Genre Qawwali | ||
"Dama Dam Mast Qalandar" (Punjabi: دَما دَم مَست قَلَندَر, दमादम मस्त क़लन्दर) is a spiritual Sufi song. The original poem was initially written by Amir Khusrow, then further modified by Bulleh Shah. The song is in honour of the most revered Sufi saint of Sindh, Shahbaz Qalandar of Sehwan Sharif. The modern melody was composed by Master Ashiq Hussain of Pakistan, and was widely popularised by many Pakistani and Bangladeshi singers like Noor Jehan, Runa Laila, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan]], Abida Parveen, the Sabri Brothers, Reshma, Komal Rizvi, and Junoon. The song has also been performed by Indian artists like the Wadali brothers and Mika Singh.
In the 1970s, Runa Laila of Bangladesh was very famous in India And Damadam Mast Qalandar was one of her top three songs in India.
More recently, Sami Yusuf performed a rendition of the song.
It is said that this qawwali was adapted from the original prayer by Amir Khusrow, and was then modified completely by Bulleh Shah. Bulleh Shah gave an entirely different colour to the qawwali, adding verses in praises of Shahbaz Qalandar and giving it a large tint of Sindhi culture.
Partial lyrics and translation
The poem includes a reference to the town of Sehwan, which is home to the Shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar. The word "Lal" can refer to Jhulelal as a young man, or the red dress of Shahbaz Qalandar.