Sain Zahoor

Saieen Zahoor Ahmed or Ali Saain Shafiu (Punjabi: سائیں ظہور, born 1936) 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, the honorofic 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 in the province of Punjab, Zahoor Ahmad was the youngest child in a rural peasant family. He is said to have started singing at the age of five,

Musical style

his decorated Ektara (a kind of lute, normally with a single string, but he uses a three-stringed version). Notice the long kurta and the ghungroos (anklet bells).

For most of his life Zahoor performed mainly in dargahs (Sufi tombs/shrines) and festivals, and in the streets. He adopted the folk instrument Ektara (ek= one, tar = string), in its three-stringed version called Tumbi, 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), beads, tightly bound turban, as well as ghungroos (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." Ireland, Canada and Norway.

Sufi singing is focused on poetry with themes of devotional love, which shares much with Persian mystic poets like Rumi and with other South Asian traditions such as the Bhakti 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 comedy-drama film, which is a sequel to the 1999 comedy East Is East. Saieen Zahoor has performed in Norway, Belgium, Dubai, Malaysia, China and India.

Awards and recognition Special Mention by the Aga Khan Music Awards in 2022. Pride of Performance Award by the President of Pakistan in 2020. "Best Voice of the Year" Award in 2006 by BBC Music.