Meet The First Female Tabla Player In Pakistan Who's Marching To The Beat Of Her Own Drums Like A Boss

By Alveena Jadoon | 28 Mar, 2018

The first female tabla player in Pakistan is charting new territories.

 

Tabla is one of the oldest instruments being used in the music scene of the Indian subcontinent. In fact several researchers also trace its origin back to the Indian subcontinent. The region has produced some of the best tabla players the world has witnessed.

Upon a cursory glance you can see that this particular career path has mostly been dominated by men. You’ve rarely witnessed female tabla players coming forward.

 

Earlier, Aminah Chishti, a US national, was the first female tabla player to play on a large scale in Pakistan

She performs with her band called “Fana-Fi-Allah”. This includes nine band members who are devoted to spreading the message of Sufism in the West. In Pakistan, Aminah has performed at tombs of Data Ganj Baksh in Lahore, Baba Ganj-i-Shakar in Pak Pattan, Baba Bulleh Shah in Kasur and Baba Lasuri Shah in Faisalabad.

Source: tribune.com.pk

While Aminah was the first female tabla player to play in Pakistan, she is not the first Pakistani female tabla player.

 

Meet Sumaira Waris who is the female Pakistani tabla player and she’s definitely making a mark for herself

Working in a male dominated industry requires years of effort, struggle and learning. For Sumaira, it was not until the All Pakistan Music Conference (APMC) that she got recognized for her talent and landed a gold medal.

Source: tribune.com.pk

“I just wanted to show that a girl could play tabla too – that was always my driving force. Most appreciated me but there were those who were shocked. They wouldn’t out right ask me why I’m doing it but there would be an underlying question about how? How did I get here and how long will I be able to stay.” said Waris in an interview.

 

Sumaira has been playing for over 12 years now, with the constant support of her family

Via: Youtube

Her father has been very supportive of her interest in tabla playing and encouraged her throughout. Since this is not the typical route women in the country take, Sumaira and her family also had to face objections and criticisms. However her father’s resolve was greater than all the opposition. He wanted to prove that daughters can be equally successful if given the chance.

This alone represents how important it is for authority figures in the house to give their children an equal opportunity for growth. Sumaira certainly did not disappoint her father and he calls her not only the pride of their family but also the country.

Source: b-kazi.deviantart.com

 

She also got the chance to perform in Nescafe Basement

It was an all female rendition of John Newman’s Love Me Again. This was in season four, episode three featuring a female drummer, tabla player, violinist and pianist.

Becoming a part of the music industry is a different experience altogether. Sumaira shared her experience, saying, “I feel that people can be quite patronizing towards women, particularly when they are performing live. I often get questions like ‘Are you sure you can do it?’ I don’t think a male musician would be asked that.”

 

Sumaira is definitely an inspiration for all the girls out there, who’re told that they cannot follow their dreams

She is a proof of how determination and passion always turn things around for a person.

Pakistan's Woman Tabla Player

Meet Sumaira Waris, the first professional woman #tabla player of Pakistan. See how she's changing the perceptions with her music.

Gepostet von NayaDaur am Mittwoch, 21. März 2018

 


Cover image via: @sumairawarisofficial / Facebook

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