Nazrana

By TOI Staff, "A musical tradition with little patronage" - Times of India - India
Sunday, March 15, 2009

New Delhi: A tradition that can be traced back to the 8th century seems to be losing its significance fast in the city.

Dismal state support, apathy of the listeners and lack of proper channels have resulted in the age-old musical form of qawwali losing focus.

Though once a week, the dargah of Nizamuddin Auliya wakes up to the charm and glory of qawwali each Jumme Raat (Thursday). Unfortunately, this along with the annual Jahan-e-Khusrau concert are the only times the musical form gets any recognition by Delhiites.

The Qawwali tradition, like many other art forms, has been passed on from one generation to another, each family carving its own niche in the field. "Qawwali is a dying art form simply because there is very little money in it. I used to be a qawwal at the Nizamuddin dargah several years ago but had to move to the mundane profession of running a small shop at Jama Masjid,'' says Fateh Baksh.

The qawwali tradition started about 700 years ago. However, no longer do families want their children to take it forward. They claim a career in Sufi music entails huge financial hardships. Some qawwals have also entered the industry of selling qawwali audio tapes but admit there aren't too many takers for it.

"Big music companies are not interested in promoting qawwali. Only when a Hindi film popularizes it does people's interest revive. But even that fades in some time,'' says Ali Rehman, a shopkeeper at Jama Masjid.

Qawwali lovers will tell you how once the music sets in, it's difficult to break away. Such is the soothing effect of Sufi music.

Qawwals at the Nizamuddin dargah are known to sing tirelessly as listeners, including foreign visitors, feel captivated for hours. Shahdab Faridi Nizami, belonging to the family that graces the Nizamuddin dargah each week with their renditions, believes some fillip by the government is needed to sustain the art form even though several people turn up every week to listen to them.

"Qawwali is also extremely popular among youngsters. If we get some assistance from the government, this form of music can be revived and sustained,'' says Nizami.

Recently, when Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th President of the United States, a special qawwali programme was organized to "reinforce the Sufi tradition of peace and tolerance'' and herald a new dawn of hope in the world.

According to historians, qawwali has its own glory in the Sufi tradition. The qawwals or musicians were patronized by the state and Mughal rulers with Akbar and Shah Jahan having many eminent musicians in their courts.

"No doubt the interest in Sufi music is declining. The only way for the qawwals to earn their livelihood is the Nazrana (money from devotees at mosque),'' says a historian.