And my last night in Pakistan was going to be one I'll never forget - it was Thursday night – which means Sufi night.
In the afternoon we were taken to one of the mosques, and shown down into the basement where bands took it in turns to play Qawwali music. It was reasonably sedate, and didn't really match the band I'd seen at the Regale the week before. But still – it was an interesting experience, and while we watched the bands, people handed out sweets and showered the bands with money.
At 10pm we were taken by Autorickshaw to a Sufi shrine where the main Sufi night would take place. The night comprises of three men playing drums, while Sufi devotees dance to the rhythm with the aim of reaching Wajad: a feeling of oneness with God.
After about an hour of waiting in the scorching heat the drumming finally started – and it was really amazing stuff. Perhaps some of the best drumming I've ever seen.
We were really lucky – tonight the famous Saeen brothers were playing. The brothers are said to be perhaps the best traditional “dhol” drummers in the world. Remarkably – the eldest of the brothers was born deaf, and was taught to play the drums by his father who would play out rhythms on his son's back. Gonga Saeen now “hears” the drums by feeling the rhythm through his abdomen, where the large drum rests.
Sufi Drumming (click to view video):
The brothers are incredibly well respected amongst Sufi devotees – and are believed to have a special skill given to them by God. As if to underline this – while we are watching them play in the scorching heat and airless night, a cool wind suddenly starts blowing and the temperature drops by at least ten degrees in a matter of seconds.
A huge cheer erupts from the crowd. I later ask why the crowd cheered and was told that this is something that happens on a fairly regular basis – and that God causes the wind to come when the brothers are drumming and reach a state of Wajad.
The first three hours – while amazing – did seem almost like a performance. But then – like it does five or six times a day in Lahore – the electric went off and it went dark.
It was the best thing that could have happened.
Things went crazy. The rhythms took off in a new way, and suddenly – where only ten or so men had been dancing, the square was packed with people spinning and jumping around. And it seemed that everyone was starting to get into the driving groove. It was so infectious that it was impossible not to get involved.
And then – a guy we'd been chatting with earlier – a police man who is a Sufi devotee, pulled a few of us into the middle of the square.
It's dark, and there's these amazing driving rhythms, so loud you can't hear anything else, and people are really going for it. It was like being in the front of a really really lively rock concert (The Hives springs to mind for those who were there).
I'd like to say that I reached a state of Wajad – but some guy stamped on my foot after a few minutes and I decided it was better to leave it to the experts and enjoy it from the safety of the sidelines :-)
And it went on – all night.
When we finally left at 4:30am – I felt like I'd only been there for an hour or two at the most.
Here are some videos - click the picture to view the video:
At last – I find some people who dance worse than me :-)
Check out the guy in the green top – after spinning around for ages he manages to walk in a straight line:
Amazingly – even though people are spinning around – no one crashed into anyone else and there were no accidents.
Gonga Saeen – playing the most increidble drum rythms while spinning around at high speed:
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