Sufi Rabt: The Qawali night in Dhaka

If Mumbai is called the 'city of joy' for Bangladesh's capital, Dhaka is no less than a city of celebrations. Here everything has its colour, for example, music. For many, concerts have been a place of enormous happiness where thousands and millions flock to headbang. On the other hand, a small mehfil is merely a gathering of a hundred and can make people go beyond their senses. 

This is the Qawali of Dhaka, where people still headbangs together, but these headbangs transcend one's identity and reach the epitome of madness, which in Sufism is called mystic power. 

9th March at the Bishwo Shahitto Kendra's Isfendiyar Jahed Hasan Hall was one of such places where seasoned Qawwal Nadim Ehtesham Reza Khan Aka Nadim Qawwal mesmerized everyone with his ragas and durud that he recited within his songs in a discussion cum poetry based function 'Sufi Rabt.' 

Rabt means bonding or connection. Sufi Rabt is the bonding of Sufism, and Qawali is one of those mediums where the bonding reaches a different level. 

Qawali is a musical expression of Sufism, connecting the almighty through mystical lyrics and rhythm accompanied by high notes. It has a route traced back to ancient Persia and North Africa. In India, Amir Khasru was known as the father of Qawali. 

Later, this musical art form was carried through the mighty voices of the Sabri Brothers, Farid Ayyaz, and the late Ustaad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. Nadim Qawal at the Sufi Rabt remembered his idol Nusrat Fateh Ali many times while performing. He started his performance in the call of 'Allahu', a famous creation in the realm of Qawali. 

"For four generations, my ancestors have been performing Qawali. I am the carrier of this legacy. I take pride in it." 

To Nadim Qawal, this musical genre was brought to the Bengal Delta through their family, pioneered and nurtured for centuries. He believes that music is one of the paths to reaching divinity, and he is honoured to be one of the way-farers of this path. 

"I do it for my love towards it. When I heard about the arrangements for the first time, I could not hold back. I believe people, especially the youth, love it because they can connect with the words and the meaning they hold." 

For some years Mir Hojaifa Al Mamduh, an enthusiast of Sufism, has been doing research on the Pirs (Preacher of Islam) of Old Dhaka. To him, Sufism and Qawali have an integral bond with each other. 

"Sufism and the Qawali are unique cultural identities in Old Dhaka. People should be aware of that culture and should understand it. I don't want it to have vanished from the cultural diversity of this region. Therefore, we arranged this Sufi Rabt." 

For hundreds of years, Sufism has taken many shifts in many world regions. With that, Qawali also got shaped, sometimes with words with ragas, notes, and instruments, and sometimes with performances itself. 

In Bangladesh, how is Qawali now? Is it breathing? Can Qawals like Nadim raise their voices, pitching at a higher note and praising the Almighty and prophets? The answer we might not know, however, is when the Maghrib's prayer is completed, the Bishwo Shahitto Kendra is revived with the beats and sounds of tabla while the lord's praises are blowing in the air. 

mohd.imranasifkhan@gmail.com