Sakur Khan, fondly likes to be known as a Sufi Singer, and says that the color white is symbolic of Sufism, as it is the color of purity, and the ‘ibaadat’ of Allah. Sufism is a phenomenon of mysticism, and Sakur Khan’s songs are truly mystic in nature. As per Sakur Khan, Sufism is his family tradition, and music is a divine worship. Sakur Khan’s family has been into Sufi musical tradition since ages, and their songs comprise of songs which are a beautiful amalgamation of Hindu and Islamic traditions. Sakur Khan studied till standard 5th, and then took to music because of financial reasons. He comes from a rural area, prone to drought and describes his childhood as difficult due to lack of basic facilities in his village. Most of Sakur Khan’s “Jajmaan” i.e. patrons are Muslims and royal families, and almost everyone in his family is trained in Sufi genre of music. Sakur Khan’s describes his family tradition as Sufi and says that Sufism is a divine medium of reaching Allah directly.
His powerful voice echoes in the venues where he performs, as he loses himself in trance. He has performed all over India and in over 9 countries abroad including London, Turkey, Dubai and Iran. Apart from these, Sakur has also performed in Pakistan in 2006. Sakur Khan dreams of an ambitious future for the coming generations and wants his children and grandchildren to be educated. Sakur also teaches music to as many as 30 people who learn from him and is now their ‘Ustaad’. (master or teacher).
Bulle Shah is Sakur Khan’s favorite poet and he uses Bulle Shah’s poetry in his songs quite often. Sakur Khan wants to pursue music as long as possible and is financially dependent on music. When asked about the traditional costume which he wears, and the dominance of color white in his group’s attire, he says that Sufism believes in purity and love, and they are devoid of materialistic desires, therefore they wear white clothes, and instead of wearing colorful turbans as is seen in the Manganiyaar community, they wear turbans of red color, since red is a symbol of love.
His groups music is as unique as it is timeless, as it combines the traditions and emotions from both Hinduism and Islam, music has no boundaries of caste, creed or religion, and Sakur Khan’s music is a perfect example of that. In one particular song, rendered from a poem by the famous Sufi Poet, Shah Latif, who composed mainly in Sindhi language, a girl wishes to leave this material world and desires to become a ‘Jogan’, (female ascetic). In the entire song, she uses various metaphors for describing a Swami, yet retaining the Sindhi-Islamic flavor. It’s interesting, yet worth noting that most of the singers from these Manganiyaar community are followers of Islam when it comes to religious worship, yet they are Hindus in their day-to-day life.
Rarely does one come to witness a beautiful palimpsest of different raagas, languages, and emotions together, and Sakur Khan’s powerful vocals enhances the poetic mood of these compositions. A staunch follower of the Sufi genre of music, Sakur Khan wants to retain this genre and wants to practice it till eternity.
