NYC, Sufi Music and a Roaring Crowd

Abida Parveen at the New York Sufi Festival. Photo by Nigora Sachdeva.

“Be overflowing with peace and joy, and scatter them wherever you stand, and wherever you go.” These words of Saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti formed the cornerstone of The New York Sufi Music Festival’s message, organized by the Pakistani Peace Builders, and held on Tuesday July 20, 2010 at Union Square Park. The festival was conceived as a response to the recent tragic bombing of the sacred Sufi shrine of Data Durbar in Lahore, Pakistan and the attempted bombing of Times Square in May.

As Ambassador Abdullah Hussain Haroon, Pakistan’s representative to the UN, eloquently announced, “This is Pakistan”. He emphasized the desire of the majority of the country for peace and tolerance, and the urgent need for the preservation and spread of its deep cultural heritage. “What do you see, New York? You see and you hear our voices of peace and love and it is in stark contrast to what the two minute clips on television will have you believe.”

The performers were varied, from across the different regions of Pakistan with the headliner being the country’s living legend, Abida Parveen.

The concert began at 5 p.m. We got there a little before and on a hot summer’s day, with a blazing sun, soaring humidity, and hardly any shade, it didn’t seem a good place to be. The stage was being set up; there was pre-recorded instrumental music in the air and people were slowly mulling about. Fast forward to a half hour later and the scene was entirely different. No one was too bothered by the weather as all eyes were fixed on the stage. It felt surreal to be standing in a park in New York, surrounded by tall buildings and people of different faiths and races, and enjoying something as powerful as Akhtar Chanal Zehri from Balochistan, in his whirling clothes and fierce voice, for free! When Abida Parveen sang, you felt something elemental and pure resonate within you, and the control with which she wielded her voice was proof of her legendary excellence. It felt as though the wind stilled to listen to her; the moon emerged from behind clouds to catch a glimpse; and the living, breathing city hushed and felt humbled in her presence.

You cursed yourself inwardly for not knowing Urdu or Punjabi, or Balochi because as the artists sang, you knew that the words themselves were deep and ancient and it would be far richer were they understood. I stood beside a group of young Pakistani college students and their joy was infectious. Clapping and whistling ferociously when the Mekaal Hasan Band came on and and shouting for Abida Parveen to sing Lal Meri already, you couldn’t help laughing and joining in. It was an evening of inclusion and as an Indian, I was glad to be a part of the festivities and proud to be their neighbor. The finale with all the performers joining Abida Parveen onstage, as she sang Mast Qalandar and Ho Jamalo brought many in the audience to tears and all to their roaring feet in celebration. Suddenly, Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti’s message of peace seemed to come alive as you saw the smiling, dancing, supremely talented musicians on stage together and the exalted crowd swaying in unison.

Story by Republic of Brown contributor, Rianka Mohan Udas. This was Rianka’s first Sufi concert. She’s hooked.

Here’s what we captured