Sufi music festival brings India, Pak artists together

Eminent Sufi singers from Pakistan along with their Indian counterparts came together to celebrate the rich culture of Sufism with their soulful renditions at the Sindhi Sufi festival here.
The two-day festival, which began on March 22, is an effort to bring together Sufi artists from Pakistan and India and keep alive the dying Sindhi language, according to organisers of Sindhi Academy under the Delhi Government.
Sindh is the place from where Sufism and Sindhi language has emerged from.
"Sufism is one genre of music which has stood the test of time. And I think India has a very rich culture of Sufism. This is the second time I am invited to the festival and I am feeling wonderful here," Pakistani Sufi singer Tufail Sanjrani said.

"Such efforts by India boost bilateral ties and should be held more often. Music has no language...No boundaries. It unites everything and everybody," Tufail said.
The first day of the festival, saw the release of a music Album with Sufi kalams composed by Pandit Bhajan Sopori.

"The land of Sindh is the birth place of Sufism. The shared heritage of Sufism and Sindhi language finds resonance on both sides of the border and are among the few things that unite Indians and Pakistanis," Secretary of Sindhi Academy, Sindhu Mishra said.
Among the Indian singers, Shanti Hiranand, Dushyant Ahuja, Uma Lalla, Ghansham Vawani, Sadhna Bhatia, Kajal Chandiramani and Veena Shringi presented their Sufi Kalams.

"India and Pakistan share a beautiful cultural legacy of Sufi poets. The legacy of mystics like Shah Abdul Latif, and Amir Khusro are cited in our shared traditions," she said.