Sindh is not merely a region it is a rhythm, a philosophy carved in clay and sung through centuries. From the seals of Mohenjo-Daro to the embroidered folds of Ajrak and ralli, every artistic form of Sindh carries the signature of its ancient wisdom. The geometry of its architecture mirrors the harmony of its people, plural yet unified, humble yet profound. Its artisans work as their ancestors did, not to invent beauty, but to uncover it, layer by layer, like the river revealing its bed. In Sindh, art is not made; it is remembered.
In rare art exhibition, Sindhu Sur: Melody of Sindhu art was celebrated as an act of remembrance. Each canvas, each wall mount, each stroke feels like an echo of Sindh a civilization that has long understood symmetry as prayer and pattern as poetry. The works, rich in layered forms and intricate geometry, carry the pulse of Ajrak motifs, ralli quilts, and the delicate arabesques of old Sindhi shrines. They speak in colours that once dyed cloth by hand, in lines that recall the patient craftsmanship of tile-makers and stone carvers, and in silence that hums with centuries of devotion.
The ethos of Sindhu Sur is one of continuity — a living dialogue between discipline and surrender, the measured logic of design and the fluidity of human emotion. The visual language felt timeless — the blues and reds of Ajrak, the rhythmic tessellations of Islamic art, the slow repetition that mirrors both prayer and pattern.
Among the many voices that emerge from this collection, one resonates deeply that of artist Shahzad Zar, who reflects: “My work is a contemporary visual language inspired by Ajrak, ralli patterns, and the architectural designs of the historical monuments of Sindh.” His pieces seem to breathe through time, weaving past and present into a single rhythm. The precision of his geometry is softened by memory; his colours, though modern, carry the warmth of ancestral hands.
In the quiet of these works lies a meditation — on faith, on belonging, on beauty as inheritance. This is not nostalgia; it is a reclamation. It tells us that heritage is not something to be preserved behind glass, but something that must be lived, reimagined, and retold in every generation.
Sindhu Sur reminds us that the river never truly forgets its song it simply finds new artists to sing it. The Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA), in partnership with Nomad Gallery, presented Sindhu Sur, a captivating exhibition envisioned and curated by the acclaimed artist and cultural activist Nageen Hyat.
My Persian-inspired flower Painting is created with egg tempera on gesso board. I find the Persian painting.
Sarv-e-Nazneen
This work draws from imagery at the shrine of
ShahAbdulLatifBhittai, inspired by the qawwali Sarv-e-Nazneen or “the graceful cypress.” In Persian and Sufi tradition, the Cypress tree symbolizes beauty, resilience, and eternal life: upright yet flexible, firmly rooted yet reaching toward the heavens. For Bhittai, as for the qawwali, it evokes the beloved who stands tall in grace, an image of divine presence that both steadies and enchants the seeker.
نََنََفََفََسِِسِِ ایمان
Breath of Faith
reflects the breath of peace that Islam carried with it to Sindh. The colors blue and white indicates serenity, purity, and spiritual calmness that Islam instilled. The composition draws inspiration from the eight-fold geometric patterns of the Shah Jahan Masjid in Thatta—timeless designs that embody balance and harmony. Through the symbolism of form and rhythm, the piece pays tribute to the tranquility and inner stillness that faith brought to Sindh.
