A Comparative Study of Allan Faqeer and Kanwar Grewal: Personality, Style and Singing Skill in South Asian Sufi-Folk Traditions

Ms. Noor Ul  Ain; Dr. Abdul  Khaliq; Muhammad Navid  Iqbal

doi:10.63056/

Authors

Ms. Noor Ul Ain Lecturer, department of humanities and social Sciences, Khwaja Fareed University of Engineering and Information Technology Rahim Yar Khan. Author
Dr. Abdul Khaliq Assistant Professor, department of Social and Allied Sciences, Cholistan University of veterinary and Animal Sciences Bahawalpur Author
Muhammad Navid Iqbal Ph.D. Scholar, department of Education, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur. Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.63056/

Keywords:

Sufi-folk music, comparative ethnomusicology, devotional performance, spiritual identity, cultural continuity, media and mysticism

Abstract

This study presents a comparative analysis of two iconic figures in South Asian Sufi-folk music Allan Faqeer of Sindh, Pakistan and Kanwar Grewal of Punjab, India. Through qualitative content analysis and ethnomusicological comparison, it examines how each artist embodies Sufi ideals of devotion, humility and love while negotiating distinct cultural, political and media contexts. Allan Faqeer’s ecstatic, shrine-based performance style represents spiritual joy and national unity within Pakistan’s broadcast era, whereas Kanwar Grewal’s ascetic yet activist expression redefines Sufi music as a medium of protest and moral awakening in contemporary India. Despite differences in vocal timbre, instrumentation and ideological framing, both artists converge in using music as a vehicle of transcendence, empathy and collective identity. The study underscores how Sufi-folk traditions continue to evolve as vibrant forms of cultural resilience and spiritual communication in a rapidly changing South Asian landscape.