What is this album about?
This is one of the few albums by the Wadali Brothers, well known exponents in the vocal musical tradition inspired by the Sufi poets. This mini-album contains three of their most popular songs – Tu Maane Ya Na Maane, Ghoonghat Chuk O Sajana and Duma Dum Mast Qalandar, giving a glimpse into the raw devotion that their music is renowned for.
Who is it by?
Ustad Puranchand and Ustad Piyarelal Wadali belong to Punjab and are the fifth generation in a line of Sufi singers. While they have sung for film and cut music albums, they have a clear preference for live shows over recordings. They have been awarded the Sangeet Natak Academy award in 1991 and the older of the two brothers, Ustad Puranchand has been awarded the Padmashri in the Arts category by the Indian Government in 2005.
Why should listen to it?
Sufi music has always been traditionally performed at dargahs (shrines) of Sufi saints and they express different forms of longing for the divine. While Bollywood has incorporated a lot of Sufi music into soundtracks, the Wadali brothers believe that their songs are voice offerings to the divine – their music is perhaps the next best thing to hearing a live performance at a Sufi shrine.