Thursday, December 14, 2006

Real Sufism is nothing but devotion

By Maneesh Pandey - Times of India - India
Saturday, November 4, 2006

New Delhi: Apna yaar manavan lei Sayyid nachte wekhen; Bulle Shah ne kucch nahin kita, yaar nu kita raji. Sufi music traditions of the bygone Auliya-Khusro era came alive at Dilli Haat on Friday as famous Pakistani singers Fareed Ayaz al Hussaini and Abu Mohammed Hussaini treated Delhiites to an evening of melodious qawwali. The occasion?

The historic Phoolwalon ki Sair , jointly organised by Delhi Tourism and The Times of India. The opening notes of Fareed Ayaz singing Khusro's Kalam, Kheliye dhamal khwaja hazrat were enough to draw the crowds and keep them glued to the spot.

As more and more people joined in to listen, the Hussaini Brothers went from one popular qawwali to another. Cultures mingled as Allah and Krishna were both worshipped through the music.

"Real Sufism is nothing but devotion. It is exactly what one hears in Bhakti Raas ," said Fareed. Music lovers swooned with delight as the high point of the session — Chaap Tilak li sab chhin — was rendered in the Hussaini Brothers' inimitable style.

Currently based in Pakistan, these qawwals belong to the famous Dilli Gharana and have their roots in the bylanes of Chandni Mahal in the Walled City area. Tracing their lineage to the earliest disciples of Khusro, the brothers kept the audience riveted with one-liners straight from the master's diary. Taking a trip through history, Fareed talked about what he had inherited from his forefathers, the Tughlak-era and Khusro's contribution to the beginning of the qawwali tradition. He was about four when the family left Delhi for Karachi.

But memories still haunt the elder Hussaini, who says," Aaj main Dilli mein rehkar Dilliwalon ko entertain kar raha hoon. As nostalgia crept in, Fareed recited another Khusro line: Dilli desh suhavan, jahan base dildar... Hum rehene wale hai isi ujre dayar ke.

Proving that the boundaries between India and Pakistan were only on paper, the brothers went on to sing Mere piya ghar aya to a swaying crowd. The mesmerising evening was rounded off with a spirited rendition of Dama dam mast kalandar, with the crowd clapping and joining in.

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Thursday, December 14, 2006

Real Sufism is nothing but devotion
By Maneesh Pandey - Times of India - India
Saturday, November 4, 2006

New Delhi: Apna yaar manavan lei Sayyid nachte wekhen; Bulle Shah ne kucch nahin kita, yaar nu kita raji. Sufi music traditions of the bygone Auliya-Khusro era came alive at Dilli Haat on Friday as famous Pakistani singers Fareed Ayaz al Hussaini and Abu Mohammed Hussaini treated Delhiites to an evening of melodious qawwali. The occasion?

The historic Phoolwalon ki Sair , jointly organised by Delhi Tourism and The Times of India. The opening notes of Fareed Ayaz singing Khusro's Kalam, Kheliye dhamal khwaja hazrat were enough to draw the crowds and keep them glued to the spot.

As more and more people joined in to listen, the Hussaini Brothers went from one popular qawwali to another. Cultures mingled as Allah and Krishna were both worshipped through the music.

"Real Sufism is nothing but devotion. It is exactly what one hears in Bhakti Raas ," said Fareed. Music lovers swooned with delight as the high point of the session — Chaap Tilak li sab chhin — was rendered in the Hussaini Brothers' inimitable style.

Currently based in Pakistan, these qawwals belong to the famous Dilli Gharana and have their roots in the bylanes of Chandni Mahal in the Walled City area. Tracing their lineage to the earliest disciples of Khusro, the brothers kept the audience riveted with one-liners straight from the master's diary. Taking a trip through history, Fareed talked about what he had inherited from his forefathers, the Tughlak-era and Khusro's contribution to the beginning of the qawwali tradition. He was about four when the family left Delhi for Karachi.

But memories still haunt the elder Hussaini, who says," Aaj main Dilli mein rehkar Dilliwalon ko entertain kar raha hoon. As nostalgia crept in, Fareed recited another Khusro line: Dilli desh suhavan, jahan base dildar... Hum rehene wale hai isi ujre dayar ke.

Proving that the boundaries between India and Pakistan were only on paper, the brothers went on to sing Mere piya ghar aya to a swaying crowd. The mesmerising evening was rounded off with a spirited rendition of Dama dam mast kalandar, with the crowd clapping and joining in.

No comments: