Venkat Parsa | new delhi

Raqs-e-Darvesh, or the Whirling Darvesh, is an abiding symbol of Sufi Music. Taking it forward, renowned Kathak dancer Manjari Chaturvedi pioneered Sufi Kathak, where compositions are not only rendered in the form of song, but are danced to, as well.

Manjari Chaturvedi pioneered Sufi Kathak. This combines movements and rhythm of the Classical Indian Dance, with Sufi Mysticism. Significantly, both are representative of the Composite Indian Culture.

The Qawwali Project has been her labour of love. Manjari Chaturvedi painstakingly worked on it for the past 14 years and it has at last reached fruition, with Mega Celebrations to mark the event at the India International Centre (IIC) in New Delhi on November 1.

Syncretic Traditions

Qawwali is seen as the finest expression of the syncretic traditions that have come down to us, through the ages, in India. Hindus and Muslims turn to the Dargahs in worship. Perhaps this is a tradition that is unmatched, unrivalled and unique in India. There is a 1,000-year history in India of the Sufi and the Qawwali traditions. Yet, strangely, there is no proper documentation, till date. So far, there has been no documentation of the Qawwals, or about their art form and their contribution to Qawwali tradition in India, which is nearly 1,000-years-old. 

Photo-Documentation of the Qawwals, with their art, their lives and their association with the Sufi shrines where they perform, is yet another landmark initiative of Manjari Chaturvedi.

A book, Qawwali

The Call of Hearts in Love, edited by Manjari Chaturvedi, was released on the occasion. Conceptualized and curated by her, the Qawwali Project was showcased at the daylong celebrations in the IIC in Delhi. It was marked by a day-long seminar.

Manjari Chaturvedi made a short film, Rang -- Colours of Love. Screened on the occasion, it showcases the unique Haji Waris Ali Shah Dargah, Dewa Sharif Dargah in Barabanki in Uttar Pradesh where Holi, the festival of colours, is celebrated, which is a shining testimony to the syncretic culture of India, down through the ages. Former National Minorities Commission Chairman Wajahat Habibullah described Haji Waris Ali Shah as the founder of the Ganga-Jamni Tehzeeb.

Sama

Sama was popular in Central Asia, during which Sufi mystics would go into trance (wajd). Sama was brought to India by Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti, of the Chistiya Silsila, around 1192 CE. Travelling via Delhi, he finally settled down in Ajmer in Rajasthan. Incorporating the Bhajan tradition in India, Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti developed Sama into the present Qawwali format. It attained refinement at the hands of Amir Khusro, under the patronage of Nizamuddin Auliya.

Derived from Qaul, or the Word, Qawwali was performed in Khanqahs. It starts with Hamd, in praise of Allah. It is followed by Naath, in praise of Prophet Mohammad. Then comes Manqabat, which is in praise of Hazrat Ali, other Sufi Saints and the Sufi Saint associated with the specific Dargah. It concludes on Rang.

Etiquette associated with Qawwali is simple. It is performed usually after Maghreb Namaz and it is ensured that it does not clash with the timings of Namaz. Qawwali was initially rendered with clapping of hands, without accompaniments of musical instruments. Repertoire of the Qawwali was wholly religious.

New Form

Qawwali is associated with Sufism. And Sufism has two aspects, ishq-e-haqeequi or spiritual and ishq-e-majaazi or mundane. Similarly, Qawwali has the ruhaani (spiritual) and rumani (mundane) aspects. With passage of time, as Qawwali came out of Khanqahs and entered the royal court, its content and character had undergone changes.

Themes shifted from the spiritual to the mundane. Musical instruments were incorporated. Dance was also introduced. Repertoire, too, changed. There has been dilution in poetic standards, but it has reached out to the vast masses of people, as a popular musical form. There is contestation, clash and conversation.

 Qawwali in Hindi Cinema

In modern times, Qawwali became popular in Hindi Cinema. Contest between two groups of men and even between men on one side and women on the other side, was introduced. Mughal-e-Azam remains the high-point of Qawwali in Hindi Cinema, showcasing contest between two rival groups of women, one led by Madhubala and the other led by Nighar Sultana: Teri mehfil mein qismat aazmaakar hum bhi dekhenge.

Barsaat Ki Raat, set in erstwhile Hyderabad State, is yet another example of how Qawwali remained integral to Hindi Cinema. Similarly, Dil Hi To Hai had some memorable Qawwalis like Parda utthe salaam ho jaaye and Nighaen milaane ko jee chahta hai, which showed the scope for romantic expression through Qawwali.

Allama Iqbal's composition, used in Dulhan Ek Raat Ki, was a runaway hit:

Kabhi aie haqeekat-e-muntazar

Nazar aa libaas-e-majaaz mein

Ke hazaaron sajde tadap raheen hain

Mere jabeen-e-niyaaz mein.

Even Khanqahi Qawwali was used in Hindi Cinema, with the message of Unity of Godhead, like Sahir Ludhianvi's composition for Dharamputra:

Kaabe mein raho, ya Kashi mein

Nizbat to Usi ki Zaat se hai

Tum Ram kaho, ke Rahim kaho

Matlab to Usi ki baat se hai

Yeh Masjid hai, woh Buth-Khana

Hai maqsad to dil ko samjhana

Chahe yeh maano, chaahe woh maano. 

 At the sametime, Hindi Cinema did freely experiment with Qawwali format. It was used for a dance-sequence in a party scene, in Mere Humdum Mere Dost: Allah yeh Ada kaisi hai in haseenon mein. Similarly, a romantic, free conversational style was introduced, like in Aaye Din Bahaar Ke: Hai kaash kisi deewane ko hum se bhi mohobat ho jaye.

A greater innovation was done by Shankar-Jaikishen, who set Qawwali to Western music, in Aarzoo:

Jab ishq kaheen ho jata hai

Tab aisi haalat hoti hai

Mehfil mein jee ghabrata hai

Tanhai ki aadat hoti hai.

Great women Qawwals were produced, like Shakeela Bano Bhopali. In the Khanqahi style comes the incomparable Zilla Khan.

Even as Qawwali seemed to fade away from Hindi Cinema, it surfaced in the Pop Music Circuit, with Dhruv Sangari singing for Coke Studio. Popular Qawwals, like Sabri Brothers, Warsi Brothers and Nizami Brothers are popular with the vast masses of people. Qawwali continues to regale audiences everywhere.

Manjari Chaturvedi has done laudable work through The Qawwali Project in archiving, documenting and preserving for posterity what is indeed the living, vibrant and visible symbol of India’s core cultural and civilizational ethos.