The Folk Smith

The drums,guitars,dholaks and keyboard joined,along with some oomph thrown in by singer Meesha Shafi,whose red lipstick was as unmistakable as her wonderful voice. The result: a cult track that had people on both sides of the border bonding over on social networking sites. Recently,we heard a more polished version of the song in Homi Adajania’s film,Cocktail. Lohar will be in the Capital tomorrow for a performance organised by Indian Council for Cultural Relations in collaboration with the Delhi-based organisation,Routes 2 Roots.

“I come from a low-caste lohar family. My ancestors used to be blacksmiths for the Mughals. But it was my father,Alam Lohar,who made a name for himself by singing Sufiana qalam. I sing for Allah and I hope people in Delhi will enjoy my performance. Yahan ke logon ne hamesha izzat hi baqshi hai (People here have always showered me with respect),” says Arif,adding that besides Jugni,his list for the Delhi performance includes some interesting folk numbers and Sufi qalams.

Arif grew up in Lalamusa,a small town in Pakistan’s Gujarat province,almost 150 km away from Islamabad,listening to his father’s music. He says that it took some time for the people of his region to warm up to the idea of a lohar singing in praise of God. Arif loved the sound of the chimta and remembers fiddling with it for years before perfecting it. It was folk music and the earthiness of it that had him hooked. “A folk singer is born,You can’t make a folk singer. Fakir aur lok gayak ke haath mein chimta hota hai (Mystics and a folk singers carry a chimta in their hands). It’s the chime of this pair of tongs,coupled with the honesty of the musician that touches hearts,” says Arif,adding that he hopes his trip to India does help in bridging the divide between the two countries.

“The artiste community has requested the government several times but obtaining a visa is still a huge issue,” says Arif,who had to record Jugni for Cocktail in Lahore and send it to music director Pritam Chakraborty’s office online. “Internet has joined people in a big way,” he adds. Although he is fine with the “e-exchange”,he feels that recording in the presence of music director is a different experience.

Arif Lohar will perform at the Siri Fort auditorium on October 11