sartorially. He breathed contempt for Punjabis as a group and concept, but seemed on easy terms with all the other men in the room, Punjabis through and through. I must have heard more than 30 references to Bhuttos of all genders and political eras throughout the evening. He loved them all as if they were his dearest relatives.

His other great love was music and literature, which is not surprising given the others in this badly lit flat on the outer rims of Islamabad were a prominent novelist and a music industry executive.  Sindh’s superior accomplishments in the field of arts was for him a point that needed no argument but was worthy of frequent repetition.

Anyway, the next time I see him, if I ever do, I’ll try to get some background information on Master Muhammad Ibrahim. In the meantime, enjoy!

As usual, Sindhi speakers, please correct the titles of the songs! Thanks.

            Track Listing:

01.  Dilbara

02.  Diyan Dinayee Fair Mubarak

03.  Karya Yaad Dama Dam

04.  Lago Mujhe Andar Aaja

05.  Kangala De ka Qabar

06.  Subuhanallah

07.  Paido Kedo

08.  Mohabbat Ye Kare Baqi

09.  Yeh Sab Moori Maaya

10.  Cho Duniya Ke

11.  Jalwe Yaar

Listen here

Forgotten Singers of Sindh: Suleman Shah (Re-upped)

Suleman Shah

The title of this post will no doubt inflame some readers because Suleman Shah is not forgotten at all. In the Pakistani province of Sindh, he was an idol during his lifetime. And in his death is idolized as one of that culturally lush country’s  celebrated performers. 

But he is forgotten in that other than to Sindhi patriots his music has been forgotten by the broader music listening world.

I’ve not been able to find any information of significance on Shah sahib, except a number of YouTube videos.  All I can report is that he was apparently born in the provincial town of Mirpur Bhatoro (south of Hyderabad) and passed away some years ago. If anyone is able to provide more details on this one-of-a-kind singer please feel free to pipe up and leave a comment or two at the bottom of the page.

The music is pure Sindhi folk music that draws on mystical poetry and folk tales as old as the water of the Indus.  The singing takes place in a live setting, perhaps at an open-air mehfil, with Suleman introducing each song with a bit of wonderfully evocative narrative. This man is a natural storyteller. Though I understand not a word of Sindhi, I’m totally hooked to the story. I imagine him as an itinerant actor/singer and all round performer, dragging his straggly band of musicians from one village to the next, providing late evening performances for his rural and small town audiences that mix music, religion, comedy and telling of ancient epics. 

In his group you can hear all the instruments of Sindh: the dhol (round drum), the murli (snake charmer’s horn), bansuri (flute), borrindo (clay drum) and yaktoro (single stringed lute).

Another reason for inflamed feelings will be the titles I’ve given the tracks. As I’ve confessed earlier I do not speak Sindhi. But I’ve tried to grab a word or two from each song and use that as the title. I beg, in advance, forgiveness from all Sindhi speakers and once again request you to send me the real titles so I can make amends.

A final pretext for being irritated by this post is the background noise on the first two tracks.  You see, this CD was given to me by a few friends after a night of drinking Black Dog Whiskey and salacious storytelling (mainly in Punjabi, which I understood better after a few bara pegs of Black Dog).  How my friends voices got on to the CD I will never know and I do admit their conversation is slightly bothersome. But honestly, Suleman Shah’s singing and storytelling is no match for them and they soon shut up.

So with all these caveats and pre-apologies, I offer you, ladies and gentlemen the scintillating storytelling/singing of Syed Suleman Shah of Sindh!

            Track Listing:

            01 Hayati

02 De Allo

03 Marte Marke Mari

04 Karamadhar

05 Key Nadi Ho

06 Bazaar

07 Asaan to Ishq Balbal Karega

08 Muddat Tarie

09 Ranjha Ja Hazaar

10 Teeran

11 Hanu Barja

Listen here

The Wonder That Was Sindh: Mohammad Rafi and Ram Panjwani (Link updated)

Jhulelal, Sindhi Community Diety

Mohammad Rafi was one of the holy trinity of Indian playback singers that genuinely formed the soundtrack to India’s first thirty years of Independence. From the late 40’s to the late 70’s Rafi’s voice along with those of Lata Mangeshkar and Kishore Kumar filled not only every cinema but bounced off every narrow gali, blasted from every café and barbershop and wedding celebration across India. And beyond, to Russia, the Middle East and Africa.

Mohammad Rafi

Born near Amritsar but raised in Lahore Rafi was an improbable superstar. His family was not a traditional musical one and though he began singing publicly at a young age it was not until he moved to Bombay in the early 1940s that he received training from some of the greats of Indian khayal including Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan. But what he lacked in pedigree he made up for in capability.  His first film work was in 1944. Four years later he was invited by the first PM of India, Jawaharlal Nehru, to sing at his home.

From then on film work increased with Rafi recording thousands of songs for the Bollywood musical directors. Some, such as O.P Nayyar, Naushad and Shankar-Jaikishan used Rafi almost exclusively at various stages in their own glorious careers.

I’ve posted some of Rafi sahib’s film work before and more will come. But tonight’s post is a record of devotional and spiritual music sung in Sindhi.  As such it is a delightful detour away from the filmi world with which he is almost always associated. 

The lyrics of these songs comes from some of Sindh’s great folk and mystical poets: Bulleh Shah, Shah Latif and Dharamdas. The music is composed by one of Sindh’s most beloved patriots Dr Ram Panjwani. He’s pictured on the front of the album with Rafi.

Ram Panjwani (playing drum)

Panjwani was born in Larkana, the same district that was the stomping ground of Pakistan’s great Bhutto political dynasty.  At Independence he, with hundreds of thousands other Hindu Sindhis, fled to India.  Pajwani (who was a writer, musician and activist) became a great organiser of the displaced Sindhis in Bombay and across India. To assist him he used the Sindhis’ community god, Jhulelal as a cultural touchstone to give them hope and solace in their ‘exile’.

Dr Panjwani with Abida Parveen

The (very crudely paraphrased) story of Jhulelal is a tale of deux–ex-machina.  In the early days of Muslim penetration of India the Hindu residents of Thatta in Sindh had the misfortune of being ruled by a Muslim ruler, Mirkshah, who was aggressive about converting the local population….by force if necessary.  Given 40 days to agree to abandon their faith and convert to Islam, the people of Thatta beseeched their gods for a way out. On the 40^th day a local woman became pregnant and eventually gave birth to a boy child. From the infant’s mouth flowed the Indus River and on the river riding a fish was an old man with a long beard.

The child/man was able to convince the Mirkshah’s vizier that he was indeed a spiritual being and eventually when confronted with Jhulelal’s powers Mirkshah himself relented and let the people keep their Hindu faith. 

When Jhulelal, also known as Uderolal, died Muslims insisted upon erecting a mini ‘kaba’ in his honor. The Hindus insisted upon a temple. Fighting ensued. Suddenly from on high a voice was heard, “ Behold! You shall make my shrine acceptable to both Hindus and Muslims. Let one face be a temple and the other a dargah (Sufi shrine).”

The story is rich with Sindhi syncretic thinking. Indeed, the vast countryside of what is now Pakistan was for centuries the home of a highly syncretic culture and religious practice. Sufi poetry is appreciated by Hindu Sindhis as much as Muslims and Jhulelal is so revered by Sindhis of all persuasions, the phrase “Jhulelal beera hee paar” is a standard greeting between Sindhis wherever they are in the world.

And of especial interest to the Washerman’s Dog is the frequent reference to Jhulelal in that great Sufi qawwali Dama Dam Mast Qalandar.

So it is with great pleasure tonight I post Hindu and Muslim spirituals from Sindh sung by a Muslim set to music composed by a Hindu who revered the tolerant diety of Sindh who wanted his resting place to be half Hindu half Muslim.

The Wonder That Was Sindh!

            Track Listing:

            01 Kahdi Karyan Mahmani (Sachal)

02 Badal Aaaya Bahar Miyan (Bhojal)

03 Jeko Sabhai Siyaka Satte (Roshan)

04 Hee Aashikan Ja Insaf (Dharmdas)

05 Tu Aheen Sahib (Sachal)

06 Dardan Ji Mari (Shah)

07 Kiya Janey Dum Koi (Bulleh Shah)

08 Kalangi Wara Lal (Ram)

Listen here.