Soulful sangeet

Renowned Pakistani sufi-singers Fareed Ayaz and Abu Muhammad, who hail from the legendary Qawwal Bachon ka Gharana of Delhi, were in the capital recently for the announcement of the first international qawwali festival Taali Ho, to be held in Februrary 2016. During their visit the brothers spoke about their passion for music, its meaning and how qawwali has evolved over the years.

Qawwali is a genre of music that brings a message of love and devotion to eternal higher powers, it is a medium to comfort those looking for a soulful experience and seeking a spiritual anchor. Fareed says, “Qawwali is a method of worship and a means of spiritual advancement; it is also a feast for the soul. Through our music, we try to evoke a sense of internal satisfaction for the listener. Mai sabko kalmi suku de nahi sakta par aap ke undar ke kalmi suku ko jagane ki koshish jarur karta hu. It is our duty to strike chords with our soulful music and taking you to another world, but the listener should equally partake in this process.”

Talking about how qawwali has evolved over the years and has its meaning changed, Fareed states, “In the present day, there are two types of qawwali — Mehfil-E-Qawwali and Qawwali Nights. Mehfil-E-Qawwali is more of ibbadat, during which liquor is avoided and a trance state is achieved through music while Qawwali Nights are the modernised version where whatever people hear is what they assume is the real form of this traditional music. People began to think that if you put 10 or 12 persons (on stage) and place caps on their heads, then it becomes qawwali.”

He adds that their art is the traditional khanqahi qawwali, stemming from the centres of Sufi learning and steeped in mysticism. He makes clear that qawwali is the base while elements of dadra and thumri, even folk songs are woven into its texture in their performance, to showcase the long history of this musical tradition. “Qalbana is also qawwali and so is Man Kuntoi Maula, and through this you can understand that qawwali’s roots are very deep,” he points out.

The duo’s popular outing at Coke Studio Pakistan has given them a fan following across the border. Abu Muhammad shares that they believe in keeping the traditional music alive while not shying away from experimenting. He says, “Music is an ever-evolving subject and one must stretch their boundaries. But at the same time, we believe in keeping alive the 700-year old tradition of our gharana. Whenever we perform, we ensure that the audience gets to experience the traditional qawwali but we have also done fusion and experimental music too.”