Dama Dam Mast Qalandar

Dama Dam Mast Qalandar (transl. Every Breath for the Ecstasy of Qalandar)[1] is a spiritual Sufi qawwali written in the honour of the most revered Sufi saint of Sindh, Lal Shahbaz Qalandar (1177–1274) of Sehwan Sharif. The origins of the poem is unknown, since no recordings or written documents exist mentioning it prior to the 1950s. However, legends around the Shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar in Sehwan suggest that the original poem was initially written by the 13th-century Sufi poet Amir Khusrow, then further modified by Bulleh Shah in the 18th century. The poem includes a reference to the town of Sehwan, and the word "Lal" can refer to Lal Shahbaz Qalandar as a young man, his legendary ruby glow, or his red dress.[2] Bulleh Shah gave an entirely different color to the qawwali, adding verses in praises of Shahbaz Qalandar and giving it a large tint of Sindhi culture. It also venerates Ali, the cousin and son-in-law of prophet Muhammad.

Contrary to popular legend, renowned Pakistani composer Ashiq Hussain only composed a dhamaal version of it. As Hussain himself put it, he was asked to compose the popular version at the request of Saghar Siddiqui, who only brought it to Hussain. Saghar Siddiqui's version is an edited version of the original poem.[3] Hussain composed it initially for the 1956 Pakistani film Jabroo. Later in 1969 it was modified by Nazir Ali and sung by Noor Jehan in the Pakistani film Dillan Dey Soudey.[4]

The qawalli is a popular traditional Sindhi Sufi Islamic folk song across the northern Indian subcontinent, especially Punjab and Sindh, as well as Iran.[5] Various renditions of the song have been composed and performed by numerous composers and singers over the years. The Pakistani singers include Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Aziz Mian, Abida Parveen, the Sabri Brothers, Reshma, Komal Rizvi, and Junoon. The song has also been performed by the Bangladeshi singer Runa Laila, and Indian artists like Hans Raj Hans, the Wadali brothers, Harshdeep Kaur, Nooran Sisters, Mika Singh (with Yo Yo Honey Singh; and solo in the 2013 film D-Day), Alisha Chinai (in the album Bombay Girl), Amit Kumar (in the 1978 film Nasbandi), Baba Sehgal and Alka Yagnik (in the 1994 film Hum Hain Bemisaal), Rekha Bhardwaj (in the 2013 film David), Rashi Salil Harmalkar (in the TV show Kullfi Kumarr Bajewala).