Bulla kee jaana main kaun…

Last night, while attending what promised to be a tedious social gathering, I had one of the best times in recent memory. Performing yesterday was Qadir Niazi along with his band. For those who haven’t heard this sufi marvel, I urge you to do so the first chance you get. They perform at the Dargah Hazrat Nizamuddin in New Delhi when they’re not touring the globe. The songs made more sense than I could imagine, and the sheer raw energy the band had just transformed the mood at Siri Fort Audi. A friend once told me if the frame of mind is conducive, and the songs are right, you’re able to connect to them, feel them inside you.
True words.
The second performance of the night was what I now consider one of the best kept secrets of the Indian Fusion music scene since… well since a long time. Rabi Singh, a self professed ‘Sardaar with a guitar’, sang Gurmukhi fables and sufi folk songs from Punjab, ones we’ve heard since kids, with such rare earnest and musical honesty, while at the same time creating his own sounds, that the whole auditorium was floored (no pun intended). This is what Punjabi music should have been… move over Jazzy B. He said something about an album in March, and I can hardly wait. The most profound experience of the night was listening to
him play ‘Bulla kee jaana main kaun’ in his own tune, a blend of new age rock and country.The song was sung by Bulley Shah when he had his moment of realization, his epiphany. It literally means,
Bulla, what do I know who I am?
I’m not a Hindu,
I’m nut a Turkish/dweller of Peshawar,
I’m not a Muslim.
I haven’t killed my brother,
I didn’t drink the blood of an infant,
I never beheaded an animal.
I never saw a God who told me
To do all these things in his name.
Bulla, what do I know who I am?

There’s more too, but I’ll let you buy the guy’s music (or download mp3s :P) for the rest.