[gallery td_gallery_title_input="Photos by Samar Media" td_select_gallery_slide="slide" size="medium" ids="71343,71344,71345"] P.K. Abdul Ghafour KONDOTTY, Kerala — Qawwali is devotional and spiritually energizing music used by the Sufis. Although it dates back to the 11th century, this form of music is still popular in India and Pakistan. Sheikh Nizamuddin, a follower of the Chishti school of Sufism, used this music extensively in his prayer gatherings. Amir Khusru, a legendary musician and philosopher of the 13th century, is considered the father of Qawwali. He mixed elements from Turkey, Persia and India to develop this unique music. It has medical effect and can rejuvenate people's body, mind and soul, said one expert. Qawwali, whose lyrics are mainly in Urdu, is not popular in Kerala unlike other Indian states, because of the language barrier. But the emergence of a first-ever Qawwali troupe led by a group of young Keralite students and artists is to bring about a paradigm shift in the music's popularity in the state. The Rotary Club of Kondotty recently organized a Qawwali musical evening with the support of this enthusiastic troupe to mark Eid Al-Fitr and the end of a shopping festival. The program led by Irfan Erooth (vocal) and Jawed Aslam (harmonium) mesmerized the audience, who included politicians, businessmen and a large number of local families. Qawwali concerts are usually composed of a lead singer, second singer, harmonium and tabla and a small choir of other singers all sitting on the floor. It starts off with a slow ambient opening, then becomes more rhythmical and driving as the music becomes fast-pulsed, taking the audience to a new world of spirituality. Mehfil-e-Sama'a, the new troupe, was cofounded by Erooth and Aslam about six months ago. They have already conducted seven programs in Kerala and Delhi. "We have covered all the central universities in Delhi. Now we are getting multiple requests to perform across India and abroad," Irfan told Saudi Gazette. "There are active discussions for events in Calicut, Wayanad, Bangalore, Qatar and Turkey, to name a few," he added. A two-time Kala Prathibha of art festivals in Kerala, winning top medals in various art forms, Erooth has taken Qawwali as a challenge. He was invited to lead a Qawwali program organized by Students Islamic Organization (SIO) at Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi, in December 2015 to mark Milad-e-Sherif or the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. "I had no previous experience singing Qawwali but decided to give it a try...Though it was not a mammoth event in terms of participation, it gave us a big boost enhancing our confidence and made us determined to explore the Sufi music in depth," he said while explaining the troupe's humble beginning. Mehfil's second performance at Delhi University on May 2016 was a turning point for the nascent troupe. "We were able to perform there more professionally after making intense preparations. We were adequately teamed up for this event and the venue was fully packed. We were successful in engaging the audience and the response was beyond our expectations," he said. Mehfil's chorus members are students from varying disciplines including psychology, computer science, art and literature. They are backed by two professional artists — Ajith G Maniyan (professional theater and Dholak artist, Delhi) and Monis Baba (professional Tabla artist, Delhi) and a university assistant professor, Neethu, who is a percussion artist. Other troupe members are: Nizamudheen Vazhiyoram (lead chorus), Ravi Venu Gopal (Tabla artist, Kerala), Haritha Narayanan (lead female chorus, Delhi), Sachin Varma, Siya Shifana (both chorus, Delhi), Ihsan-ul-Ihthisham, Rajih Erooth, Pragila G Nair, Sringa Sree Kumar, Junaid (chorus from Kerala) and Mohammed Febin (Djembe artist, Delhi). Erooth says Qawwali still draws huge support from the youth. "Both Bollywood and popular TV shows had seen huge audience for Qawwali in the past. Taj-Dar-e-Haram of Sabri Brothers and Bismillah of Munawwar Masoom are the most watched online music shows of the Indian subcontinent." Various Bollywood movies too have had produced hit music in the form of Qawwali with the help of veteran musicians like A.R Rahman and Adnan Sami. "It has been mostly the youth cheering us and we have performed mainly in universities," said Erooth, who has been selected to Shankar Mahadevan Music Academy, Bengaluru, for music studies. Asked about the improvisations made by the troupe to win hearts of the audience, Erooth said: "We don't have a single way of singing, we understand our audience and their tempo and adjust ourselves to match it. We often change few compositions, tweak the music and increase speed at times considering our team and audience ... and we never fail to practice." Aslam, a well-known painting artist and film director, spoke highly about the progress achieved by Mehfil within six months. "We are totally immersed and deeply involved in Qawwali. We are still exploring it and we have a long way to go and definitely we have a lot more to learn from great Qawwals." Qawwali has a huge potential, he said. "Though it's a very developed form of music, compared to popular music or even Ghazal, more efforts are required to reach the music to a wider audience, especially in South India. Our campuses are yet to get a taste of Qawwali," added Aslam, who has completed BFA and MFA at Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi with gold medal. Dr. P.K. Noushad, president of Rotary Club in Kondotty, was all praise for Mehfil-e-Sama'a and its highly talented artists. "We decided to bring the team to promote this nice music, which can be used for mass healing. The locals like this Sufi music and the troupe has done a wonderful job by performing well, rising up to our expectations," he told Saudi Gazette.
