He sang in a melodious voice loud enough to be heard a kilometre away and danced on the central aisle with the audience watching from both sides. The lead performer, called Bhagat, wore a chher (anklets), jamo(a long top), pagdi (turban), kundal (earrings), and a bright tilak on the forehead. The performance had upto six to eleven singers and musicians. Folk songs depicting traditional or religious stories and devotional songs in the praise of God were the themes on which the Bhagat was performed. A very popular form of entertainment, a Bhagat performance would find people travelling long distances to attend it. The oldest and the most original form of Sindhi dance, song, music, and drama is Bhagat. Most dances are of the folk variety which everyone can participate in. Sindhi dance celebrates the day-to-day life of people. Abida Parveen is renowned for her rendition of Sufi songs and music. Singers and musicians such as Prof Ram Panjwani, Master Chander, Bhagwati Navani, Kala Hazari, and Kamla Keswani have left their mark on Sindhi music. Songs like ‘ Dama Dum Mast Qalander’ and ‘ Ho Jamalo’ when sung always bring the audience to their feet dancing and singing. Sindhi music includes bhajans, qawwali, folk songs, and ghazals too. Women dance at the joyous and sometimes ribald songs causing much merriment in the house of celebration. Ladaas are Sindhi marriage songs sung to the beat of the duhil. Surandho is a wooden Sindhi instrument with a number of strings that may range from five in simpler versions to thirteen in sophisticated versions.Ĭhaang is a simple instrument made from iron which is held in the mouth and played with one finger. Made of dried pumpkin, its pitch can be changed by loosening or tightening the string.ĭando, jhanjree and khartaloon are the accompanying jingling instruments used with yaktaaro.īhorrindo is an ancient instrument made of a clay ball with four holes, though now a slightly more sophisticated version with baked clay is used.Ī pair of nagaras are percussion drums played with sticks. Yaktaaro, one-stringed instrument, is used by the fakirs and musicians alike at dargahs and weddings. Sufi poets such as Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai, Sachal Sarmast and Sami have left behind a rich compilation of poetry to be sung as songs. Using simple instruments like borrindo, yaktaaro, naar, naghara, kartaal, manjira, tamburo and duhil, Sindhis sing Sufi kalaams (verses) and kafis ( a poetic rendition of the dialogue between the Soul and the Creator) at dargahs. Its songs and music come from its divine Sufi soul, haunting and melodious. Sindh is a land of saints, fakirs, and dervishes.

Sindhi video songs