The Qawwali Project – An Untold Story

Amir Khusrau is credited for creating the form of traditional Qawwali as it is sung even today. In the late 13th century in India he is said to have fused the Persian and Indian musical traditions to create Qawwali. It is said that originally Hazarat Amir Khusro trained 12 children in the performance of Qawwalis and they are known as "Qawwal Bachche" and the subsequent family lineage from them are known as Qawwal Bachchon Ka Gharana (the House of the Children of Qawwal).

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.