Saieen Zahoor Ahmed or Ali Saain Shafiu (

Punjabi Punjabi, or Panjabi, most often refers to: * Something of, from, or related to Punjab, a region in India and Pakistan * Punjabi language * Punjabis, Punjabi people * Punjabi dialects and languages Punjabi may also refer to: * Punjabi (horse), a ...

: سائیں ظہور, born 1936) is a leading Punjabi

Sufi Sufism ( or ) is a mysticism, mystic body of religious practice found within Islam which is characterized by a focus on Islamic Tazkiyah, purification, spirituality, ritualism, and Asceticism#Islam, asceticism. Practitioners of Sufism are r ...

musician from

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

. He has spent most of his life singing in Sufi shrines, and didn't produce a record until 2006, when he was nominated for the BBC World Music awards based on word of mouth. He emerged as the "best BBC voice of the year 2006", Saieen is not his first name but a Punjabi and Sindhi honorific title and is also spelled as Sain, In the muslim society of Punjab it is often associated with people who have given up the worldly pleasures for a more spiritual lifestyle.

Early life and career

Born in Sulaimanki, a village near Haveli Lakha of

Okara district Okara District ( Punjabi and ), is a district of Punjab, Pakistan. It became a separate district in 1982, prior to that it was part of Sahiwal District.Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

, Zahoor Ahmad was the youngest child in a rural peasant family.Profile of Saieen Zahoor on cokestudio.com.pk website
Retrieved 30 September 2022 He is said to have started singing at the age of five, and from that early age, he had dreamt of a hand beckoning him towards a shrine. He started roaming the Sufi shrines of

Sindh Sindh ( ; ; , ; abbr. SD, historically romanized as Sind (caliphal province), Sind or Scinde) is a Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. Located in the Geography of Pakistan, southeastern region of the country, Sindh is t ...

, Punjab, making a living through singing. Zahoor claims that as he was walking past a small shrine in south Punjab town of

Uch Sharif Uch (; ), frequently referred to as Uch Sharīf (; ; ''"Noble Uch"''), is a historic city in the Pakistan's Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab province. Uch may have been founded as Alexandria on the Indus, a town founded by Alexander the Great during I ...

(known for its Sufi traditions), when "someone waved at me with his hand, inviting me in, and I suddenly realized that it was this hand which I saw in my dream. For some time, he studied music under ''Raunka Ali'' of Patiala Gharana, whom he met at

Bulleh Shah Sayyid Abdullāh Shāh Qādrī (; ), popularly known as Baba Bulleh Shah and vocatively as Bulleya, was a Punjabi revolutionary philosopher, reformer and Chishti Sufi poet, regarded the 'Father of Punjabi Enlightenment'; and one of the g ...

dargah A Sufi shrine or dargah ( ''dargâh'' or ''dargah'', Turkish: ''dergâh'', Hindustani: ''dargāh'' दरगाह درگاہ, ''dôrgah'') is a shrine or tomb built over the grave of a revered religious figure, often a Sufi saint or dervi ...

(shrine), and who became his first teacher for Sufi verses. He also studied music with other Uch Sharif-based musicians. Although not literate, Zahoor is known for his memory of song lyrics; mostly he sings compositions of the major Sufi poets,

, Shah Badakhshi, Muhammad Qadiri, Sultan Bahu and others. Sain is famous for his performances at

Coke Studio (Pakistan) ''Coke Studio Pakistan'' () is a Pakistani television programme and a part of the international music franchise, Coke Studio, which features studio-recorded music performances by established and emerging artists. It is the longest-running annua ...

. He had also performed in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

and

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

in October and November 2014. In 2009, he performed at the folk music festival arranged by the ''Rafi Peer Theatre Workshop'' in

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

and was reportedly a crowd puller.

Musical style

For most of his life Zahoor performed mainly in

s (Sufi tombs/shrines) and festivals, and in the streets. He adopted the folk instrument

Ektara The ''ektara'' (, , , , , ; literally 'one-string', also called ''actara'', ''iktar'', ''ektar'', , ''yaktaro'', ''gopichand'', ''gopichant'', ''golki'' , ''gopijiantra'', ''tun tuna'') is a one-stringed musical instrument used in the traditio ...

(''ek''= one, ''tar'' = string), in its three-stringed version called

Tumbi The tumbi or toombi (, pronunciation: ''tūmbī''), also called a tumba or toomba, is a traditional musical instrument from the Punjab region of the northern Indian subcontinent. The high-pitched, single-string plucking instrument is associated ...

, as his main instrument. Like some traditions of Sufi music, he has a passionate, high-energy style of singing, often dancing in a frenzied style with the tassels on his instrument whirling around him. His typical outfit includes embroidered (

kurta A ''kurta'' is a loose collarless shirt or tunic worn in many regions of South Asia, (subscription required) Quote: "A loose shirt or tunic worn by men and women." Quote: "Kurta: a loose shirt without a collar, worn by women and men from South ...

), beads, tightly bound turban, as well as

ghungroo A ghungroo (, ), also known as ghunghroo or ghunghru or ghungur (in Assamese and Bengali) or ghungura (in Odia) or Chilanka or Salangai or Gejje (in Malayalam, Tamil and Kannada respectively), is one of many small metallic bells strung together ...

s (anklet-bells worn by dancers). His voice has an earthy tone, almost cracking at the edges, but capable of a wide vocal and emotional range. "His piercing chiseled features are a regular sight on Pakistani TV and he has been the subject of at least one documentary." In 1989, he performed on a concert stage for the first time at the All Pakistan Music Conference, which brought him into musical prominence. Subsequently he has emerged as a leading performer in Pakistan, frequently appearing on TV and in concerts. Zahoor has also given concerts in UK,

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

and

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

. Sufi singing is focused on poetry with themes of devotional love, which shares much with

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

mystic poets like

Rumi Jalāl al-Dīn Muḥammad Rūmī (), or simply Rumi (30 September 1207 – 17 December 1273), was a 13th-century poet, Hanafi '' faqih'' (jurist), Maturidi theologian (''mutakallim''), and Sufi mystic born during the Khwarazmian Empire ...

and with other South Asian traditions such as the

Bhakti ''Bhakti'' (; Pali: ''bhatti'') is a term common in Indian religions which means attachment, fondness for, devotion to, trust, homage, worship, piety, faith, or love.See Monier-Williams, ''Sanskrit Dictionary'', 1899. In Indian religions, it ...

cult. Some argue that Sufi traditions highlight a softer, multi-cultural aspect of Islam, which counters "the extremism of the mullahs who use the mosques to spread ill-will" against other cultural groups, according to some organizers of Saieen Zahoor's concerts. In 2006, Zahoor released an album titled ''Awazay'' ("Sounds") through Matteela Records. In 2007, he helped produce the soundtrack to the Pakistani film Khuda Ke Liye (2007). He sang an OST in 2011 for '' West Is West'' a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

comedy Comedy is a genre of dramatic works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. Origins Comedy originated in ancient Greec ...

drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

film, which is a sequel to the 1999 comedy '' East Is East''. Saieen Zahoor has performed in

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

Dubai Dubai (Help:IPA/English, /duːˈbaɪ/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''doo-BYE''; Modern Standard Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic: ; Emirati Arabic, Emirati Arabic: , Romanization of Arabic, romanized: Help:IPA/English, /diˈbej/) is the Lis ...

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

and

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

Songs

* Toomba (Coke Studio Season 2) * Allah Hoo * Nachna Painda Hai * Tere Ishq Nachaya * Ek Alif (Coke Studio Season 2) * Allah Hoo (Coke Studio Season 6) * Rabba Ho (Coke Studio Season 6) * Alif Allah Nu (duckU Records) * Duniya Chalo Chali Da Mela (duckU Records) * Maaye Ni Main Kinu Akhan (duckU Records) * Lagi Bina/ Chal Mele Noon Challiye (Coke Studio Season 9) * Mirzya Title song - 2016 * Dill Da Kabah

Films

His music has been used in the following films * West is West (2010) – Toomba and Ek Alif * Mirzya – Teen GawahBaloch folk singer Akhtar Chanal Zahri to make his Bollywood debut in Mirzaya (along with Saieen Zahoor)
Pakistan Today (newspaper), Published 9 September 2016,Retrieved 30 September 2022

Awards and recognition

Pride of Performance The Pride of Performance (), officially known as the Presidential Pride of Performance, is an award bestowed by the Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Pakistan to recognize people with "notable achievements in the field of art, science, literature, sp ...

Award by the

President of Pakistan The president of Pakistan () is the head of state of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The president is the nominal head of the executive and the supreme commander of the Pakistan Armed Forces.

in 2020.Conferment of Pakistan Civil Awards
The News International (newspaper), Published 14 August 2019, Retrieved 30 September 2022 * "Best Voice of the Year" Award in 2006 by BBC Music.

References

External links

Saieen Zahoor and Sanam Marvi's performance at Coke Studio (Pakistan) on YouTube
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zahoor, Saieen 1945 births Living people Pakistani male singers Pakistani folk singers Ektara players Tumbi players People from Okara District Performers of Sufi music Recipients of the Pride of Performance Singers from Lahore