Troubadours Of Allah

By QAM, *Rhythm of the saints* - Dawn.com - Pakistan
Friday, October 23, 2009

Karachi: Using music as a devotional vehicle is common to many Sufi orders throughout the Muslim world.

The rich Sufi heritage of Sindh in particular reflects this sublime relationship between mystical verse and musical instruments quite well. Hence it is understandable why German photographer Horst A. Friedrichs chose the Sufi musicians of Sindh as the subject of his book Troubadours of Allah.

An exhibition of photographs from the book was inaugurated at the Goethe-Institut here on Thursday. Musician and writer Peter Pannke, who wrote the text of the book, spoke at the opening of the exhibition, which is being supported by the German Consulate in Karachi. The exhibition is part of a series of events focusing on Sufism including a Sufi concert and a seminar on mysticism.

Mr Pannke said the idea for the book, published 10 years ago, came about when he was asked to organise a festival to celebrate Pakistan’s golden jubilee in Berlin. Various Pakistani musicians performed at the event and Mr Friedrichs discussed the idea with Peter Pannke – who had visited Pakistan before – after the artistes made a strong impression on him. ‘I wanted to bring the pictures to Pakistan as a token of thanks,’ he said.

Concerning the title of the book and exhibition, Mr Pannke said a decade ago, the term Sufism was not as ‘fashionable’ in the West as it is today. ‘The word troubadour was chosen as a bridge between cultures. The Troubadours were actually inspired by [the music of] Moorish Spain and North Africa. They were the closest thing [Europe] had to Sufis. But it was considered a heretical movement by the Church. While the troubadours [are extinct], Sufis live on’.

An English version of Troubadours of Allah is due to be published in early 2010.

As for the photographs themselves, though they might come across as exotica to the western eye, to anyone acquainted with local Sufi culture these are common sights. Most of the photographs have been taken in Bhit Shah, at the shrine of Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai and in Sehwan, at and around the dargah of Hazrat Lal Shahbaz Qalandar.

It is a familiar landscape of malangs, mystics and hangers-on, one that is the same pretty much across Sufi shrines in the subcontinent.

In one image a fakir plays a surando while in another a jogi of Umerkot charms a menacing looking cobra with his murli. Showing a glimpse of all shades of Sufi music in Sindh, a memorable shot shows the late Karachi-based Bahauddin Qawwal in full flight, garlanded and dressed in a resplendent sherwani, surrounded by his sons.

As we move on, a malang – along with other devotees – performs wuzu or the ritual ablution in Bhit Shah. In one shot a devotee is deeply absorbed in prayer inside a chilla khana or meditation room. A series of shots show a woman being exorcised by a pir playing a musical instrument, while others show devotees exorcising the much more mundane demons of boredom and hopelessness by letting loose in a dhammal.

The picture of Mai Sabhagi, a singer, reminds one of the brightly coloured dresses Thari and Rajasthani women wear, while in another shot two men take a break from the rigours of the mystical path by having a cup of tea. A picture from Sehwan shows devotees marching towards the shrine as part of the henna ceremony on the morning of the Qalandar’s Urs.

But perhaps the most striking shot of all is the one of a bejewelled hand resting on a page from Shah Jo Risalo. The pages of the Risalo appear yellowed by time, in contrast to the magnificent calligraphy, with graceful strokes and bold diacritical marks.

One definite plus point of the exhibition are the detailed captions that accompany the photographs, which help put the images in perspective.

Troubadours of Allah will run till Nov 20. The exhibition will remain closed on Saturdays and Sundays.