From Scroll · Ehtesham Hassan · · 1m 40s
Chalre Chalre Waal: Cross-Border Saraiki Song Resonates
A Saraiki song from Pakistan’s Dera Ismail Khan becomes a viral hit in Indian social media, bridging communities through shared heritage.
In brief
A Saraiki song from Pakistan’s Dera Ismail Khan becomes a viral hit in Indian social media, bridging communities through shared heritage. The Saraiki song Chalre Chalre Waal, played by Pakistani singers Shanzy Sial and Mohsin Lashari, connects Indian and Pakistani Saraikis across borders through shared cultural…
Childhood Sound
In the early 2000s, growing up in Dera Ismail Khan, Pakistan, my childhood had a specific sound: the whirring of an old cassette tape recorder playing Chalre Chalre Waal.
Cross-Border Viral Surge
A new rendition by Pakistani singers Shanzy Sial and Mohsin Lashari went viral in Indian social media, with Indian creators dancing to its rhythm on Reels.
Saraiki Identity
For millions of Saraikis in Pakistan, the song resonates with identity, historical trauma, and the struggle for recognition as a distinct language.
Saraiki Waseb
Saraiki Waseb, a historic region in southern Punjab, faces severe underdevelopment despite being in Pakistan’s most prosperous province, Punjab.
Resource Disparity
The region suffers abject poverty with severe underinvestment in education, healthcare, and basic infrastructure despite generating billions in tax revenue.
Saraiki Movement
The Saraiki movement, emerging in the 1970s, demands official recognition for Saraiki as a separate language and a separate administrative unit.
Partition Legacy
Before Partition in 1947, Dera Ismail Khan housed Hindu and Sikh Saraikis who migrated to India after violence forced them to leave their ancestral homes.
Shared Heritage
For Indian Saraikis, hearing Chalre Chalre Waal is an acoustic link to the courtyards of Dera Ismail Khan, Multan, and Mianwali their families left behind.
The main idea
The Saraiki song Chalre Chalre Waal, played by Pakistani singers Shanzy Sial and Mohsin Lashari, connects Indian and Pakistani Saraikis across borders through shared cultural identity.
