Saraiki, the tongue of southern Punjab and the Cholistan desert, carries a music of longing — the poetry of Khwaja Ghulam Farid, the ache of separation, the dohra and the kafi.
The masters
Attaullah Khan Esakhelvi is the giant of Saraiki song — the voice of a thousand heartbreaks, and one of the best-selling artists the region has produced. Pathanay Khan gave Khwaja Farid's kalam its definitive readings, above all Meda Ishq Vi Toon. And Ustad Talib Hussain Dard kept the dohra and mahiya — the plain, piercing verse forms of rural Punjab — alive for half a century.
The lineage continues
Sharafat Ali Khan blends Saraiki with classical training, and Sanwal Esakhelvi — Attaullah's son — carries the family voice into a new generation.
Explore the whole Saraiki catalogue on Patari.