Kafi
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Kafi is a classical form of Sufi music in the Sindhi and Punjabi languages that originated from the Sindh and Punjab regions of South Asia. Some well-known Kafi poets are Baba Farid, Bulleh Shah, Shah Hussain, Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai, Sachal Sarmast and Khwaja Ghulam Farid. This poetry style has also lent itself to the Kafi genre of singing, popular throughout South Asia, especially Pakistan, Bangladesh and India. Over the years, both Kafi poetry and its rendition have experienced rapid growth phases as various poets and vocalists added their own influences to the form,[1] creating a rich and varied poetic form, yet through it all it remained centered on the dialogue between the Soul and the Creator, symbolized by the murid (disciple) and his Murshid (Master), and often by lover and his Beloved.
The word Kafi is derived from the
Kafi singing
In musical terms, Kafi refers to the genre of Sindhi and Punjabi
, spiritual guide.It is characterized by a devotional intensity in its delivery, and as such overlaps considerably with the
Rise of Kafi singing
Some of the early notable exponents of this form in the 1930s, when classical singing became highly popular, were Ustad Ashiq Ali Khan of the Patiala gharana, who used the dhrupad style in his rendition of Sindhi Kafis, and his contemporary in Sindhi kafi singing, Ustad Allahdino Noonari, who used the fusion form.[1]
Kafi has gained a higher profile in the West in the late 20th century, thanks to the Pakistani singer Abida Parveen, who, like qawwali maestro Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, has performed in front of the Western audiences.
Sanam Marvi from Hyderabad is another singer and vocalist, performing Kafi based Sufi songs.
References
- ^ a b Tribute: The legendary maestro by Shaikh Aziz, Dawn (newspaper), 05 Jul, 2009.
- ^ ISBN 0-415-93919-4. p. 317.
- ISBN 8125013415. p. 133.