Bhungar Khan

Young Bhungar Khan Courtesy of the Archives and Research Centre for Ethnomusicology (ARCE)

Bhungar Khan Courtesy of the Archives and Research Centre for Ethnomusicology (ARCE)

Bhungar Khan singing, playing a harmonium Courtesy of the Archives and Research Centre for Ethnomusicology (ARCE)

Bhungar Khan performing in a group Courtesy of the Archives and Research Centre for Ethnomusicology (ARCE)

Bhungar Khan, who passed away in 1995, was a singer who developed an iconic, if not legendary, status in the Manganiar community. The release of this album from the collections at ARCE is largely in response to the younger generation of the Manganiar community who wanted access to his recordings. In his lifetime, Bhungar Khan performed and toured widely and was a highly regarded artiste. He had a unique style of singing and was known to have a deep understanding of the Manganiar music tradition, its rags and its melodic systems. He was creative and often experimented with influences from Hindustani music, however retaining a firm grasp on the Manganiar tradition of singing. As described by some, he could wander to the very periphery of a rag, but never lose the way and remain within the ghar or home of the rag, a skill and strength that few have.

Bhungar Khan had an extensive repertoire of Sindhi Sufi poets, of which one track appears here. The album also contains songs for which he is famous such as "Madkar" and "Nagar Nanda."