Folk singer urges use of Sufi music to combat foreign culture
HYDERABAD: Folksinger Arif Lohar believes Sufi music can help overcome growing influence of Indian culture on society fast spreading through TV channels and movies.
He says that he doesn’t claim his songs can bring people closer to Islam but he certainly feels that adherents of other religions always get mystified by Sufi music because they see truth in it.
Dawn had an interview with the folksinger when he arrived here to perform at Indonesia-Pakistan cultural show recently organised at the newly-built Expo Centre.
Lohar defended fusing western music with folksongs and described it as a fusion of two ideas in order to keep the folk and Sufi music alive. “I am not taking help from western music. I am upgrading it to enable it to compete globally,” he argued.
He disagrees with the idea that remixing will harm traditional folk music because of use of additional instruments.
Arif, son of folksinger Alam Lohar, said that folk music faced various challenges to its survival and upgradation would help it survive.
He said that his father, too, upgraded his songs at times because there was always room for improvement. He referred to Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s blending of eastern and western music, which attracted a majority of people.
He performs live on stage, which many singers avoid nowadays and mostly make do with lip-singing. Lohar stopped short of criticising the practice and said “after all, they are singing for our country so I won’t criticise them”.
Lohar won pride of performance award in 2005. He started his career as a child star and began signing since tender-age.
He doesn’t recall how many songs he has sung so far. He mostly sings poetry of Baba Fareed, Hazrat Mian Mir Saheb, Waris Shah and Bullhey Shah.
He has a great reverence for Sufis and says “their message has a strong appeal for people”.
Attired in dazzling and shiny kurta and lungi he left a powerful impact on audience, mostly composed of people who did not fully understand his Punjabi and Siraiki folksongs.
Playing tongs (chimta) in his peculiar manner and body movements the folksinger from Lahore appeared on stage with a broad smile and sang Jugni some other popular numbers to the cheers from audience.
He did not stop when light went out. Though sudden power shutdowns are not so much welcomed by singers and they mostly leave the stage in protest if it happens but Lohar proved he was not that type.
Source: Dawn
Date:2/26/2010
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