Written by: Farheen Abdullah
Posted on: August 02, 2021 | 
Khumariyaan ft. Akber Khamiso Khan
The ongoing pandemic is a constant source of anxiety and uncertainty for people around the world. As Pakistan and other countries face yet another wave of the virus, a sense of helplessness prevails around us. While COVID-19 impacted industries across borders and forced many businesses to either shut down or go digital, it left the music industry struggling to stay afloat as well. But perhaps music is the one medium that has the power to bring people together and heal their collective pain. Recognising the same, the team behind Lahooti Melo decided to go digital with their 2021 edition.
Fakeer Zulfiqar (L) and Saif Samejo (R)
“Due to COVID, things have been very tough for artists,” stated Saif Samejo, co-founder Lahooti Melo and lead vocalist for The Sketches. “We learnt that there are several musicians, singers who suffered the worst from COVID, since their life depended on live performances at shrines, weddings and it all stopped. They didn't even have three meals a day, suffered health issues, and some weren't able to pay rents and bills. Not just musicians, but all the technicians who worked in this industry have faced the most difficult time of their lives. It was important to hold a festival if not on-ground, then digitally, so that we could empower them financially in some way, and I learnt that through digital we could preserve and record everything in high quality.”
Day 2 of recording
A festival that features music, dance, poetry and art; previous editions of the Lahooti Melo attracted audiences instantly. Held in different cities each year, including Hyderabad and Jamshoro, the festivals addressed various issues, ranging from gender-based issues to climate change. Lahooti Melo was unique in its ability to bring together people from all over Pakistan, whether as artists or attendees. The onset of the pandemic, however, meant that an in-person festival was no longer possible, at least not anytime soon. Doing what they do best, the team made use of the situation to cater to an even larger number of artists with their digital edition. With this year’s theme being ‘Celebrating Indus’, Lahooti Melo DE 2021 will feature performances by artists not just from Pakistan, but from India and Nepal as well. Roughly 47 artists have been lined up for the digital edition, and around 50 tracks produced. The process, however, has been far from easy, as Samejo revealed. He said that executing the digital edition has been very expensive as it has taken more than three months, as well as a huge team to pull it off.
Bhagat Bhoora Lal (R)
When asked about how different the digital version would be from an in-person festival, and what it has to offer to its listeners, Samejo shared his views: “I believe it is a very different experience as on-ground it is a very unique experience, watching live performances, dancing to them. During panel talks we question guests and speakers. It is like a celebration that isn't possible in the digital edition, but there is one very important difference, for the digital edition we had enough time to record, pay attention to each artist and their music. We travelled to villages too, where we experienced music, stories first hand and it is a life changing experience for me, realising how one river from Tibet to Sindh has huge diversity, so many cultures, religions, languages, tribes and yet so much in common. It is a magical experience. At least audiences can play the music in their cars, headphones or sound systems at home, and will enjoy quality sound with a lot of diversity.”
Hamza Akram Qawwal
Over the last few days Lahooti Melo has released three tracks as part of the sixth edition. These include Qalb Bait by The Sketches Ft. Hamza Akram Qawwal, Khumariyoon by Khumariyaan Ft. Akbar Khamiso Khan, and SadhGuru Aisa Bhed Bataya by Hamza Akram Qawwal Ft. Master Wali. Saif Samejo said that the team plans on sharing more songs and talks on a weekly basis, with the next spell expected to release in the first half of August. Some women artists featured in the Lahooti Melo Digital Edition are Natasha Baig, a singer and songwriter from Hunza Valley, Mai Dhai, a classical singer from Tharparkar, and Bano Rehmat, a Kashmiri artist.
Master Wali (L)
Music enthusiasts may not have the luxury of enjoying concerts or live performances, especially now that cities around Pakistan are going into lockdown once again. But perhaps that is the beauty of art, that it transcends time and distance, it crosses borders to reach listeners. Humans may be restricted in their movement at the moment, but their art is not. Festivals like Lahooti Melo DE 2021 are proof that even at times like these, we have the opportunity to stay connected through art, while also staying safe.
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