“Aayi Aayi” is an almost perfect Coke Studio Pakistan production.
That is to say, a perfect all Sindhi song, for a change, by the Studio this time. It is a feast for eyes and ears so used to seeing the language and culture being ignored by the commercial mainstream and the so-called national media.
I stumbled upon it the same day as the number was released, watched it out of curiosity and immediately fell in love with it. There have been few attempts by Sindhi youth in the genre of modern music. So, the presentation of a Sindhi song sung by relatively unknown singers, Nouman Ali Rajpar, et el, as the opening number for Season 15, is undeniably a daring experiment by Coke Studio. And the Studio deserves kudos for that.
An avid listener of all genres of music – and, admittedly, equally ignorant of basics of it! – I enjoy the classical, folk, bhangra, rap, fusion and other forms produced by non-Sindhi youth, especially those from Punjab. And I always wonder as to why Sindhi lacks representation in the modern music scene of the country.
In India, despite the diminishing use of Sindhi language, particularly in the youth, a lot of work is being done and singers like Vandana Nirankari, Jatin Udhasi and Anita Hasanandani are creating good modern music. Then why not in Pakistan?
This is not to say that attempts have not been made on this side of Wagah. Saif Samejo made some forays into the sphere, with limited success. Then there were some half-hearted attempts by others to refashion Sindhi folk with modern music.
Mute the sound and “Pasoori,” “Kana Yaari” and “Aayi Aayi” would look like same song repeated thrice! The same kind of colourful (though not unattractive) dressing of performers, weird headgears used by the male singers, the same creepy shots of female characters with blank looks, and the same male/female/rap combo
One watched in utter disbelief, for example, a corruption of the number “Parchan Shaal Panhwaar” set in the (in)famous Haveli Barood Khana of Mian Sulli and sung by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and Sanam Marvi. It left one wondering as to why the singers, who cannot even pronounce the word “Panhwaar” right – and repeatedly chant “Pawaar” instead – chose the beautiful song only to desecrate it.
I also wonder whether the singers, especially Sanam Marvi, who happens to be Sindhi herself, knew the meaning of Panhwaar, let alone the spirit of the song, before choosing to present it. The Panhwaar term is used for Marvi’s relatives in Shah Latif’s poetry and “Parchan Shaal Panhwaar” is in fact a prayer.
As the story goes, Marvi, an exceptionally beautiful woman of Thar, gets abducted by the all-powerful King of Sindh, Omar, with an intention to marry her. Marvi refuses. Omar puts her in prison and tries his best to convince her by offering all kinds of inducements, to no avail. Failing that, Omar, an honourable king, impressed by Marvi’s steadfastness, puts a chador on her head, declares her his sister and has her returned back to her relatives honourably.
Marvi, anxious as to how her relatives might receive her after spending so much time in Omar’s jail, prays “Parchan Shaal Panhwar!”, meaning “May the Panhwaar [her relatives] accept [her] happily upon her return!”
A number of other Sindhi masters, such as Abida Parveen, Ustaad Muhammad Jumman, and Muhammad Yousuf etc have already sung this song correctly and in its true spirit. A little attention to their renditions could have made the Panhwaar number by PTV a masterpiece, and saved it from complete despoilment.
Then there is this masterful attempt by Ali Zafar, in the shape of the “Allay” song. The flawless production and perfect pronunciation of difficult Sindhi syllables by the non-Sindhi-speaking male and female singers could not have been better. It is a masterpiece, in every way that you look at it.
“Aayi Aayi” is an expression of happiness. Marvi, due to her steadfastness and fidelity, is considered an icon of women’s empowerment, strength and purity in Sindh. “Aayi” which means, “she arrived” or “she returned” is a welcome statement by the Panhwaar, who become so happy to see her safely and honourably returned that they start singing and dancing.
The song also depicts the trustfulness of the Panhwaar towards their women, who believe Marvi to be pure and free of sin despite spending days in a man’s captivity.
"Aayi Aayi" could have been an entirely perfect production were it not for a minor flaw. A beautiful rendition by Nauman Ali Rajpar, Marvi Saiban and a touch of rap provided by Babar Mangi, as well as powerful lyrics, could have made it perfect but the cookie-cutter style of the production ruined the chances. After watching “Pasoori” and “Kana Yaari,” one might be forgiven for thinking that the production team of Coke Studio Pakistan has run out of innovative ideas.
Mute the sound, in fact, and “Pasoori,” “Kana Yaari” and “Aayi Aayi” would look like same song repeated thrice! The same kind of colourful (though not unattractive) dressing of performers, weird headgears used by the male singers, the same creepy shots of female characters with blank looks, and the same male/female/rap combo. Could the team not have come up with some different idea for each?
While giving full marks to the singers, I call this an “almost perfect production” only because a non-repetitive, ingenious visual representation could have done wonders for this otherwise excellent song.
But then the moon has spots too. This minor blemish does not take away from the beauty of the song completely. I still love it and give the overall production 99 out of 100 marks.
I am a great Coke Studio Pakistan fan, and look forward to another beautiful all-Sindhi song from the Studio – hopefully in a different production style this time.