Chandna Arora
The members of Fareed Ayaz Abu Mohammad Qawwal and Brothers from Pakistan have spent the past few days in great excitement. It’s not just that they’re doing a concert for Indo-Pak unity, but also that they’re performing at the famed Dargah Sharief in Ajmer! This February 12 concert, organised by Aman Ki Asha, a joint initiative of the Times of India and the Jang Group of Pakistan, is particularly exciting to the two performers because of the venue.
Sabse badi cheez hai ki aman ka paigam hi wahan se shuru hua hai,” says qawwali singer Munawwar Masoom, who is to perform with the qawwal group from Pakistan at the Dargah Sharief in Ajmer the day after for a concert organised by Aman Ki Asha. “Jis cheez ko hum pesh karne ja rahe hain, woh
Khwaja Moinuddin Hassan Chishti Rehmatullah Alai ke darbar se hamare liye zariya bana hai.” Masoom is a wellknown qawwali singer from the Mewati gharana of Bhopal. The gharana includes mostly renowned classical singers, and Masoom is among the few to have taken up qawwali. And he says that this form is the perfect and time-honoured vehicle for the message of aman, or peace. “Khwaja sahib ne jo ekta ka paigam diya – aman ki asha hi kahiye usse – woh logon tak pahuchaya gaya hai, chahe Hindu ho, Muslim, Sikh ya Isai. Qawwali woh paigam hai jiske zariye log ek chhat ke neeche baith kar ek rang mein rang jaate hain aur ek ho jaate hain,” says Masoom.
He says people often ask him why qawwali is not being able to go further ahead in popularity. “Main toh kehta hoon, woh kabhi peechhe gayi hi nahin. All these pop songs these days, they’re only copies of qawwalis. They’ve simply upped the tempo, and the way children dance to these songs has changed,” laughs Masoom.
He says he can testify that not only can music help narrow the gulf between the peoples of the two countries, it can heal pretty much anything. “Qawwali hi nahin, music har cheez ko jodne ka kaam hai. Sur mein hi qawwali hai, bhajan hai, azaan hai… Sur mein bolne se koi bhi baat samajh mein aati hai. Sur hi hai jo sabko ek maqam pe khada kar deta hai,” he says.
Masoom says he wants to present a song of unity at the concert, to be held on February 12, from 10am to 12noon, but adds that that’ll be decided as things go. We say it’s a great idea!
Says Abu Mohammad of Fareed Ayaz Abu Mohammad Qawwal and Brothers, “Bilkul kamaal ka venue hai! Dargah Sharief bahut hi ruhani jagah hai, aur main dua karunga ki hamara program wahan kamyab ho, aur hum zyada kareeb aayein.”
The group traces its roots to a qawwal group instituted by Amir Khusru about 750 years ago, which, incidentally, was formed in Delhi and was called Qawwal Bachhe. “Aman Ki Asha is a crucial undertaking, aur maine pichle ek saal mein hi isme bahut developments dekhi hain,” says Abu Mohammad. “When we performed with the Wadali Brothers in Ahmedabad, there were at least 20,000 people there, and they wouldn’t let us go back. This is the message that we want to give… In every religion, from Meerabai and Bulle Shah to Kabir, the message is the same – aman. We are very close to each other. Artistes
ko toh sarhad waise hi nahin hoti hai na!”
Has he seen music make a difference to people-to-people ties between the two countries? “Yes, yes!” says Abu emphatically. “In Ahmedabad, people said, we don’t know whether what you’re singing is from India or Pakistan, we only know that it’s from the subcontinent. Then we performed something that’s a great favourite in Pakistan and even abroad – “Padharo Mhare Des”. It’s a very famous song that we sing, and the public simply wouldn’t let us go! When we performed at Dilli Haat in Delhi during the Commonwealth Games, itna rush ho gaya ki logon ko apni dukaan sambhalna mushkil ho gaya. We say proudly ki humein Hindustan mein bahut mohabbat milti hai.”
WE ARE VERY CLOSE TO EACH OTHER... WE SAY PROUDLY KI HUMEIN HINDUSTAN MEIN BAHUT MOHABBAT MILTI HAI
– FAREED AYAZ ABU MOHAMMAD QAWWAL AND BROTHERS, PAKISTAN
QAWWALI HI NAHIN, MUSIC HAR CHEEZ KO JODNE KA KAAM HAI. SUR MEIN HI QAWWALI HAI, BHAJAN HAI, AZAAN HAI…
– MUNAWWAR MASOOM, INDIA – FAREED AYAZ ABU
MOHAMMAD QAWWAL AND BROTHERS, PAKISTAN
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