The sub editor feels qawwali Sufism's gift to humankind could be a potential political ideology
The sub editor feels qawwali Sufism's gift to humankind could be a potential political ideology No, it is not development, which is a much used and abused term by our politicians.
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sufi soiree: Khadims or custodians of Ajmer Sharif standing outside the famed shrine of Sufi saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chishtiu00a0pic/ap |
It is not religion, either. And neither it is offshoots like caste, region etc. I am selling Qawwali. Before you declare me lunatic, let me clarify this new found concept of cultural nationalism that I have coined, courtesy my stint as a journalist.
For you, it might be just another form of recreation, some genre of music, but for me it epitomises my cultural nationalism.
Qawwali is an expression where Allah and Krishna co-exist so peacefully that you don't even realise when the former ends and the latter begins. The sheer seamlessness of thought, the selflessness and the urge to purge oneself of everything that is human and to join the divine is something that causes a trance.
Noted Sufi exponent Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's renditions are a brilliant example of this trance trip. Even as he invokes Allah in one and explains the raasleela of Krishna in another, it becomes impossible to tell one from the other. These versions erase boundaries and bring listeners close to themselves.
The musical form has a 700-year-old tradition. Though born in Persia, qawwali has been a part and parcel of the cultural and musical fabric of the subcontinent. I simply wonder why have we become so ignorant about such traditions that used to bind us as one coherent mass of people.
Lokmanya Tilak popularised Ganesh Chaturthi to motivate Indians against the British rule. Till date, it has sustained its character as an occasion where differences cease to exist. If Tilak could do it, so can our netas. All that is required is the political will. The vehicle is right here as qawwali.
The Sufi way of interacting with the omnipotent had existed in one way or the other all across the countries. It was as much a part of Sufi shrines as social and cultural gatherings. Had I been a politician I would have definitely used it to keep my flock (read electorate) together. The best part is nobody can dare to stamp you as a Hindu nationalist or a Muslim fundamentalist if you follow qawwali. What a fantastic way to communicate, entertain, motivate as well as unite people!
The poll season is upon us and I want to ask all of those who would be pursuing their agenda (yes, their
and not ours). What have they done and would do to protect and revitalise the great tradition of qawwali, except for establishing some institutions where their puppets try to fool us saying all is well with our culture?
If they have no answer to my question, then let me conclude by quoting Amir Khusrau: If there is no pilot on our ship, let there be none; We have God in our midst; the pilot we do not need.
