By Umer Nangiana
Exceptional talent and a sensational voice, the Coke Studio-Pakistan famed folk and Sufi singer Sanam Marvi is all set to enthral the Doha audience next week. A leading contemporary folk singer from Pakistan, Marvi will perform at a concert organised by Pakistan Professional Forum Qatar (PPFQ) at InterContinental Hotel Doha The City on March 12.
“The event, A Mystical Evening with Sanam Marvi, is in line with cultural pillar of PPFQ’s charter, which emphasises on enhancing and increasing the awareness about Pakistani culture in Qatar,” said Shabber Ali, a PPFQ executive committee member.
Classically trained by maestros of Eastern Classical music, Marvi shot to fame with Coke Studio numbers Rang Laga and Sighra Aaween soon after she made her debut with one of the music programmes of Pakistan Television (PTV). The young Sufi and folk singer from Sindh province of Pakistan is renowned for her distinct voice quality.
Before coming to Doha, she has performed Sufi and folk concerts all around the world. Coke Studio presented Marvi in more than one of its immensely popular seasons, a testament to her talent.
Marvi’s name is familiar to all Sufi music lovers. She is one of the youngest and most popular classical singers from the interior Sindh. Her father, Fakir Ghulam Rasool, was also a renowned singer. She was introduced to classical singing at a very young age.
Marvi, in her own words, aims to spread the Sufi belief of love and peace through her music to global audiences. She has performed the compositions of sub-continental mystics like Baba Bulleh Shah, Baba Farid, Sachal Sarmast and Shah Abdul Latif Bhattai.
Sanam Marvi made her debut with Virsa Heritage, a PTV presentation. She made her solo debut with a performance at 2010 Jehan-e-Khusrau, the Sufi music festival. In February 2011, she performed with Indian playback singer Rekha Bhardwaj at Times of India’s Aman ki Asha at Chowmahalla Palace, Hyderabad.
Marvi made her Bollywood singing debut with Ali Zafar-starer London, Paris, New York, singing along with Hadiqa Kiyani and Zafar himself.
Trained in classical genre of music by none other than the maestro Ustad Fateh Ali Khan, Marvi’s initial musical endeavours were supported and patronised by the cultural icon Mian Yousuf Salahuddin. She has so far released four music albums. Marvi is presently working on her 5th album and has plans to record it in India.
The PPFQ, a non-profit organisation of Pakistani professionals working in Qatar, has organised such musical evenings before as well. In 2013, they invited renowned Pakistani artist and Pride of Performance winner Tina Sani who paid rich tributes to legendary Urdu poets Faiz Ahmed Faiz and Allama Iqbal with her classically trained voice.
The PPFQ seeks to promote solidarity and networking among professionals of Pakistani origin (but not limited to) in Qatar by being the leading platform for uniting its members.
It works to enhance cross-cultural, professional and academic ties between Pakistan and Qatar. PPFQ is a non-political and not for profit organisation of professionals and does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion or caste, says its charter.
The organisation is managed by an Executive Committee staffed by a team of competent and dedicated professionals who work on a voluntary basis with a desire to make a difference and a zeal to promote the objectives of the forum.
Entry to the musical concert is through passes as dinner at the five-star hotel is also part of the programme. “Due to limited seating capacity, early purchase is highly recommended to avoid disappointment,” said Ali. Those interested to attend the concert can contact on 5549-0144, 5554-6806 or 5581-0621. More information is available on facebook.com/ppfqatar
TALENTED: Coke Studio-Pakistan provided Marvi with her big break.
