Abida Parveen 'foremost exponent of Sufi music'

Abida Parveen, a Sindhi, was born in mohalla Ali Goharabad in Larkana (Sindh province, Pakistan).She received her musical training initially from her father, Ustad Ghulam Haider, and later from Ustad Salamat Ali Khan of the Sham Chorasia gharana.          

She sings mainly ghazals, Urdu love songs, and her forte, Kafis, a solo genre accompanied by percussion and harmonium, using a repertoire of songs by Sufi poets.Parveen sings in Urdu, Sindhi, Seraiki, Punjabi and Persian, and together with Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan is considered one of the finest Sufi vocalists of the modern eraAbida Parveen, a Sindhi, was born in mohalla Ali Goharabad in Larkana (Sindh province, Pakistan). She received her musical training initially from her father, Ustad Ghulam Haider, and later from Ustad Salamat Ali Khan of the Sham Chorasia gharana.

Abida Parveen embarked upon her professional career from Radio Pakistan, Hyderabad, in 1973. Her first hit was the Sindhi song “Tuhinje zulfan jay band kamand widha”.

She sings mainly ghazals, Urdu love songs, and her forte, Kafis, a solo genre accompanied by percussion and harmonium, using a repertoire of songs by Sufi poets. Parveen sings in Urdu, Sindhi, Seraiki, Punjabi and Persian, and together with Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan is considered one of the finest Sufi vocalists of the modern era.

Acclaimed folk and ghazal singer Abida Parveen suffered a heart attack (myocardial infarction) Saturday evening while performing in Lahore. She was taken to Lahore’s Doctors Hospital where an angioplasty was performed and a stent installed successfully. The celebrated 56 year old singer in now recovering. Reportedly the doctors treating her say that “she is stable and out of danger.”
Abida Parvee has not only instilled a new spirit into the great Sufi renditions that she has become so famous for but has revived, revitalized and popularized Sufi singing and given it national and international acclaim. Well beyond that, her mastery over ghazal and semi-classical singing places her as a legend within her own times.
As long-time fans of the Larkana-born maestro who has won so many hearts around the globe with her passionate performances and humble demeanor, we at ATP wish Abida Parveen a speedy recovery and the very best of health going forth. We are sure our readers join us in these prayers.