The Qawwali Project – An Untold Story

A Qawwali mehfil where the shrine is decorated with modern day balloons. This unusual decor adds to the colour of the whole frame, with the serenity of the moment intact. The Qawwal uses his voice modulation with an intensity that brinks on spiritual ecstasy. The popular repertoire for Qawwals in Punjab is a Kafi (a poem) the language used is Punjabi, Seraiki or Sindhi with the local dialects. The mystical, spiritual poetry of Baba Farid, Sultan Bahu, Shah Hussain and Bulleh Shah are popular in the assemblies of music called mehfils.

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.