Folk music lovers pay homage to late Fozia Soomro on her 4th death anniversary

HYDERABAD: A large number of folk music lovers and admirers of late Fozia Soomro turned to different forms of social media to pay homage to her on her 4th death anniversary by writing heartfelt posts and sharing her music videos. Hakeema Soomro, who later gained countrywide recognition as Fozia Soomro for her melodious and heartwarming voice, was born in Tharparkar to Nathu Khan in 1969, from where her family migrated to Tando Muhammad Khan. She gained unparalleled recognition in the locality by singing folk songs at local cultural events and family functions. Ustad Ghulam Hussain Kaleri, Ustad Niyaz Hussain and Ustad Majeed Khan trained young Fozia and made her capable of singing various genres of Sindhi music, but she earned recognition for her folk songs mainly sung in Sindhi and Dhatki languages. She also sang multiple folk songs for Radio Pakistan and Pakistan Television. Fozia gained recognition for her distinguished voice in far flung and remote areas of rural and urban areas and went on to become the favourite singer of Sindh’s common folk. One of Fozia’s significant contributions to Sindh’s music industry was lending her voice to the poems of less-known poets of Sindh, who thereafter became a household name. She was introduced on Radio Pakistan by eminent broadcaster Naseer Mirza and later at PTV.  Known for her soulful, emotional voice, she sang in multiple languages—including Sindhi, Urdu, Balochi, Gujarati, Saraiki and Marwari—and performed internationally in places like Saudi Arabia, India, and Dubai. In 1993 she was married to Haji Misri Sathio, a landlord of Tando Muhammad Khan, and she sired one daughter from that wedlock. Besides singing the poetry of Sheikh Ayaz, Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai and Sachal Sarmast, she sang the works of Saindad Sand, Bilawal Otho, Ashraf Shair, Zama Khaskeli, Al Muhammad Uderai, Yousif Wadho, among others. In recognition of her services she was bestowed with the Shah Abdul Latif and Lal Shahbaz Awards. Recalling the contributions of the late singer, her colleague and poet Ashraf Shair said that the time spent with Fozia was among the most precious times of his life. He said that besides being a melodious singer, Fozia was a courageous lady who brushed aside the rigid norms of society. Another poet, Ayaz Ammar Sheikh, described Fozia as the celebrated and most heard-after singer of Sindh who was equally popular among people of all walks of life. After battling with kidney-related complications, the soothing voice of Sindh was silenced on 4th September 2002.