Allan Faqir being remembered today

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Allan Faqir being remembered today

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Death anniversary of renowned folk singer Allan Faqir is being observed today.

04 July,2012 06:23 am

Allan Fakir was born in 1932 in the ancient village of Aamari in Jamshoro District‚ Sindh. His mother died soon after his birth. He spent his childhood in Manjhand‚ a town between Sehwan and Hyderabad. He belongs to the Mangrasi tribe the Mangarhars are believed to bring happiness and welcomed on festive occasions for their gift of melody. According to the traditions of this caste‚ Allan Fakirs father used to beat the drum and sing traditional songs at weddings and Faqirs brothers still do the same job.When he was only a teenager‚ Allan Fakir developed a habit of singing melancholy songs which his father did not like. Deprived of a mothers love‚ he went off in search of someone who could replace that love. He arrived at the tomb of Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai in Bhit Shah and started living there. Faqirs memory was sharp even though he could not read and write. Hearing the traditional Latifi Raag sung every night touched his heart. Encouraged by Faqir Zawar Qurban Ali Lanjwani and Moolchand Maharaj‚ he began singing Bhitais poetry at the shrine and ultimately spent twenty years there until meeting Mumtaz Mirza‚ who introduced him to Radio Pakistan and PTV in Hyderabad and helped him to learn the correct pronunciation of Bhitais poetry. Eventually‚ he became a performing legend.His songs‚ mostly in Sindhi language except a few in Urdu‚ usually revolve around sufism and the devotional philosophy. But the characteristic which distinguishes him from many other folk singers is the depth of his feelings‚ which is very expressive in all his songs. One of his famous songs is a duet with Muhammad Ali Shehki‚ Allah Allah kar bhaiya which was a big hit and increased his popularity tremendously. A patriotic song Itne bare jeewan saagar main also got very popular.