08/09/2026
When heritage finds its voice through an artist,
and Raag Kafi.
Our recent Shehrbano Ka Ranjha get-together was simply about bringing our artists and musicians back around one table, food, feedback, conversations about what we created together and where we go next.
And, of course, an evening with musicians never really ends without music.
sang Raag Kafi, with on tabla, and the room just listened.
Kafi carries centuries of musical history and is closely tied to the poetry and traditions of Punjab and Sindh,
love, longing and separation carried through generations.
We feel fortunate to have around us. Artists who continue to practise raag-based music are carrying knowledge that can easily disappear if there aren't spaces for it to be heard.
That is an important part of why RAQS exists, keeping our stories and music alive, supporting the artists who carry them, connecting them with new audiences and taking that heritage from small gatherings to the main stage.
Shehrbano Ka Ranjha did exactly that, bringing storytelling, poetry, dance and live music together.
Sometimes heritage is simply a room full of people, an old raag, a tabla and everyone stopping to listen.
And that evening, it was Raag Kafi.
Hermit Gill
Masih Sabir
Ravneet Kaur
Ali Shair
Shagufta Nz
Kulfi & Blossom
Mona Qazi
Highfield Hall Community Centre
Mukhtar Dar
Spirit of Pakistan Festival 2026
Qasim Macbeth Shah
