Each day I wake up and try to find purpose in a task that will help me get closer to accomplishing the work I came here to do. Some days I have plans in place and get to it. Other days, I am waiting for contacts or information, and have done all that I can think to do otherwise. Today was one of those mornings, where I did not know what to do. That is when the mind starts to pull you down. When you sit in the heat, far away from home, wondering how to inch forward after being defeated once again.I really wanted to work with Wazir Ali Shah sahib, who is an amazing singer. He has an intensity about his singing that seemed like the perfect match for Sur Sorath. After listening to countless recordings and watching a ton of videos of various musicians, there was no doubt that he was the singer I wanted for this story. He sang the verses of great Sindhi poets and even if you could not understand Sindhi, you felt it. For a couple of weeks I had been trying to get a hold of him. I called many times, and we managed to chat on a few of those occasions, but he was busy going to shows in various places or was unreachable.With a need to move things forward, all the more pronounced as I had been pushed back by a month due to some singers not working out, I called him. The phone kept ringing, or would come up busy. It occurred to me to give up, but I knew that this was the voice I wanted. Yes, I could choose from several other excellent singers who would do a great job, assuming they were interested in the project, but I’m not suffering through this process to make convenient choices without fully trying.So, I sat at my computer, working, goofing off on the internet and calling every 10 or 15 minutes.The day before he had mentioned that he might come for a show to Hyderabad at night and I waited for that call, and there was no answer when I called, so that did not happen. A few days before that he was going to a show in Karachi, and would pass my way, just as Jamaluddin Faqir sahib had. That did not happen and there was no contact then either. While part of me was unsure if he wanted to meet, when I did speak to him, he was always very nice and wanted to meet face to face rather than just have me mail the script to him.With persistence, I got a call back. He would be in Hyderabad in the evening to get his car fixed. This was my chance to see him. That gave me some purpose for the day. I had the materials I wished to hand him already prepared. At 4:30pm, I went to catch the University bus in to town as it is way more convenient than the public bus from the railway tracks (phaatak). I waited. No bus. I caught a shared rickshaw from the main road and banged my knee badly getting in, as no one ever moves, they just want you to squeeze in where it is least convenient and comfortable. In a good deal of pain, I reached the insanity that is the railway crossing. I limped across the dusty road between huge trucks, cars, motorcycles and all other manner of people that would gladly murder you with their vehicles rather than risk not shaving 2 seconds off their journey.I limped, then ran despite the pain to hop on a bus as it was leaving. The usual bumpy sweaty ride was slightly better on a Saturday with less passengers. After what seemed like forever, I got off in another busy market and took a rickshaw to Kadam Ga, where Wazir Ali Shah sahib was going to fix his car. After standing around for 20 minutes and playing phone tag, we met by the auto shop where his car was being worked on. It seemed more like he and his driver were working on the car, while perhaps someone in the shop was testing a few parts.It was loud and chaotic there. I recognized him from the videos I had been watching of his performances. It was great to finally meet, so that I could at least try my best to get the singer I really hoped for this story. He was very friendly, but also busy in the chaos. I sat down with him, then walked over to get some spare parts with him and then sat down again and waited. This is the process. Just be happy to be in the same place, then wait your turn and find your opening. I tried a few times, then pulled back from the project to more to general getting to know you type stuff as that was the vibe I was getting in the bits between his preoccupation.After a few hours, we went over for some tea at a dhaba. Along the way I enjoyed Shah sahib’s fascination with several carts selling random assortments of used items. He stopped to look at a few things and wondered along with me about what a few other items were. There were toys, a bicycle helmet, broken umbrella, hair rollers in leopard print and solid colors and so much more. He mentioned that he had been fascinated with street carts and the items they sold since he was barely tall enough to see over the edge of the cart. I appreciated that sense of wonder which I feel too. It occurred to me, that the most serious sounding singer, might take the most joy in the puppetry of this film.We sat down and ordered some tea and biscuits. I shared how I knew Ustad Anb Jogi and our previous collaborations. I pulled out the Jogi CD and shared the liner notes and talked about the project as a way to let him get to know what I was about. He liked the painting and was actually really appreciative of the effort and purpose. He talked about the art in all things around us, and I suppose the importance in being able to see that. A couple more of his friends joined us.He had purchased a new phone, and was curious about that and being a much respected singer, he was dealing with phone calls as well. The new phone had all kinds of new things to explore. Where I could, I interjected some information about the project, then backed off for a while and then broached the topic again, sharing some more bits of information. He shared photos of his 4 month old son, who was extremely cute with bluish eyes. Despite the challenges of sharing my project in that environment, I have learned to pick the main points that concern who you are talking to. Make sure they understand what you are doing, and what you need of them. Then if they are interested to know more, share. Some people want to know a lot more, others just want to know what you need. It can be hard to read people in this regards at times.We enjoyed a round of tea, and then discussed the work and the content of the story of Sorath as well as the challenges of singing it and importance of accuracy with pronunciation and not skipping words. He told me about his uncle, who before there was a radio station in Hyderabad, had sang Sur Sorath, and that his composition was the way that many sang it even today. He sang the first wai that I had included in my script to give me a taste of Sur Sorath, sung in raag Sorath based on his uncle’s composition.He had to go take care of some more car related details, so I sat with the friends who were some younger musicians that travelled with him. Their families were from Punjab prior to settling in Sindh before their own birth, so I spoke in Punjabi with one of them. I shared some of the main points about the need to read the script a few times every day to prepare, hoping that if everyone around Shah sahib was briefed it would be more likely to happen. We also talked about music and I asked for names of female singer recommendations, besides the 3 that were out of my budgetary reach.They came up with a name, that I added to my notes to research. Eventually Shah sahib returned, we had another round of tea and I handed off the materials, thanked him and parted ways. My friend Saqib was in Qasimabad with some friends in town whom he wanted me to meet in regards to “Risalo” as well. I hopped on a rickshaw and bumped along some horrendous roads and the great sewage lake. Seriously, this city would be amazing if the two parties that ran it cared.It took a while, but we got there, once again to the Khana Badosh Cafe; that writer’s spot I came to a few weeks prior, by the Sindh museum. I limped over to their table, and they were kind enough to ask about my project. I shared and there were a lot of questions and answers that helped us get a feel for how we both thought about and approached this material. Noor Junejo is a poet, novelist and singer as well, and his friend Master Wali is a singer, while Saqib is of course a talented graphic designer. They too were working on new musical collaborations based on Noor’s poetry as well as that of several other Sindhi poets.The whole conversation was really interesting. While I did talk a lot about my project and where I was coming from to start, I was glad to hear a lot about Noor’s writing and their collaborations as well. They are committed to raise people’s consciousness and make them think through their work. Of course I asked about female singers who could sing Shah Latif’s poetry in this conversation too and got another name that I had heard before and confirmation on the name Wazir Ali Shah sahib’s friends gave me as well. So I had two singers to research in Hyderabad and one in Karachi. I will try the two that are closer first. Conveniently, they are the ones that people recommend more strongly for this particular task. One of them is working on a collaboration with Noor and Wali, so I may meet with all of them tomorrow.Another bit of fortunate news for my project is that the fasting month of Ramazan is starting soon and the musicians have no shows at that time so that will help with scheduling. They may have other recording gigs, but there should be more room for recording for my project than in other months. I also spoke to Ustad Anb Jogi, got a few phone numbers throughout the day and am just seeing what I can do to get this music going. Saqib dropped me back and though I felt tired, I felt less helpless than when I started the day.