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She laughs when I ask her about the sexism she might have faced earlier in her Sufi singing career, in such a male-dominated environment: "The concept of being a man or a woman doesn't cross my mind. I'm neither on stage, I'm a vehicle on stage for passion." She is dressed androgynously today as she always is: beige, buttoned-up collar kameez (long tunic) and shalwar (trousers), with a traditional Sindhi print shawl draped over her chest. "I've never felt the need to challenge anyone else – I should be concentrating my energies on challenging myself." To an extent it's true: Parveen's talent transcends any gender expectations back home; she is adored, just as much as her peers Mehdi Hassan and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan have been.
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The complete article here!
See said the same in her interview with the Halal Monk. When he asked: "Did you ever experience any problems in a patriarchic society like Pakistan as a female singer?" Her very simple reply was: "No, not at all." And when he then asked: "And do you have a special bond with female Sufis like Rabia?" She said: "All saints reached a great level. It’s not up to me to say who is higher and who is lower. I have no status to distinguish between superior and inferior. And within the higher spirituality of the Sufi saints, male or female also loses its meaning. They own the spiritual world and the spiritual world is there because of them. They’re all imams who lead the whole humanity. And I follow them."
ReplyDeleteWow, that's amazing. Thanks for sharing Aicha!
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