The Qawwali Project – An Untold Story

Dhruv Sangari (Bilal Chisty) is a leading, popular Qawwal from the new generation of practitioners. Qawwali, when traditionally performed at the Dargah (shrine), becomes a medium for the audience and performer alike for spiritual messages to be transferred, in the Sufi tradition of Mehfil-e-Sama (assembly for listening). Every Qawwal prays to the Saint before the performance, in a way seeking his permission for the performance at the mehfil and in complete surrender to the will of the Saint.

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.