Karachi, 2 Dec.: Oxford University Press Pakistan organized a talk on the book Saints and Singers: Sufi Music in the Indus Valley by Peter Pannke.
Saints and Singers is a personal travelogue through the music and the culture of the Indus Valley as presented by the German writer and musician, Peter Pannke and photographer, Horst A. Friedrichs, in 1997. When Peter Pannke first travelled to Pakistan in 1969, what he discovered was not only the music but also the words and images, the colours and customs which make up the extraordinarily rich cultural tapestry of the Indus Valley. While travelling up and down the Indus during his second visit to the country in 1997, Peter Pannke found the music to be even richer and more varied than he had remembered. He met the musicians himself, recorded their songs, and listened to their stories. This interaction resulted in a book written in German and published in 1999. The volume discussed at the talk is an English rendition of the work. Since then, not only has the appearance of some of the Sufi shrines changed, but also many of the musicians portrayed in this book have passed away. By documenting and preserving all of this material in the book, Peter Pannke has provided an invaluable record of the Sufi music tradition in the region.
Peter Pannke is an independent writer and composer settled in Berlin. For twenty years he directed a world music show at radio SFB/RBB. As musician and producer, he has made more than eighty CDs and LPs. A profound connoisseur of oriental music, Peter Pannke has played an important role in the cultural dialogue between Europe and the East. In addition, he has several publications to his credit, including articles in various journals.
Using a combination of photographs and music, Peter Pannke, in his presentation on the book, took the audience on a journey to the heart of the Sufi traditions, music, and culture. Later in the evening, the guests were treated to a rendition of Allan Fakir’s ‘Tadaheen Milanda Si’ by Zoheb Veljee.
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