The Sufi Brothers

The popularity of Sufi music has been increasing. However, there are a few  people who are totally devoted to it. The genre has been used for commercial purposes in Hindi films and some songs are devoid of the feel and earthiness which  typical of this form.

The Wadali brothers (Puranchand and Pyarelal) are instrumental in keeping the tradition of Sufism alive. Born in ‘Guru Ki Wadali’ village of Amritsar district, Punjab, both of them entered the world of music by chance. While Puranchand was a wrestler in the local akhara, Pyarelal was an actor who played the role of Krishna in the local Rasleela. It was their father, Thakur Das, who forced Puranchand to learn music. 

He learnt from, legends like Pandit Durga Das and Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan of the Patiala Gharana. He was trained in classical music. Pyarelal learnt from his elder brother and considers him his mentor even today.

Both of them sang some legendary numbers like ‘Waaris Shah Nu’, ‘Darda Marya’ and others. The song, ‘Tu Maane Ya Na Maane Dildaara’ from their second album, ‘Paigham E Ishq’ was a hit. No concert by the brothers is complete without it. They sang it in the ‘MTV Coke Studio’ too. 

They have also sung for some Hindi films like Pinjar, Tanu Weds Manu, Mausam and others. Their collaboration with Hariharan for a Tamil song, ‘Thooril Nindralum’ from the film, ‘Chikku Bukku’ was a huge hit.

Besides their dedication to music  they are known for their commitment to Sufism, which propagates simple living. Despite being successful, socially and financially, they lead a very simple life. They have never indulged commercially and have a few recordings to their name (mostly from live concerts). They run a school in which children are taught music on condition that they will preserve the tradition of Sufism. 

Students are not charged and besides music are taught the nuances of simple living and pure thinking. Their aversion to electronic gadgets and musical instruments springs from their belief that music is free from all modern technological developments and should remain that way.

They were awarded the ‘Sangeet Natak Akademi Award’ in 1991 and the ‘Padmashri’ by the Government of India in 2005.