Allan Fakir (1932– 4 July 2000)[1] (Sindhi: علڻ فقيرُ, Urdu: علن فقیر), was a Pakistani folk singer. He was particularly known for his ecstatic style of performance, marked with extreme devotional rhetoric and Sufi dance-singing.[2]

Ali Bux Alias Taunwer Faqir
Born	1932[1] Aamri village, Taluka Manjhand, Jamshoro District, Sind, British India (present-day Sindh, Pakistan)
Died	(2000-07-04)4 July 2000[1] (aged 67 or 68) Karachi, Pakistan
Resting place	Buried at in Dargah Hazrat Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai Hala Haveli (buried in close to Dargah Hazrat Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai)
Occupation	folk singer

Early life

Allan Fakir was born in 1932 in the Aamari in Jamshoro District, Sindh.[3] Allan's mother died soon after giving birth.^{[citation needed]} He spent his childhood in Manjhand, a town between Sehwan and Hyderabad, Sindh.^{[citation needed]}

He belonged to Mangrasi tribe. According to the traditions of this caste, Allan Fakir's father used to beat the drum and sing traditional songs at weddings and Faqir's brothers still do the same job.[4] [5]

Fakir is an Arabic word, and implies a Sufi or a mystic.^{[citation needed]} Thus in the real sense of the word, a 'Fakir' is someone who leads an independent life marked by piety, abstinence from material needs, and contentment in the available resources.^{[citation needed]} It must not be confused with the rather loose usage of the same word implying a beggar, in the local languages Sindhi and Urdu.^{[citation needed]}

Allan's memory was quite sharp, even though, he could not read and write. He was very touched hearing the traditional 'Latifi Raag' every night. Encouraged by Faqir Zawar Qurban Ali Lanjwani and Moolchand Maharaj, Allan Fakir began singing Bhitai's poetry at the shrine and ultimately spent next twenty years there, until meeting with [Abdul Karim Baloch ] who introduced him to Radio Pakistan and Pakistan Television Corporation in Hyderabad, Sindh and helped him to learn the correct pronunciation of Bhitai's poetry.[1]

Eventually, Allan became a performing legend.

Super-hit songs

• He sang a duet with pop singer Muhammad Ali Shehki, "Allah Allah Kar Bhayya, Humma Humma".^{[citation needed]}
• A patriotic song "Itne bare jeewan saagar mein tu nein Pakistan diya, O' Allah, O' Allah" Sung by Allan Fakir, lyrics by Jamiluddin Aali, music by Niaz Ahmed- A Pakistan Television Corporation, Karachi production (1973)[2][6]

Honors and awards

Allan Fakir received the following awards:

• President's Pride of Performance award in 1980[3]
• Bukhari Award in 1984^{[citation needed]}
• Shahbaz Award in 1987^{[citation needed]}
• Shah Latif Award in 1992^{[citation needed]}
• Kandhkot Award in 1993^{[citation needed]}

Death

Allan Faqir died on 4 July 2000, at Liaqat National Hospital, Karachi.^{[citation needed]} He left behind his wife, 3 sons and 2 daughters.[1]

See also

• Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai
• Shaikh Ayaz

References

External links

• OPF Almanac, Allan Fakir's Profile at Overseas Pakistanis Foundation website, Retrieved 13 Nov 2016