Saieen Zahoor Ahmed or Ali Saain Shafiu ( Punjabi: سائیں ظہور, born 1936) is a leading Punjabi Sufi musician from

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...

. He has spent most of his life singing in Sufi shrines, and didn't produce a record until 2006, when he was nominated for the BBC World Music awards based on word of mouth. He emerged as the "best BBC voice of the year 2006", Saieen is not his first name but a Sindhi honorific title and is also spelled as Sain.

Early life and career

Born in Sulaimanki, a village near Haveli Lakha of

Okara district Okara District (Punjabi and ur, ), is a district of Punjab, Pakistan. It became a separate district in 1982, prior to that it was part of Sahiwal District.Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising a ...

, Zahoor Ahmad was the youngest child in a rural peasant family.Profile of Saieen Zahoor on cokestudio.com.pk website
Retrieved 30 September 2022 He is said to have started singing at the age of five, and from that early age, he had dreamt of a hand beckoning him towards a shrine. He started roaming the Sufi shrines of Sindh, Punjab, making a living through singing. Zahoor claims that as he was walking past a small shrine in south Punjab town of

Uch Sharif Uch ( pa, ; ur, ), frequently referred to as Uch Sharīf ( pa, ; ur, ; ''"Noble Uch"''), is a historic city in the southern part of Pakistan's Punjab province. Uch may have been founded as Alexandria on the Indus, a town founded by Alexand ...

(known for its Sufi traditions), when "someone waved at me with his hand, inviting me in, and I suddenly realized that it was this hand which I saw in my dream. For some time, he studied music under ''Raunka Ali'' of

Patiala Gharana The Patiala ''gharana'' (, ) is one of the vocal (tradition, school, or style of music) of Hindustani classical music, named after the city of Patiala in Punjab, India where it was established. The ''gharana'' was founded in the mid to late 19th ...

, whom he met at

Bulleh Shah Syed Abdullah Shah Qadri ( pa, ; ; 1680–1757), known popularly as Bulleh Shah ( pa, ; ) and Bulleya, was a Punjabi philosopher and Sufi poet during 17th-century Punjab. His ancestors had migrated from Bukhara (modern-day Uzbekistan) ...

dargah A dargah ( fa, درگاه ''dargâh'' or ''dargah'', Turkish: ''dergâh'', Hindustani: ''dargah'' दरगाह درگاہ, bn, দরগাহ ''dorgah'') is a shrine or tomb built over the grave of a revered religious figure, often ...

(shrine), and who became his first teacher for Sufi verses. He also studied music with other Uch Sharif-based musicians. Although not literate, Zahoor is known for his memory of song lyrics; mostly he sings compositions of the major Sufi poets,

, Shah Badakhshi, Muhammad Qadiri,

Sultan Bahu Sultan Bahu ( pa, , ਸੁਲਤਾਨ ਬਾਹੂ ; also spelled Bahoo; 17 January 1630 – 1 March 1691), was a 17th-century Punjabi Sufi mystic, poet, scholar and historian. He was active in the Punjab region (present-day Pakistan) duri ...

and others. Sain is famous for his performances at

Coke Studio (Pakistan) ''Coke Studio'' ( ur, ) is a Pakistani television programme and international music franchise which features studio-recorded music performances by established and emerging artists. It is the longest-running annual television music show in Paki ...

. His upcoming Projects are in Australia and

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in October & November 2014. In 2009, he performed at the folk music festival arranged by the ''Rafi Peer Theatre Workshop'' in

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city ...

and was reportedly a crowd puller.

Musical style

For most of his life Zahoor performed mainly in

s (Sufi tombs/shrines) and festivals, and in the streets. He adopted the folk instrument

Ektara Ektara ( bn, একতারা, hi, एकतारा, ur, اِک تارا, ne, एकतारे, pa, ਇਕ ਤਾਰਾ, ta, எக்டரா; literally 'one-string', also called actara, iktar, ektar, yaktaro, gopichand, gopichant, ...

(''ek''= one, ''tar'' = string), in its three-stringed version called

Tumbi The tumbi or toombi ( pa, ਤੂੰਬੀ, pronunciation: ''tūmbī''), also called a tumba or toomba, is a traditional musical instrument from the Punjab region of the northern Indian subcontinent. The high-pitched, single- string plucking ins ...

, as his main instrument. Like some traditions of Sufi music, he has a passionate, high-energy style of singing, often dancing in a frenzied style with the tassels on his instrument whirling around him. His typical outfit includes embroidered (

kurta A ''kurta'' is a loose collarless shirt or tunic worn in many regions of South Asia, (subscription required) Quote: "A loose shirt or tunic worn by men and women." Quote: "Kurta: a loose shirt without a collar, worn by women and men from South ...

), beads, tightly bound turban, as well as

ghungroo A ghungroo ( hi, घुँघरू, ur, ), also known as ghunghroo or ghunghru or ghungur or ghungura (Assamese, Bengali and Odia) or Chilanka or Salangai or Gejje (in Malayalam, Tamil and Kannada respectively), is one of many small metallic ...

s (anklet-bells worn by dancers). His voice has an earthy tone, almost cracking at the edges, but capable of a wide vocal and emotional range. "His piercing chiseled features are a regular sight on Pakistani TV and he has been the subject of at least one documentary." In 1989, he performed on a concert stage for the first time at the All Pakistan Music Conference, which brought him into musical prominence. Subsequently he has emerged as a leading performer in Pakistan, frequently appearing on TV and in concerts. Zahoor has also given concerts in UK, Japan,

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

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and

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...

. Sufi singing is focused on poetry with themes of devotional love, which shares much with

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

mystic poets like Rumi and with other South Asian traditions such as the Bhakti cult. Some argue that Sufi traditions highlight a softer, multi-cultural aspect of Islam, which counters "the extremism of the mullahs who use the mosques to spread ill-will" against other cultural groups, according to some organizers of Saieen Zahoor's concerts. In 2006, Zahoor released an album titled ''Awazay'' ("Sounds") through Matteela Records. In 2007, he helped produce the soundtrack to the Pakistani film Khuda Ke Liye (2007). He sang an ost in 2011 for ''West Is West'' a British comedy-drama film, which is a sequel to the 1999 comedy ''East Is East''. Saieen Zahoor has performed in

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

Dubai Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

, China and

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

Songs

* Toomba (Coke Studio Season 2) * Allah Hoo * Nachna Painda Hai * Tere Ishq Nachaya * Ek Alif (Coke Studio Season 2) * Allah Hoo (Coke Studio Season 6) * Rabba Ho (Coke Studio Season 6) * Alif Allah Nu (duckU Records) * Duniya Chalo Chali Da Mela (duckU Records) * Maaye Ni Main Kinu Akhan (duckU Records) * Lagi Bina/ Chal Mele Noon Challiye (Coke Studio Season 9) * Mirzya Title song - 2016 * Dill Da Kabah

Films

His music has been used in the following films * West is West (2010) – Toomba and Ek Alif * Mirzya – Teen GawahBaloch folk singer Akhtar Chanal Zahri to make his Bollywood debut in Mirzaya (along with Saieen Zahoor)
Pakistan Today (newspaper), Published 9 September 2016,Retrieved 30 September 2022

Awards and recognition

Pride of Performance The Pride of Performance ( ur, ), officially known as Presidential Pride of Performance, is an award bestowed by the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to recognize people with "notable achievements in the field of art, science, literature, sports, an ...

Award by the President of Pakistan in 2020.Conferment of Pakistan Civil Awards
The News International (newspaper), Published 14 August 2019, Retrieved 30 September 2022 * "Best Voice of the Year" Award in 2006 by BBC Music.

References

External links

Saieen Zahoor and Sanam Marvi's performance at Coke Studio (Pakistan) on YouTube
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zahoor, Saieen 1945 births Living people Pakistani male singers Pakistani folk singers Ektara players Tumbi players People from Okara District Year of birth uncertain Punjabi people Performers of Sufi music Coke Studio (Pakistani TV program) Recipients of the Pride of Performance