Abida Parveen – singer, composer, musician, and whatnot. She is an arresting and captivating personality. She is a powerhouse of spirituality and songs. The audience in Pakistan and the rest of the world have become spellbound by the way her voice can shift, from soft melodies to passionate declarations of praise for the divine. She has a command in Ghazal, Qawwali, and classic forms of Sufi music and poetry. She began singing as a three-year-old, encouraged by her father Ustad Ghulam Haider. As a child, she had a thirst for learning. Her father was himself a famous musician. She would often observe her father with his music students at home. She is also a painter and entrepreneur. She is one of the highest-paid singers of Pakistan. Born and raised in Larkana into a Sindhi family, she was trained by her father. She also performed in churches several times. Her first international concert was in Buena Park, California. She is among the world’s greatest mystic singers. Her specialty is ‘Kafi’, a solo genre accompanied by percussion and harmonium. She knows many languages in which she sings. She sang a famous Nepali song “Okali Orali Haruma”. She was designated a ‘Peace Ambassador’ by SAARC.
Parveen
is best known for singing in loud voice especially on the song “Yaar ko
humnay”, from the album “Raqs-e-Bismil” and “Tere Ishq Nachaya”. It is a
rendition of “Bulley Shah’s” poetry. Parveen started performing in the early
1970s. It was in 1973, on Radio Pakistan. She achieved her first real breakthrough
with the Sindhi song “Tuhinje Zulfan Jay Band Kamand Widha”. Abida has a special appearance in the movie
“Zindagi”. Parveen collaborated with Shehzad Roy. She performed in the annual
“Oslo” mela in Norway. Abida Parveen performed with Sonu Nigam a Bollywood
playback singer. Parveen performed at Asia’s Society Sufi Music festival in New
York City. She judged the Indo-Pak venture “Sur Kshetra” TV show. She performed
at Manchester International Festival, in 2013. She performed 2nd
international Sufi festival in Karachi. She collaborated with Indian music
director Salim-o-Sulaiman. She has performed in London. She performed at the Faiz
International Festival.
She started performing in the internationally acclaimed Pakistani show Coke Studio in 2010. Her famous quote includes this one, my favorite: “The songs purify the soul of a human being, the human being is so involved that he has left God. The songs bring us near to God, near the Almighty, so that the human soul should be purified and satisfied”. Abida Parveen is interested in the arts. She owns the Abida Parveen Gallery which features jewelry, paintings, and her music, etc. It is run by her daughters. She also has her own music recording studio there. She has a different clothing style. It is created by her for ease and comfort. She always wears an Ajrak dupatta. She married Sheikh Ghulam Hussain, a radio Pakistan producer who became her mentor and manager in the ’80s. After her husband passed away, their children took care of the business.
Arts Council of Pakistan, Karachi Organized a musical concert featuring renowned Balochi folk artist Ustad Noor Bakhsh, showcasing the vibrant colors of Balochi culture at the open-air theatre.
Arts Council of Pakistan, Karachi Organized a musical concert featuring renowned Balochi folk artist Ustad Noor Bakhsh, showcasing the vibrant colors of Balochi culture at the open-air theatre.
A large number of music enthusiasts attended the event, where Ustad Noor Bakhsh delivered a lively and captivating performance on the banjo, earning widespread applause from the audience. His distinctive singing style and mesmerizing melodies kept the audience engaged, with many swaying to the rhythm. He also performed the popular track “Laila O Laila,” which received an enthusiastic response from attendees. The event witnessed remarkable excitement among lovers of Balochi culture, as the open-air theatre was packed to capacity.
During the concert, participants energetically performed the traditional Balochi dance “Dochapi” to the rhythmic beats of the banjo, adding further color and vibrancy to the memorable evening.
The 30th death anniversary of renowned Urdu poet Mohsin Naqvi was observed on Thursday.
Born in Dera Ghazi Khan in 1947, Mohsin Naqvi made a lasting contribution to Urdu literature through his remarkable works, including Azaab-e-Deed, Khaima-e-Jaan, and Berg-e-Sehra.
In recognition of his services to Urdu literature and films, he received several awards.
Mohsin Naqvi passed away in Lahore on this day in 1996.
Hello… Welcome back with the hope that you all will be fine and doing great. If some have got some issue even then no worries ups and downs are part of life. We all wish for the betterment of each other and everything will be alright. Anyhow you must be waiting for the next episode of our visual tour. Before going into visualization I want to tell you that always do remember that everything happens for something better. So keep your struggle and hope for the best. As Quaid once said: “Expect the best, Prepare for the worst”.
Now, what do you think to have a visualization of our northern area? I believe whenever you hear northern area the name of Hunza comes to your mind. So let us know something about the forts of Hunza valley.
Altit Fort
Hey ….! This is the Altit Fort located in Karimabad in the Hunza valley in Gilgit Baltistan. This fort was home to the hereditary rulers of the Hunza state. They were known to be the Mir. You know it is one of our antiques as it is about 900 years old. That means it is the oldest monument in Gilgit–Baltistan. Some decades back it was in great disrepair. But Aga Khan Trust for Culture has graciously restored it. And then it has been open to the public since 2007. You can see the antiques preserved from the Mir kingdom. Oh, how lovely are old things.
Altit Fort
A fort under the clear blue sky, high mountains, and down valley is just an ideal to many but it is present. Nature is shouting from every angle. Now just mend your imaginative steps toward Baltit Fort that is not far from the Altit Fort.
Baltit Fort
So here we have reached our second destination of today’s trip. This fort is also near the Karimabad town Hunza Valley. Let’s know a bit about its history. It was founded in the 8th century CE, it has been on the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative list since 2004. In the past, the survival of the feudal regime of Hunza was ensured by the impressive fort, which overlooks Karimabad. The foundations of the fort date back to 700 years ago, with rebuilds and alterations over the centuries. In the 16th century, the local prince married a princess from Baltistan who brought master Balti craftsmen to renovate the building as part of her dowry. All this information is so interesting, aren’t they?
You all know there is a level of our kings or Mirs so far the Mir of Hunza also abandoned the fort in 1945 and moved to a new palace down the hill. The fort started to decay which caused concern that it might possibly fall into ruin. But fortunately, the Royal Geographical Society of London initiated a restoration program and was supported by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture Historic Cities Support Program. The program was completed in 1996 and the fort is now a museum run by the Baltit Heritage Trust. You can see it has preserved the rich heritage of Mirs of Hunza. How finely everything has been restored. You can see its architecture is far different and unique.
Baltit Fort
I think we should have to stop it here so that we have some more to visit and to visualize some other day. We will be covering the whole of our country. And for that, we would like to thank digital to bring us together and making this visualized tour. Bye, Bye for today.