Mohammed Ahmed Khan, the lead vocalist of Warsi Brothers from Rampur, the famous Qawwali group, urged the audience to clap their hands in unison with his team, as he, backed by others, sang full-throated, their pulsating music surging forward. The audience joined in, hesitatingly at first, as Ahmed Khan continued singing. For the next two hours the audience was sent spinning, almost into a trance, as the singers drew on a repertoire of songs.
The Warsi Brothers performed ‘live’ at the Raj Bhavan, Thiruvananthapuram, and under the aegis of Sree Poornathrayeesa Sangeetha Sabha, at the Kalikota Palace, Tripunithura. Apart from these concerts they enthralled school and college students in Kozhikode, Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi. The Warsi Brothers were introduced to the State by Spic-Macay.
Music, generally, is a storehouse of two dominant moods or emotions – love or romance and devotion. And Qawwali, though essentially devotional, designed to create an ecstatic, trance-like mood, which is typically Sufi, also moves into the realm of romance, with the soul yearning to be one with the supreme power. Though this genre, right from the time of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti, has been primarily congregational singing used to popularise the sayings of the Prophet, there have been regional variations in style and content down the years. But it mostly remains devotional.
Ahmed Khan’s forefathers were court musicians of the Rampur durbar. His training has been in the Sufiana style of singing and like most of today’s qawwals improvise but within the traditional structure. He started the concert in Tripunithura with ‘Man Kunto Maula’, considered the most popular of Amir Khusru’s qawwalis. Khusru is considered as the founding father of Qawwali and his verse and tunes form the core of this genus. This Khusru composition is traditionally called a Manqabat (Sufi devotional poem) and dedicated to the memory of Imam Ali, the cousin and close associate of the Prophet and believed to be the first Imam or spiritual leader of Islam. The song praises Imam Ali's bravery in his fight against injustice and falsehood; it also sings praises of his spiritual status.
Ahmed Khan stopped to narrate the story behind this song. This was a perfect start for the song had an instant impact with its blissful, mystical quality. The group, guided by Ahmed Khan and Khalid Hussain, alternated fluidly between solo and group passages, characterised by improvisation and repetition. The singers kept clapping their hands, the tabla kept rhythm and the audience joined in. The singers kept repeating the lines with slight variations of melody, tone, and emphasis. Khusru’s name has been kept alive mainly through the qawwali and, of course, the folk songs.
The Warsi Brothers followed Man kunto maula with ‘Chhap tilak sab cheeni ray mosay naina milaikay’. This is again one of Khusru’s popular poem that has been transmitted through centuries mainly through the oral traditions.
Ahmed Khan explained the content of the song. It says, ‘You have taken away my looks, my identity, by just a glance. By making me drink the wine of love-potion, you have intoxicated me by just a glance; my fair, delicate wrists with green bangles in them, have been held tightly by you with just a glance…. The romantic element comes through in these lines most effectively, albeit with a liberal dose of devotion.
‘Bahut kathin hai dagar panghat ki…’was the next song in line, another Khusru gem; this time more philosophical, more mystical. Just when you wondered what the poet was saying Ahmed Khan explained: ‘The road to the well is much too difficult. How do I get my pot filled? When I went to fill the water, I broke the pot in the furor.’
In Thiruvananthapuram, the Brothers sang the story of Sabari in the Ramayana to emphasise the importance of complete devotion to God. It also showcased how good they were at improvising as the Brothers did not miss a beat while narrating a new theme in their concert.
The concerts in Kochi and the capital city concluded with the very popular ‘O Lal meri pat… dama dam mast Qalandar’. This number has been the favourite of most qawwals, a sure-shot hit in reality shows, picked up by contemporary bands and part of the repertoire of many legendary singers.
This is a kalaam (literally means discourse) in Punjabi written by Baba Bulleh Shah in honour of a Sufi saint Hazrat Lal Shahbaz Qalandar of Sehwan Sharif, Pakistan. He was one who tried bringing peace between Hindus and Muslims and the former even regarded him as an reincarnate.
The qawwals or singers stand or fall depending on how they are able to deliver a rapturous mood to an interactive audience. And the Warsi Brothers performers stood high. Hamid Hussain, Rasi Ahmed, Ghulam Rasool and Mohammed Rafi were the other singers. Young Waris Nawaz on the tabla was exceptional.
Even if the meaning of the verses were not explained, even if one does not go into the history of the names mentioned, a qawwali is bound to enthuse. It provides a sort of mystical experience, a connect to our feelings, making us forget our inhibitions and become part of the natural movement of the songs and rhythm.
