BEYOND SERENDIPITY

The name Mir Mukhtiyar Ali spells magic in the field of Sufi music. He was born in 1972 in a small village called Pugal in the Bikaner district of Rajasthan. His genius was evident even as a child when he was training under his father. Listening to him one is instantly transported to an altogether different realm, where the earthy directness of folk music and the complex octaves of classical traditions merge to produce an unforgettable experience. Mukhtiyar hails from the semi-nomadic Mirasi community of the Thar Desert area in Rajasthan and belongs to the 26th generation of Sufi musicians from there successfully keeping the Sufiana Qalam alive, despite many economic hardships and the onslaught of globalisation threatening to dilute folk traditions and music forms. While Mukhtiyar Ali’s music is rooted in the Sufiana tradition, he fearlessly collaborates with versatile contemporary musicians, film directors, and singers such as Mathias Duplessy, Vasundhara Das, Ameth Male, Sophia Charai, Paul Jacob etc. He has to his credit 2 albums released by Srishti School of Art, Design and Technology in Bangalore, as part of the Kabir project under Shabnam Virmani, and has been part of Times Music Sufi Masterpieces II with his song “Mera Sohan Sajan” (2010). He draws his music from a wide range of inspirations across Rajasthan and Punjab in India and from Pakistan. Besides the Sufiana Qalam, he also sings Kafi, Qawwali, ghazals, bhajans and kabirvani.

He has worked with film directors and lent his voice to film music for Finding Fanny, Ship of Thesus, Delhi in a Day, Bombay Summer, The World of Goopi and Baagha, Kadhai, etc. Mukhtiyar Ali has travelled widely both within India and abroad. Among the many countries he has been invited to perform in are Belgium, Sweden, China, Germany, France, Morocco, Canada, and Singapore.