Karachi, From being a teacher of visual arts to becoming a Sufi folk singer spreading the message of peace, Fatah Daudpoto has come a long way.

Daudpoto’s first performance recently attracted a large number of people who applauded him. The purpose of his performance was to set new traditions in Sufi singing. However, his journey into becoming a Sufi singer was not easy and despite the dejection, he remains hopeful and aims for peace.

Daudpoto, 40, is a graduate of the prestigious National College of Arts (NCA) Lahore. Having displayed his sculptures and paintings at several exhibitions in Karachi and Lahore and working as a graphic designer, Daudpoto decided to give up visual arts after the closure of Centre of Excellence in Arts and Design Jamshoro.

Born in a small village in Shikarpur district on April 1, 1970, Daudpoto did his Masters in Visual Arts from NCA and then joined the Centre of Excellence in Arts and Design Jamshoro as a teacher. “Earlier the centre was closed in 1990 due to lack of interest by the concerned authorities,” said Daudpoto. This fact however did not deter Daudpoto who went ahead with the task. “I opened the centre after 14 years in 2004. But after spending six years trying to strengthen the institute, I realized that bureaucracy and political vendettas were the biggest hurdles in my path. In this tussle, I lost my job,” he said.

For Daudpoto, who was heading the Visual Arts Department and was also the secretary of Academic Committee, this also marked the end of his association with the field of visual arts.

“Needless interference of political bigwigs and the bureaucracy in the affairs of the institute destroyed the values set by the people who founded it for a great cause. Actions such as these could also ruin the image of the land of Sufis,” said Daudpoto.

As of now, Daudpoto says that it is his mission in life to spread the message of peace by singing Sufi verses. “It’s the only option left for me now after the termination of my job,” he said. He added that he was working on specific ideas to promote Sindhi folk music by doing new experiments. “It is essential to save folk music which is ignored by certain government departments,” Daudpoto said.

Moreover, Daudpota said that during his days at the NCA, he learned Sufi music by living with renowned Punjabi Sufi performer Sain Zahoor. “We used to perform folk songs at roundabouts and streets of Lahore just to spread the message of peace and love, following the traditions set by the Sufi poets of the region,” he said. “I want to continue singing in different cities of Sindh to promote peace and love,” he added.

Claiming to have introduced new rhythms in Sufi songs, he said that some of his songs were a mixture of Punjabi folk in Sindhi folk songs. For this he gives credit to Sain Zahoor, who performed songs of great Sufi poets such as Baba Bulhe Shah, Shah Hussain, Waris Shah and others.

He said that he did not need the support of the electronic media. “The television channels don’t have any plan to promote folk music. They are rather promoting a culture of obscenity and destroying old values,” he lamented.