Thread 2

Adventurous stories from Agustinus Wibowo, a backpacker who travel around Asia, which share on www.kompas.com I posted this amazing travel into thread series. I have to translate from Indonesian to English and hope still remain the originality. Happy Reading.

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Qawwali Music (Pakistan)

Only a few span the border from India, Pakistan heartbeat of life vibrated strongly. There was another world behind the frontier.

In a flash, India was a country full of color, poor Hindu hermit who hang around, people who slept on the pavement, and the Sikh pilgrims with a special 'surban', memorable stay away. Lahore was the city unfold in front felt dry. Dust fly. The men wore same clothes - too big shalwar trousers and a long kamiz to the knee with the edge in the second. Color shalwar and kamiz usually the same, to provide accents monotone. Women almost didn't seem at all. Even if seen on the road, only one or two, turned jet black veil and left only a pair of eyes only.

Welcome to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

My body was weak because of disease that I suffered. My appetite has started normal, but now I have to be careful choosing food. If was in Amritsar yesterday I still could ate Chinese soup nutritious and delicious, in Pakistan I was difficult to find food. Overall oily. Because of this jaundice, i felt queasy when I see the oily food.

Finally, I had to sit in a luxury restaurant 'Pizza Hut', in the street main Mall Road. This restaurant was located on the second floor of building a shop. The floor shone brightly, the price was expensive, and beef - where in India there be gods - here in Pakistan served on the table as food. But the most surprised me there was a beautiful servant girl, speaking English with elegant, black long hair, short skirt and put on red knee-high. Surely not the face of Pakistani women who will be found in the streets.

"Previously when I was in India," an Australian backpacker around me started to share his experiences about Pakistan, "have a new friend who came from Pakistan ?" asked him, "In Pakistan, you will see a country without women" he talked seriously. Of course I laughed, which have such a country. But, when I arrived in Lahore, I am really surprised where were the woman ? God sake ... impossible. Then when I went to Peshawar, the women less more. They apparently were so rare creatures here, i thought.

According to the book Among the believers any posts wholesaler Nobel literature VS Naipaul was being read by me, Pakistan was a country that stood up in a dream to become a pure land of civil and sacred for Muslims. Since Zia-ul-Haq bloody coup d'etat to overthrow Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, political Islam more incentive in this country. Sharia was applied. Friday became a holiday replacing Sunday. Rajam law, rule hudud, sect of Ahmadiyah until died sanction for person pr people who did blasphemy Islam. Pakistan also began to experiment with various things that smell religious, from the Islamic economic system, Islamic government, Islamic house architecture. Pakistan today has bank for women and a car parking place for women.

As expressed by Naipaul, Islam in Pakistan also mixed with the culture of pre-Islamic. Here the spiritual life Sufisme has mystic, which was tap the heart of Islam in India, Pakistan, to the countries Central Asia. On previous, Sufisme was original Islam grew fertile in this hemisphere and until now still exist.

Islamic customs mixed with life of Islam such as visited and prayed sacred place. Holy place was Data Darbar or Data Ganj Bakhsh, where Hazrat Syed Abu Hassan's graveyard. He was a teacher of Sufi fom Iran. This holy place was an icons of the city of Lahore which will be visited by many people especially on Thursday and Urs (memorial died day) in the Hazrat.

I didn't see how crowded Urs day, but I swept away in mystical strain Qawwali music held every Thursday. Qawwali music was the wave of Islamic cultural roots of India and Pakistan. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, the name of Pakistan most famous qawwali musicians in the world. Qawwali songs contained worship. Words possessed soul. Poeple got & felt hipnotyzed and felt happy without ended when heared holly and majesty of 'Asma Allah'.

Floor space in the basement filled with the Data Darbar. There were only men. Women did not appear at all. They sat on the floor. Once a man sat in the middle of the line watch and brought a tube of fragarant sprayer. Scent of rose brought freshness accompanied traditional music.

Not less than 40 groups came from across Qawwali villages around Lahore. Qawwali musicians all men. In Muslim tradition in Pakistan women not sing in front of men.

The musicians sat on stage row in two lines. At the front line, in front of a microphone, there was the main vocalist and harmonium player - a kind of musical instrument was a small music tool coming from the air pipe like an acordion. In back row there were accompanist singer with clapped their hands. Clapped hand with striked the drums were an important part in the qawwali music.

I catch some lyrics Urdu language like, "came the beloved heart, come ..." or "Lord, the beloved, where are you?", Or "Allah hi Allah balls, just say the name of God!" In the Sufi tradition, God was described as beloved heart. Qawwali lyrics raised its devotion to the Lord, sometimes a long rebound strength, sometimes fast, and dynamic along with clapped hand and striked of the drums.

It became Ecstasy spiritual. Music has amazing hypnotic power. Listener could be aware with shoke their heads without stopping. Suddenly an old bearded grandfather stand up, spin around in front of the stage, getting faster, he got rebound into spiritual happiness. The other person gave 10 Rupee hailed the musicians with money without stopping.

No need to understand the meaning of words qawwali songs. Strain of lyrics and note already reflected the strength of spiritual infinity. Middle of night, in a sacred place in Lahore, I witnessed the power of Sufi music is even more awesome again.