On Eid, Daler Mehndi launches a rock-sufi single with Pakistani qawwals

Kalandree Berah', a unique rock-sufi song sung jointly by soulful Pakistani qawwal singers Ustad Imtiaz Ali Khan, his eldest son Shahzad Ali Khan, and Indian Punjabi singer Daler Mehndi has been launched on Wednesday. The Netherlands-based singers were invited by Mehndi to his New Delhi studio to record the special Eid tribute.

Presented by Mehndi's record label DRecords, the song also brings out the legacy of the qawwals' Sham Chaurasi Gharana. The song is sung in the traditional dhamal style, which is also known as dhamar, from the Hindustani Classical Dhrupad Dhamar traditions of singing.

According to Mehndi, such was the excitement during the recordings that he himself offered to sing the backing vocals for Khan.

"It was so amazing, these are the voices I grew up listening to and here they were sitting and singing in front of me for my record label. My big fan moment," shares Daler Mehndi.

"Berah means a fleet of ships.. Kalandar is the exalted, one whose consciousness is in ascension merged or merging with the divine, with the universe, one's own higher self. The song is a proclamation, an invitation to all those who wish to cross to the other side, towards divinity, towards eternal bliss," explains Taran Mehndi, the CEO of DRecords.

"What better day than Eid-al-Adha to release such a beautifully, soulfully rendered Dhamal."

Kalandaree Berah is DRecords' second song in their ongoing 'Jewels of Music' series. The series started with a rendition of popular classic 'Dama Dum Mast Kalander' sung by an incredible voice found through social media, a 60-year-old talent from Madhya Pradesh's Mandsaur, Sugan Devi Gandharv.