The Qawwali Project – An Untold Story

Basant is typically a Hindu festival that marks the arrival of spring and is uniquely celebrated at most Sufi Shrines in the subcontinent and the largest all day celebration held at the shrine of Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia, often referred to as Mahboob-e-Ilahi (The Beloved of God) and recognized as the greatest Sufi saint of his times. The shrine is bedecked with yellow flowers, the people all dressed in yellow and the offerings of typically yellow mustard flowers are made by the Qawwals.They walk in a procession singing songs of Basant, largely written by Amir Khusrau, the favorite disciple, murid, of the Saint. The images are shot in movement, with the photographer keeping pace with the musicians.

Listen to one of the traditional 700 year old compositions of Basant on this link.

The Qawwali Project, is an initiative conceptualized by Manjari Chaturvedi where the untold story of Qawwali unfolds through the eyes of photographers. The practitioners are photo-documented with their performance art, their lives and their association with the Sufi shrines where they perform. Qawwali is the performance art and Qawwal is the practitioner. This is an attempt by the Sufi Kathak Foundation to document the traditions as they exist at the shrines itself.