Soulful music to connect with the Sufism core

Warsi Brothers performing Qawwali – Sufi Devotional Music, at the 11th edition of Remembering Veenapani Festival 2025 held at Adishakti Laboratory for Theatre Art Research at Edyanchavady near Puducherry on Saturday.
| Photo Credit: KUMAR SS

As the torchbearers of the classical Qawwali legacy bequeathed by Amir Khusro, the 13th century Sufi poet-musician, the Warsi Brothers embellished the finale of Adishakti’s 11th Remembering Veenapani Festival, with a concert for the ages as they rendered several gems from their repertoire.

For close to two hours, the Hyderabad-based duo of Naseer and Nazeer Ahmed Khan Warsi, never looking like they were playing for the first time in these parts.

Accompanied by a large ensemble of instrumentalists and backing vocalists, the Qawwals of the Delhi gharana quickly struck a rapport with the audience — each appeared to pick cues of the other, like old friends at a reunion.

Mentored in Sufi music by their grandfather, Padma Shri Aziz Ahmad Khan Warsi, these Sangeet Natak Akademi awardees are custodians of the Khayali gharana of Delhi, and sustain an unbroken lineage as descendants of disciples trained by Amir Khusro, mystic poet and founder of traditional Qawwali, inventor of the sitar and creator of the tarana.

Divya Bhatia, curator of the Jodhpur RIFF while presenting the brothers, noted that the Delhi gharana, that has curated over centuries a gayaki that blends poetry, music, and mysticism, is the only musical lineage to accept Qawwali (derived from the Qual, or prophet utterance), as a legitimate art form.

The duo opened with “Aley Nabi”, a Qawwali-na’at by Amir Khusro, and soon the audience has sprung into the act, synchronising their hand-clapping with the rhythm kept by the accompanists.

Whether it was the exhilaratingly-paced “Meri Piya Ghar Aaya” (a kalam by the Sufi saint Bulleh Shah) or the gently flowing melody of “Sanson Ki Mala Pe Simron Mein” (On the rosary of breath), the brothers essayed variations of particular phrases, or repeated lines to emphasise the spiritual essence or depth of emotion, ranging from unbridled joy and infinite grace to the sense of fulfilment, in associating with the divine.

As the pace of the “radif” (refrain) of “Allah Ho Allah Ho” spirals, the senior Warsi, Naseer Ahmed Khan, raises his left index finger and lets out a cry from the depths of his soul, eliciting instant appreciation from the audience.

And, lest the melody distract from the import of the lyrics in kalams like “Yeh jo halka halka suroor hai” (that speaks of intoxication of love and desire, and in the same breath implores forgivance), the senior Warsi, would pause to restate a line, resort to gesticulations and engage in a back-and-forth with the audience, to add emphasis to the lofty idea.

The concert also featured infectious Qawwalis such as “Kaali Kaali Zulfon” and “Ye Shan Tumhari Hai Aaqa”.

As the ensemble of support singers, sometimes interjecting a stream of sargam, added a hymnal aura and depth to the renditions, they were joined by a hundred voices from the crowd who formed a mass choir.

One will never figure out how the enthusiasts managed to bend the laws of physics, with an already over-saturated venue turned into a dance floor, as the last couple of rollicking Qawwalis are rolled out. By now, a human wall has entirely blocked the view of the stage. Amid the wild cheers and thundering applause, one barely hears Adishakti’s Artistic Director Vinay Kumar offer the customary courtesies, and remarking how the concert perfectly reflected Veenapani Chawla’s vision of a vibrant community art space.

The finale, in a sense, also closed the loop of the 11th edition of the free-entry festival, that had begun with an evening of Sufi music by the protegee of the Warsi Brothers, Smita Bellur, in collaboration with SAZ, a trio of Rajasthani folk musicians.