Sufi Devotional Music from North India and Pakistan
2025-03-08 19:00 - 20:30 (America/Los_Angeles)
In-person | $20 In advance, use promo code SUFI | $25 Day of.
Book now/In-PersonWe appreciate advance registration.
Join us for exploration of traditional devotional music from the motherland of Yoga. Sukhawat Ali Khan is an eleventh generation Sufi vocalist from the Sham Chaurasi Gharana (family) of music.that has been performed in traditional North Indian/ Pakistani Classical Music for over six centuries. Trained at a young age by his legendary father- Ustad Salamat Ali Khan, Sukhawat Ali has perfected the art of soulful sufi song. He considers music as a sacred experience that unites the performer with the listener. His universal themes of love, devotion, compassion and peace appeal to audiences around the world.
Sukhawat Ali will be joined by his band, Dua, a local collective of world musicians whose high energy rhythms move audiences to their feet.
Sukhawat Ali Khan’s Sufi Music samples can be found on our Youtube channel:

Sukhawat Ali Khan, (born 1960), son of Indian-Pakistani vocalist Ustad Salamat Ali Khan and nephew of Nazakat Ali is a classical singer of Sham Chaurasia gharana tradition founded in 16th century as well as a performer of North Indian and Pakistani classical music and related folk music. He began singing and playing at age seven and has performed around the world.”
Band Members:
Varun Pattabhiraman is an Indian percussionist based in San Francisco. Seamlessly navigating traditional Carnatic classical contexts and crossover genres, he enjoys orchestrating experimental hybrid setups that blend traditional Carnatic percussion with instruments like the Cajon, Roland Handsonic, and Drum Set. You can follow his musical journey on Instagram at @varunrpraman
Vivek Anand is a vocalist with a focus on emotional and spiritual meaning. Vivek is from a musical family in Bombay, and has studied and sung in the Bay Area with Sukhawat Ali Khan for sixteen years. Through this training he has acquired his emotional and spiritual focus, and a knowledge of ragas. His repertoire includes Hindustani classical, semi-classical, bhajans, Sufi songs and ghazals.
Saima Jamshed began playing dholak at age six, surprising everyone with her natural rhythm. Now a vocalist and percussionist in Dua band, a qawwali ensemble for Sukhawat Ali Khan, she brings joyful energy with dholak, darbuka, tambourine & shakers. Originally from Karachi and now in Berkeley, she studies classical singing and traditional qawwali with Sukhawat Ali Khan and Rita Sahai, blending deep tradition with instinctive musicality.
Craig Reiter – Like many modern American Renaissance men, Craig Reiter is a polymorphously talented individual with interests including Blackjack card counting, haruspicy, and Feline domestication. In addition, Craig has been seen channeling the voice of his Creator through whatever musical instrument crosses his path.
Irum Aftab is a vocalist (and clapper) hailing from Pakistan and now based in Berkeley. She is currently a student of Sukhawat Ali Khan. Her musical focus is on learning from his depth of knowledge about the underlying raags that form the basis of ghazal, folk, geet and qawwali music- that we all know and love across South Asia.
Daljeet Singh is the driving force behind our sound, bringing magic as a music director and guitarist. He has a knack for spinning up bands and fusing devotional, classical Indian, Sufi, old school Bollywood, and rock influences, he creates music that feels both soulful and electrifying.
