Former Pakistan film industry actor Shaan Shahid says that Abida Parveen’s voice is the identity of Pakistan. On social networking site Twitter, the actor shared a photo of himself with Abida Parveen and thanked the government of Pakistan for nominating her for the Civil Award.
In his message, Shaan Shahid said that “Abida Parveen is the glory of Pakistan, her voice is the identity of Pakistan.”
“The voice of Abida Parveen shows the way to the Sufis in the pure land of Pakistan,” he wrote. In his tweet, the actor tagged the President and the Prime Minister and thanked the Government of Pakistan for awarding the award to Abida Parveen.
It may be mentioned that on the occasion of Independence Day, the President of Pakistan announced Sitara-e-Shujaat for 24 personalities, Sitara-e-Imtiaz for 27 personalities and Presidential Medal of Excellence for 44 personalities. Awards will be given to all personalities on March 23.
Pride of Performance for Maulana Tariq Jameel, Nishan Imtiaz for renowned Sufi singer Abida Parveen while Sitara Imtiaz for Bushra Ansari and Talat Hussain was also announced.
Abida Parveen Early life:
Parveen was born in mohalla Ali Goharabad in Larkana, Sindh, Pakistan. She received her musical training initially from her father, Ustad Ghulam Haider, whom she refers as Baba Sain and Gawwaya.
He had his own musical school where Parveen got her devotional inspiration from. She and her father would often perform at shrines of Sufi Saints. Parveen’s talent compelled her father to choose her as his musical heir over his two sons. Growing up, she attended her father’s music school, where her foundation in music was laid.
Later Ustad Salamat Ali Khan of the Sham Chaurasia gharana also taught and nurtured her. Parveen always remembers that she was never forced towards this occupation and she sang her first complete kalam when she was only 3 years old….
Abida Parveen Career:
Parveen at her concert in Oslo, 2007
Parveen had already begun performing at Dargahs and Urs in the early 1970s, but it was in 1973, on Radio Pakistan, that she achieved her first real breakthrough with the Sindhi song Tuhinje zulfan jay band kamand widha. In 1977 she was introduced as an official singer on Radio Pakistan. Since then, Parveen has risen to prominence and is now considered one of the finest vocal artists of Pakistan. She has imbued Sufi music with a new identity, marking the beginning of this journey at Sultana Siddiqui’s Awaz-o-Andaz in 1980.
Parveen travels internationally, often performing at sold-out venues. Her 1988 performance in Chicago was recorded by the Hazrat Amir Khusrau Society of Art and Culture, which issued a LP of her songs. Her 1989 performance in London’s Wembley Conference Centre was broadcast on the BBC. Parveen cites her motivation for international travel as being to spread Sufism, peace and the divine message. In doing so, she also promotes Pakistani culture.
In the 1990s Parveen licensed her spiritual ghazals to Bollywood, since her “spiritual brother”, Khan, recorded songs for Bollywood. Recently Abida also performed at the grand finale of Sindh Festival arranged by Bilawal Bhutto Zardari in Thatta.
Abida had a special appearance in the super hit Lollywood movie “Zindagi” starring Sultan Rahi, Arif Lohar, Attaullah Khan Esakhelvi in lead cast for which she performed her famous rendition of Sufi Sachal Sarmast ‘mahi yar di gharoli bhar di’.
In 2007, Parveen collaborated with Shehzad Roy on a song entitled Zindagi, dedicated to children’s social problems .
In the same year she performed at the annual Oslo mela in Norway.
In 2010, Parveen performed at London’s prestigious Royal Albert Hall, along with Bollywood playback singer Sonu Nigam.
In 2010, Parveen performed at the Asia Society’s Sufi Music Festival in New York City.
In 2010, she performed in Union Square, Manhattan, in first Sufi Music Festival in New York City.
Parveen performs annually at the Indian film-maker Muzaffar Ali’s Jahan-e-Khusrau event where she is reputed to be the top performer.
In 2010, she judged the Indo-Pak venture Sur Kshetra TV Show.
She performed in Manchester International Festival, 2013 in Bridgewater Hall.
Abida also collaborated in Manchester in 2013 with composer John Tavener for remarkable composition ‘Mahamatar’ for a Werner Herzog film about pilgrimage.
She had performed in Holland festival 2014 in Stopera, Amsterdam.
Praveen was the grand performer of Dhaka International Folk Fest, 2015 in Bangladesh where she also received an award.
In the Sindh Litreture Festival, 2016, she performed the grand show and cut the ribbon on its inauguration alongside SLF chairperson.
In the same year, she performed 2nd International Sufi Festival at Karachi.
In 2016, she collaborated with Indian Music director duo Salim–Sulaiman and an Orchestra in Toronto(Canada) for special song called “Noor e Illahi” released on Eid.
In 2017, on new year eve Abida released ‘Mulk e Khuda’ a patriotic song featuring natural sites and landscapes of Pakistan.
She has performed in the finale of Alchemy Festival, 2017 at Southbank Centre, London.
In the same year a Music video of romantic ghazal “Aahat Si” was released by Abida feat. Saima Ajram.
Her performance includes the annual Faiz International Festival at the death anniversary of Faiz Ahmad Faiz.
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